PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots finished out an undefeated weekend with a 74-53 win over the Pacific Tigers. The Pilots improve to 9-7 on the year and 3-1 in WCC play.
Dyani Ananiev shined for the Pilots, scoring 17 points and adding a career-high 10 rebounds and four assists for her first double-double. She's the third player to earn a double-double for the Pilots this year. Her 17 points matched a season high as well. Julia Dalan and Lainey Spear were the other double-digit scorers with 11 points each.
Offensively, the Pilots had 38 points in the paint and scored 15 points off second chance opportunities. They had 19 assists total, with Rhyan Mogel's seven assists being tops for Portland. Ananiev hit three 3-pointers for Portland to pace the Pilots outside the arc.
Portland had 11 steals on the day with 22 forced turnovers. Mogel's four steals lead the way for the Pilots, her third straight game with four steals. Portland got seven blocks on the day as well, with five of those coming courtesy of Julia Dalan. She's had multiple blocks in 13 games this year and is up to 55 on the year, 11 shy of the freshman record set by Rosemary Adams in the 1990-91 season. The Pilots held the Tigers to 26.7% shooting from the field overall
How it Happened
The Pilots and Tigers played a defensive battle in the first quarter, with neither team gaining a clear advantage. Portland forced seven turnovers in the quarter with four steals. Lainey Spear scored five of her 11 first-half points in the quarter to put some pressure on the Tigers inside. 10 of Portland's first-quarter points came in the paint, including a late layup from Julia Dalan to put Portland up 15-12 after the first period.
The second period saw an uptick in scoring. Spear added another six points to her total to maintain a strong presence inside while Dyani Ananiev hit a pair of 3-pointers to get Portland going from outside. Pacific managed to grab their first lead of the game and pushed that advantage to three points with an 11-3 stretch towards the end of the second period. But Portland retook the lead by half with a late score from Rhyan Mogel, winning 36-35 after the first 20 minutes.
Portland came out in the second half strong, putting together a 15-0 run that stretched over the first seven minutes of the quarter to push their lead to double digits. Portland outscored the Tigers 20-8 overall in the quarter overall to take a commanding lead of 56-43 heading into the final quarter. The Pilots cruised the rest of the way for the 74-53 win.
Game Notes
- Ananiev notched her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Her 17 points also match a season high.
- Ananiev is the third Pilot to record a double-double this year.
- Ananiev is the only Pilot to score in double digits 10 times this season.
- Spear scored in double digits for the sixth time this season with 11 points.
- Dalan also scored in double digits while adding seven rebounds and five blocks.
- Dalan's five blocks on the day marks the 13th time she's had multiple blocks in a game this season. She's got 55 on the season now and is just 11 shy of matching the freshman block record set by Rosemary Adams in the 1990-91.
- Portland got 23 points from their bench on Sunday.
- The Pilots grabbed 45 rebounds in the contest.
- The Pilots held the Tigers to only 26.7% shooting from the field.
- Portland had 11 steals and forced 22 turnovers on the day. Rhyan Mogel's four steals were tops on the Pilots.
Up Next
The Pilots take on a strong conference opponent in the Gonzaga Bulldogs up in Spokane next Saturday, Jan. 10. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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