Pilots Top San Diego in OT; Portland Women Punch Ticket to NCAA Tournament

Photo from Portland Pilots WBB on Twitter (@PortlandWBB)

The Portland Pilots are going dancing for the first time since 1997. The women defeated San Diego, 64-63, in overtime to become West Coast Conference Champions on Tuesday afternoon.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1997!! The Pilots are going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since ’97! https://t.co/3ZjSGiv3ed

— 750 The Game (@750TheGame) March 10, 2020

The Pilots led a few times in the first half–by as many as eight points–before San Diego closed the gap to three at the break.

Portland trailed by 5 early in the third quarter before the WCC Championship game turned into a back and forth affair.

In the final minute, Haylee Andrews, the Pilots hero against Gonzaga, hit a free throw to tie the game at 56, but she missed the second.

The Toreros got a Myah Pace basket to put SD up 58-56. Then, Andrews came up big again with a post-up hook shot.

Andrews has ice water in her veins!!! #Clutch pic.twitter.com/c5VDuBwLtr

— Portland Pilots WBB (@PortlandWBB) March 10, 2020

San Diego had five seconds of regulation to try something, but Pace–the Toreros leading scorer–committed an offensive foul and fouled out of the game.

Portland got a shot off from half court. It missed. So, the teams went to overtime.

It wasn’t a high-scoring extra session, and that’s just fine with the Pilots. Andrews scored three of the Pilots six OT points, including a the go-ahead shot with just under a minute to go.