The Pilots had trouble shooting the ball in today’s game against Gonzaga in the Chiles Center. The Pilots shot 26.4 percent for the game and lost to the Bulldogs by a score of 85-50.
Portland’s senior point guard Kaylie Van Loo led the team with 16 points. Gonzaga’s forward Jill Barta led all scorers with 27 points.
The Bulldogs started out hot and did not let up all game. They led 11-2 after the first five minutes of the game and continued to shut down the Pilots. The Pilots only made two baskets in the entire first quarter, which ended with the Pilots behind by a score of 22-6. The Bulldogs added to their lead by sinking a buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter and picked up right where they left off in the second quarter.
Three pointers came easy for the Bulldogs in the 1st half, as they sank eight total, six of which came in the second quarter, including a stretch where Gonzaga sank four threes in a row.
At halftime, the Pilots found themselves down by a score of 45-16. Portland shot 5-30 from the field in the first half due in part to Gonzaga’s strong defense.
The Pilots shot better in the second half, shooting 39.1 percent compared to 11.1 percent, but could not keep up with the shooting of Gonzaga. The Pilots doubled their halftime score in the third quarter alone. But the Bulldogs kept making their shots.
“At halftime we just talked about making sure we were recognizing how they were guarding us and what they were trying to take away from us,” head coach Cheryl Sorenson said. “We also wanted to highlight the things that we did well and tried to go back to that.”
Despite their improvement at the start of the second half the Pilots found themselves down by a score of 67-34 heading into the final quarter of the game.
Turnovers were another problem for the Pilots this afternoon, especially in the fourth quarter. The Pilots had 21 turnovers, seven coming in the fourth quarter, compared to just three assists all game.
Despite the rough night and poor shooting Sorenson was encouraged by the fight that the Pilots put up in the second half.
“We’re very motivated. Our effort was very good today and we always talk about how we can stay motivated and keep each other confident,” Sorenson said.
With the loss, the Pilots fall to 3-16 on the season and 1-7 in the WCC. The Bulldogs stay in first place in the WCC standings with the win and improve to 14-4 overall and 6-2 in the WCC.
The Pilots look to snap their six game losing streak when they take on Pepperdine on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Chiles Center at 7:00 pm.
