PORTLAND, Ore. – The No. 13/12 Gonzaga women's basketball team defeated Portland 93-62 Saturday evening at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore. The Bulldogs forced a season-high 27 turnovers on the Pilots and claimed a 33-24 edge on the glass.
 
Five Bulldogs finished in double-figures, led by Zykera Rice with 14 points to go along with five rebounds. Laura Stockton added 13 points, all in the second half, while Jill Townsend chipped in 12 points. Katie Campbell and Louise Forsyth each scored 11 (a new career-high for Forsyth). Jessie Loera added six points, three steals, two rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
 
"We had a really efficient offensive attack tonight," head women's basketball coach Lisa Fortier said. "We have so many offensive threats, and when we are sharing the ball and looking for teammates, we are hard to stop."
 
Gonzaga (22-2, 11-1 WCC) struggled to find its rhythm initially against Portland's high-tempo style, shooting 38.5 percent from the floor while turning the ball over six times. But the Zags found their rhythm inside, out-rebounding the Pilots 11-5 while drawing six fouls, finishing 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. The Zags' defense limited Portland to 11 first-quarter points, giving the Bulldogs a 15-11 advantage heading into the second.
 
The Zags found their rhythm offensively in the second, exploding for 25 points shooting 62.5 percent from the floor. Rice led the Zags with eight total points in the second, scoring six straight to open the quarter while Jessie Loera dished out five of her 10 total assists in the second. Gonzaga held Portland (10-13, 2-10 WCC) to 37.5 percent shooting for 12 points to extend its lead to 17 (40-23) heading into the break.
 
Gonzaga continued to climb offensively, sinking 10-of-14 attempts in the third to shoot 71.4 percent. The Bulldogs outscored Portland 24-20 to gain a 21-point lead (64-43) heading into the fourth.
 
The Bulldogs opened the fourth with five-straight points, starting with a baseline trey from Forsyth followed by a hesitation drive from Stockton to give GU a 26-point advantage (69-43). Eight different Zags scored in the final period, led by six apiece from Forsyth and Stockton and the Zags rolled, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor for 29 points. The Bulldogs limited Portland to 19 fourth-quarter points to run away with the 93-62 win.
 
"I loved the defensive effort for most of the game tonight," Fortier said. "We were flying around and forcing turnovers."
 
Portland finished with four players in double figures, led by Haylee Andrews with 17 points. Maddie Muhlheim added 13 while Julie Spencer and Kate Anderson each added 11.
 
Gonzaga is back in action Thursday, Feb. 14 against visiting San Diego at 6 p.m. in the McCarthey Athletic Center.