Box Score LAS VEGAS – The #11/11 Gonzaga women's basketball team fell to Portland 70-69 in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament Monday afternoon inside The Orleans Arena.
 
"Anyone can beat anybody on any given night, so you have to do your best every single night," junior guard Jill Townsend said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't our best tonight."
 
Gonzaga (28-3) finished with three players in double figures, led by Jenn Wirth with 21 points off 10-of-19 from the floor to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. Jill Townsend added 15 points and five rebounds while Jessie Loera added 11 points and four assists. With her third assist on the night, Loera surpassed Amy Simpson for fourth all-time in career assists with 440.
 
The Bulldogs started off fast, making 13 of their first 16 attempts including a perfect 3-of-3 from long range to take a 29-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes. GU's 29 points are the most the Zags have scored in a single quarter this season. Both Jenn Wirth and Townsend had eight points each in the opening stanza to give GU the 15-point advantage.
 
Portland (20-11) responded in a big way in the second quarter, dominating the Zags inside with a 14-6 advantage in the paint while finishing 8-of-13 from the floor. The Bulldogs were outscored 21-10 in the second period, cutting the Zags' 20-point advantage down to four, 39-35.
 
In the third period, Gonzaga held the Pilots at bay, countering each run with a bucket to maintain the lead. A 7-0 run in favor of Portland capped by a bucket from Alex Fowler at the 3:05 mark gave Portland its first lead. GU traded buckets with the Pilots, but Portland's Fowler hit a jumper with seven second left to break a 51-all tie heading into the final period.
 
The final stanza featured six lead changes and four ties, and with 25 seconds to go Portland's Fowler hit two free throws to give the Pilots a one-point advantage, 68-67. On the ensuring possession, Gonzaga missed its first opportunity but forced a jump ball, giving the Zags another possession. Jenn Wirth converted the layup under pressure to put GU ahead 69-68. Portland called a timeout to advance the ball with eight seconds to go.  Portland's Haylee Andrews drove left through the paint and finished the left-handed layup with three seconds remaining to put Portland ahead 70-69. Loera's final half court attempt that fell short as time expired.
 
"It's hard; I'm not very good this year at post-game loss speeches, which is probably a good thing," head women's basketball coach Lisa Fortier said. "This one in particular, there were a lot of tears of course."
 
Portland advances to the title game for the first time since 1997 with the win. The Pilots were led by WCC Newcomer of the Year Fowler with a game-high 22 points. Kate Andersen added 18 points while Andrews finished with 16.
 
Gonzaga will learn its NCAA Tournament seeding on Selection Monday on March 16; the selection show will air live at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN.