SPOKANE, Wash. – The Portland Pilots dropped their road contest against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday, losing 69-55 at the Kennell. Portland drops to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in WCC play with the loss.
Nicole Anderson led the way for Portland with 14 points and three 3-pointers. Anderson reached the 1,000-point mark for her career in the contest as well. Florence Dallow was the lone other scorer for the Pilots in double digits at 11 points.
The Pilots were active defensively, forcing 23 turnovers and adding 10 steals as well. Julia Dalan had two blocks along with her eight points and four rebounds, moving to 57 blocks total on the year. She is nine blocks away from matching the freshman record for blocks in a season set by Rosemary Adams in the 1990-91 season.
How it Happened
It was a defensive battle in Spokane early in the first, with neither team putting together clean offense. Portland finally put together some sustained offensive success with a 9-2 run. The Pilots had five steals and nine forced turnovers, holding the Zags to just six points in the quarter for a 13-6 lead.
Portland pushed the lead to as big as eight points, with the Pilots and Zags trading baskets most of the way. The Pilots forced another six turnovers with a pair of steals as well, with Lainey Spear reaching four in the half. Anderson broke the 1,000-point threshold in the quarter with a jumper towards the end of the half and hit a big 3-pointer to keep the Pilots up six at 28-22 at the half.
Gonzaga came out strong in the third period, putting together a 10-2 run followed by an 8-0 run to take as big as an eight-point lead. Lauren Whittaker poured in 13 points in the quarter for the Bulldogs to put Gonzaga up by 14 in the third. Gonzaga took that big lead and cruised the rest of the way to the win.
Game Notes
- Anderson led the Pilots with a season-high 14 points off the bench.
- Anderson crossed the 1,000-point threshold for her career.
- Dallow scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.
- With two blocks, Dalan now sits at 57 blocks on the year, just nine shy of the program record for blocks in a season by a true freshman.
- The Pilots forced 23 turnovers and had 10 steals on the day.
Up Next
The Pilots are back on the road next weekend for a matchup against the Santa Clara Broncos on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
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