LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Portland Pilots grabbed a double-digit lead in the first-quarter and never looked back on their way to a 75-63 win against the LMU Lions on the road Saturday. The win secured the 3-seed in the WCC Tournament for the Pilots.

The Pilots (18-12) had three players score in double figures, led by Emme Shearer, who had 18 points and three steals. Maisie Burnham tacked on 16 points and Kennedy Dickie chipped in as well with 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Portland shared the ball well in Saturday's game, racking up 21 assists on 28 made field goals. Individually, Kianna Hamilton dished out the most for the Pilots with five assists.

Portland did a great job disrupting the LMU's shots in the contest, coming away with seven blocks. Lucy Cochrane's five rejections led the way individually for the Pilots, marking the seventh time she's had five or more blocks in a game.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 10-9 advantage, Portland went on a 13-0 run with 3:53 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Shearer, to increase the lead to 23-9 by the end of the period. Portland was nails from outside, knocking down five 3-pointers to account for 15 of their 23 points.

Portland kept the first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 6:24 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Shearer, to make it 31-13. The Pilots proceeded to tack on five points to that lead and enjoyed a 45-22 advantage heading into halftime.

Following intermission, Portland continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 55-31 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Burnham, to expand its lead further to 61-31 with 2:28 to go in the third. Before the end of the period, the Lions had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Pilots still entered the fourth quarter with a 63-40 edge. The Pilots the rest of the way for the 75-63 win.

Game Notes

» Portland lit it up from outside, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Pilots never trailed after taking a 10-9 first quarter lead.
» Portland put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 75 percent of made baskets and 21 total. It's the fifth time they've had at least 20 assists in a game.
» The Portland defense forced 21 turnovers and had 12 steals. They've posted at least 12 steals in 15 games.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team. Lucy Cochrane had five of those blocks, marking the seventh time she's had five or more blocks in a game this year.
» Cochrane now has 263 blocks for her Pilot career and is seven away from breaking Portland's all-time block record across all divisions.
» Emme Shearer led the Pilots with a game-high 18 points.
» Portland got seven rebounds from both Lucy Cochrane and Kennedy Dickie.
» The Pilots have had at least 18 wins in each of the last three seasons. The last time they had a three-season stretch with that many wins per season was between 1995-98.
» The last time the Pilots posted back-to-back seasons of 10 conference wins or more was between 1995 and 1997.
» The Pilots secured the 3-seed in the WCC Tournament, which makes it two years in a row they've finished at least that high. The last time they did that was between 1996-98.

Up Next

The Pilots will head to Las Vegas for the 2024 WCC Tournament. Stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com for more information.

Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.