Toreros Fall in Overtime to Portland in WCC Tournament Title Game

The University of San Diego women’s basketball team lost overtime to the Portland Pilots, 64-63, on Tuesday afternoon in the 2020 UCU WCC Tournament Championship game at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena.

Three players scored in double figures to lead the Toreros’ offensive effort, led by senior center Leticia Soares who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Redshirt junior Jordyn Edwards added 13 points, seven assists and three steals, while guard Myah Pace tacked on 12 points and four steals before fouling out right before the end of regulation.

San Diego did a great job disrupting Portland shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Soares' two rejections led the way individually for the Toreros.

In a game that saw 11 lead changes and 13 ties, it was a back-and-forth battle from the onset as the Toreros battled in the first to put together a one-point edge, 12-11. San Diego did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring eight of its 12 points close to the basket.

The Pilots (21-11) rallied back in the second to outshoot San Diego 17-13 in the period. Senior Patricia Brossmann brought San Diego within four with under 30 seconds left in the quarter, before Edwards hit both chances at the charity stripe to narrow Portland’s halftime advantage to 28-25.

Portland increased its lead to 33-29 early in the third before San Diego responded with an 8-0 run, punctuated by a driving layup from Edwards, to grab a four-point advantage with under six minutes to go in the period. The Pilots rallied to tie it at 43 heading into the fourth quarter. San Diego continued to play well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 18 points in the paint.

The Toreros looked to close it out in the fourth, taking the lead four different times, but the Pilots continued to answer. Both teams stayed within one point of each other for the final three and a half minutes. Pace executed with 11 seconds on the clock to score with a driving layup, before Portland’s Haylee Andrews responded with a basket to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Soares tied the game at 60 with three and a half minutes remaining. The Pilots created a two-point edge with under two minutes left before Edwards made a step-back 3-pointer to make it 63-62 Toreros.

Andrews hit a jumper with 58 seconds left to create a one-point lead for the Pilots. After both teams had a turnover on their next respective possessions, USD had one final shot for the win, but Erica Martinsen’s 3-pointer attempt from the right side bounced off the rim as time ran out.

San Diego (20-11), which was playing in the program’s seventh WCC Tournament title game and seeking to win its first since 2008, will learn its postseason fate on March 16 with the NCAA Selection Show and the seeding of the WNIT. Portland, headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997, won its first WCC Tournament title since 1994. It had been a WCC Tournament runner-up in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

— USD Athletics

USD News Center's Ryan T. Blystone contributed to this story