Portland knocks out No. 16 Gonzaga
Pilots earn WCC’S automatic bid into women’s tourney
Maisie Burnham scored 19 points, Alex Fowler had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Portland beat two-time defending West Coast Conference tournament champion Gonzaga 64-60 to claim an NCAA women’s tournament berth.
Portland snapped a sixgame losing streak against the No. 16 Zags — with its last win coming in the tournament semifinals during the 2019-20 season. The Pilots won the tournament championship that year before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Portland played in four straight NCAA Tournaments from 1994-97 before finally getting back in 2020.
Portland, which trailed by 13 points early in the third quarter, scored seven unanswered points in the fourth quarter to extend its lead to
ROUNDUP
58-50. But Gonzaga scored the next nine points to take a lead on Yvonne Ejim’s jumper from the free-throw line with 43.9 seconds left.
Fowler drove into the lane and spun her defender before finishing a contested shot. She was fouled on the play and sank the free throw for a 61-59 lead with 37.8 seconds left.
Fowler had her first double-double of the season for Portland.
Ejim had 21 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out late for Gonzaga (28-4). Truong, the WCC player of the year, had 18 points, five assists and three steals — but also seven turnovers.
Mountain West women
■ Wyoming 65, Colorado State 56: Allyson Fertig had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Cowgirls, who will met the Lady Rebels in the
Mountain West championship game Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center at 7 p.m. Malene Pederson added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Rams were led by Destiny Thurman’s 19 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
Big West women At Dollar Loan Center
■ Cal State Bakersfield 55, Cal State Northridge 52: Hennie van Schaik had 19 points seven rebounds for the Roadrunners, who overcame a slow shooting night from three-point range (25 percent). Siphia Tougas added 17 points off the bench. The Matadors were forced into 14 turnovers.
■ UC Riverside 63, Cal Poly 54: Jordan Webster had 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting, and Matheya Bryant had 16 points and six rebounds for the Highlanders, who outrebounded the
Mustangs 41-26. Cal Poly was led by Annika Shah’s 10 points.
WAC men
At Michelob ULTRA Arena
■ Grand Canyon 82, Texas-arlington 77: Rayshon Harrison had 30 points and seven rebounds for the Antelopes. Chance Mcmillian added 18 points while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. The Mavericks were led by Kyron Gibson, who finished with 17 points and four assists.
■ California Baptist 69, Abilene Christian 62: Tre Armstrong had 23 points off the bench to lead the Lancers, who shot 46 percent from the field. Damien Daniels’ 16 points led the Wildcats, who were held to 10 percent shooting from 3-point range.
■ Tarleton State 74, Texas-rio Grande Valley 70: Jakorie Smith led the Texans with 26 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Smith finished 11-of-11 from the free throw line. C.J. Jackson scored 17 off the bench for the Vaqueros.
■ Utah Tech 80, Stephen F. Austin 76 (OT): Cameron Gooden scored 22 points to lead four double-digit scorers for the Trailblazers, who shot 49 percent from the field. The Lumberjacks were led by Latrell Jossell’s 17 points.
Big West men At Dollar Loan Center
■ Cal State Bakersfield 51, Cal State Northridge 47: Antavion Collum had 16 points and six rebounds to help the Roadrunners, who shot just 32 percent for the game. The Matadors were forced into 15 turnovers and held to 18 percent from 3-point range.
■ Cal Poly 88, Long Beach State 68: Brantly Stevenson led the Mustangs with 28 points to upset the 49ers, who were outshot 50 percent to 36 percent. Nick Fleming added 16 points off the bench. AJ George led Long Beach State with 14 points.