While most students were on spring break, the Portland women’s basketball team won the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament on March 6 in Las Vegas. To win the WCC tournament they beat the no. 1 seed Gonzaga 64-60 on March 7. After losing to the Bulldogs in both regular season games the Pilot’s found redemption with a late game win.
On Sunday, The Pilot House hosted a celebratory NCAA selection watch party for the Pilot’s who were keen on seeing who their first opponent would be. This celebration marked the first in 26 years as the last time the Pilot’s won the WCC the whole world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. They were unable to compete in the NCAA tournament at that time as the event was canceled. Numerous players, including Alex Fowler and Haylee Andrews were on that 2020 squad.
Media Credit: Evan Luecke
The Pilot’s were selected as the 12-seed and will face the 5-seed Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, March 18 in Los Angeles on UCLA's campus.
Oklahoma is 25-6 on the year and finished conference play with a 14-4 record. They finished second in the Big 12 and advanced to semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
This is the sixth time that the Pilot’s have won the WCC tournament and earned a spot in the national tournament. Currently the Pilots are 23-8 overall and finished 15-3 in WCC play. Their overall record for this season was their best since 1996-97 and their WCC record was the best in program history.
Wilder Isom is the sports editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at isomw24@up.edu
