STOCKTON, Calif -- The Portland Pilots traded baskets all night, but ultimately couldn't come out on top, falling 80-74 to the Pacfic Tigers.

The Pilots (17-9, 9-3) had four players score in double figures, led by McKelle Meek, who had a season-high 14 points, four assists and four steals. Kennedy Dickie added 13 points and six rebounds and Emme Shearer helped out with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Lucy Cochrane stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists.

Portland forced 23 Pacific turnovers with 15 steals. The Pilots turned those takeaways into 23 points on the other end of the floor. Meek's four steals led the way for Portland.

How It Happened

After falling behind early, Portland went on an 11-0 run with 8:38 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Dickie, to take an 11-3 lead. The Pilots then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 16-15 advantage. Portland did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 16 points close to the basket.

The Pilots could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 43-40. Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the second, with Pacific scoring 28 and the Pilots scoring 24.

Pacific continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 55-46 advantage before Portland went on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Meek, to trim the deficit to 55-52 with 1:30 to go in the third. Pacific countered and stretched its lead to 58-54 heading into the fourth. Portland took advantage of seven Pacific turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of takeaways.

Pacific kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 64-56 advantage before Portland went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Dyani Ananiev's three, to shrink the deficit to 64-62 with 5:22 to go in the contest. The Pilots tied the game late at 72 points with just 1:34 to go, but they couldn't hold on as the Tigers went on to win 80-74.

Game Notes

» The Pilots shot well from three point range, knocking down nine of 21 long range attempts.
» The Pilots shared the ball well, recording an assist on 70 percent of made field goals. They had 19 assists total.
» Lucy Cochrane had a career-high eight assists on the night.
» The Portland defense forced 23 turnovers with 15 steals. They've hit that total in three of the last four games.
» Portland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» McKelle Meek led the Pilots with 14 points, a season high.
» Portland got seven rebounds from both Lucy Cochrane and Emme Shearer.
» Shearer is just five points away from 1,000 in her career.
» The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Portland. They still have sole possession of second place in the conference.

Up Next

The Pilots will stay in California to take on the Santa Clara Broncos. The two teams play on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.

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