Portland led No. 24 Gonzaga by six at the half, but the Bulldogs would rally for a 70-58 win over the Pilots in a West Coast Conference women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. The loss snaps Portland's four-game winning streak.
The Pilots, who had just eight players in uniform because of injuries, played inspired ball in the first half as the two teams exchanged the lead a couple of times during the game's opening 10 minutes. Then with the score tied at 20-20, UP sophomore forward Alexis Gannis hit a lay-up to help spark a 14-2 Portland run.
Portland senior guard Laiken Dollente hit two three-pointers during the spurt, and her second from long range gave Portland a 10-point lead at 32-22 with 4:00 remaining in the half. Sophomore guard ReZina TecleMariam capped the run with a fast-break lay-up following a Dollente steal that gave the Pilots a cozy 12-point lead.
Gonzaga cut into the lead a bit before the half-time buzzer as the Pilots entered the locker room with a 36-30 lead.
The second half was a different story as the Zags were active on the glass and began knocking down shots from all angles. The Pilots withstood Gonzaga's initial surge and still led 44-41 after a jumper from junior post Lauren Angel with 12:26 left.
GU's Vivian Frieson and Courtney Vandersloot then connected on back-to-back lay-ups to give the Bulldogs their first lead since half-way through the first half. The two lay-ups began a Gonzaga run that would stretch to 23-7, giving the Bulldogs a 64-51 lead with 3:11left to play. The Pilots got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
First-place Gonzaga wins its ninth straight game to improve to 19-4 on the season and to a perfect 8-0 in the WCC. Portland falls to 15-8 overall and to an even 4-4 in the conference.
Angel and TecleMariam led the way for the Pilots with 16 points each. Gannis notched her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and12 boards, while Dollente had a solid all-around performance with 13points, six rebounds and five assists.
GU was led by Heather Bowman's game-high 19 points. The league's all-time leading scorer was a methodical 9-for-14 from the field.Vandersloot came on strong in the second half to finish with 14 points and eight assists. Katelan Redmon added 12 points off the bench, helping the Zags to a huge 24-0 advantage in bench points.
Gonzaga also enjoyed a sizable 24-8 advantage in rebounds in the second half and a 36-31 edge overall. The rebounding difference helped GU outscore the Pilots 21-5 in second-chance points and 40-26 in the paint.
The Pilots shot 50.0 before the break before cooling off to finish at 40.7 percent (22-for-54) for the game. UP hit four three-pointers and went 10-for-12 at the line. The Zags shot 39.4 percent from the floor in the first half before improving to 46.0 percent (29-for-63) overall. GU hit just two three's and was 10 of 13 at the charity stripe.
The game was Portland's annual "Pink Zone" game as a season-high 925 fans packed into the Chiles Center. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association began the "Pink Zone" in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. The 2009 campaign raised over $1.3 million, reached more than 912,000 fans, unified more than 1,600 participating teams and organizations, and saw 56-plus schools break attendance records at their event.
Portland next hits the road for a pair of crucial WCC match-ups next week. On Thursday, the Pilots are in San Diego, Calif., for a 7:00 p.m.game against the San Diego Toreros. UP then travels to Moraga, Calif.,for a 2:00 p.m. game against the Saint Mary's Gaels on Saturday. Both the Toreros and Gaels sit just ahead of the Pilots in the WCC standings.
-- University of Portland
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