PORTLAND, Ore. --- Junior Holly Blades was hot early and the Pilots jumped ahead of the Gaels in the first half, but Saint Mary's recovered and went on to defeat Portland 78-51 in a West Coast Conference women's basketball game played on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. Blades finished with three three-pointers, while freshman Darian Slaga led the Pilots with 10 points.
Blades came out launching as her early three's helped the Pilots (2-18, 0-9 WCC) surge ahead of the Gaels (16-4, 7-2 WCC) 11-5. The Portland offense was clicking throughout the first quarter, and a late three-pointer from Hannah Mattson allowed the Pilots to lead 16-12 after one.