PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — The Portland Pilots used a decisive second-quarter surge to defeat the Saint Mary’s Gaels 68-42 in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Chiles Center.

Portland broke open a close game by outscoring Saint Mary’s 20-5 in the second period, turning a two-point lead into a 37-20 halftime advantage. The Pilots’ offense was efficient, shooting 56.5% from the floor and 62.5% from 3-point range. Nicole Rodriguez led all scorers with 18 points for Portland.

Saint Mary’s struggled offensively, shooting 26.8% overall and missing all 11 of its 3-point attempts. Abigail Shoff scored 14 points for the Gaels. Portland improved to 12-10 overall, while Saint Mary’s fell to 13-10. An announced crowd of 618 attended the game.