PROVO, Utah -- In the final WCC regular season game, the Portland Pilots defeated the BYU Cougars 61-49 to earn a program-record 15th conference win.
Liana Kaitu'u led the Pilots (21-8, 15-3) with 17 points and three steals. Maisie Burnham tacked on nine points, six rebounds and two steals and Alex Fowler chipped in as well with eight points and five assists.
Portland shared the ball well in Monday's game, racking up 16 assists on 22 made field goals. Fowler's five assists led the Pilots and Kelsey Lenzie also helped out with three assists of her own.
The Portland defense caused its share of mistakes in Monday's game, forcing 19 BYU. Those takeaways turned into 23 points on the other end of the floor. Kaitu'u and Frawley's three steals each led the way individually for the Pilots.
How It Happened
After falling behind early, Portland went on a 9-0 run with 7:27 left in the first quarter to take a 9-4 lead. The Pilots then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 9-6 advantage.
Portland kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 7:59 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 17-8. The Pilots proceeded to tack on two points to that lead and enjoyed a 28-17 advantage heading into halftime. Portland was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 19 points.
After intermission, Portland held on to its advantage and owned a 42-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Portland played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 14 points in the paint. The Pilots coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory slightly by outscoring the Cougars 19-17 in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
» The Pilots held the Cougars to only 33.3 percent shooting from the field. It's the second time they've held BYU under 40% shooting and the ninth time they've done so to a WCC team.
» The Pilots never trailed after taking a 9-6 first quarter lead.
» The Pilots shared the ball well, recording an assist on 73 percent of made field goals.
» The Portland bench made an impact by scoring 23 points to its scoring output.
» The Portland defense forced 19 turnovers. They forced 39 turnovers across both games against BYU.
» Liana Kaitu'u led the Pilots with a game-high 17 points. It's the third time this year she's led Portland in scoring.
» Portland got six rebounds from both Maisie Burnham and Keeley Frawley.
» The Pilots set a program record for conference wins in a season with 15.
» Portland also reached 21 wins overall, matching the highest total they've ever reached under head caoch Mike Meek. It is also the highest total the Pilots have reached in just the regular season since the 1996-97 season.
Up Next
The Pilots are officially the 2-seed in the 2023 University Credit Union WCC Tournament in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena. They have a bye straight to the semifinals and won't play until Monday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. Stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com for details on how to follow along.
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