Portland’s first appearance since 1997 in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament became a weekend stay.
Oklahoma had too many offensive weapons, pulling away in the second half for an 85-63 win over the 12th-seeded Pilots in a first-round game Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion.
The Sooners, Big 12 regular-season co-champions and a No. 5 seed, never trailed. Oklahoma (26-6) put the hammer down in the third quarter, blowing open a close game by outscoring Portland 24-13.
The Pilots (23-9) fell to 0-5 in NCAA Tournament games. Portland dropped first-round games from 1994-97.
Oklahoma advances to the second round, where it will play UCLA on Monday at Pauley Pavilion.
Oklahoma clobbered Portland on the glass, out-rebounding the Pilots 47-31. The Sooners pulled down 20 offensive rebounds, allowing Oklahoma to produce 24 second-chance points.
Portland, the West Coast Conference tournament champion, simply didn’t do enough of anything to throw a scare into Oklahoma. The Pilots went 3 of 19 from three-point range, and shot 38% (23 of 61) overall. Though the Pilots forced 16 turnovers, they were unable to convert many into points.
The Sooners had five players score in double figures, led by Aubrey Joens and Taylor Robertson with 14 points each.
Alex Fowler scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Portland. Emme Shearer and Lucy Cochrane scored 12 points each for the Pilots.
Oklahoma led 39-34 at halftime following a first half in which the Pilots never led. The Sooners’ effective halfcourt offense was tough to defend at times. They showed range on three-pointers, hitting five, and repeatedly got the ball inside to Madi Williams, who scored 13 first-half points.
Trailing 17-9, Fowler triggered a run that she started with two free throws and a tip-in. Portland pulled to within 22-21 on a pair of Lucy Cochrane free throws. Oklahoma led 27-21 after one.
With Williams scoring the first six points of the second quarter, the Sooners built their largest lead at 33-23. Portland held Oklahoma to a pair of three-pointers during the final 7:48 as the Pilots cut the deficit in half by halftime.
Oklahoma continued to have trouble scoring early in the third, but the Pilots were unable to inch closer. Finally, fueled by a technical foul on UP coach Michael Meek, Oklahoma caught fire. The Sooners went on a 13-5 run to build a 12-point lead midway through the third.
Portland struggled to respond. The Pilots began to score, but Joens countered with a pair of three-point plays. The Sooners finished the quarter with a three-point play by Liz Scott to take a 63-47 lead.
The Pilots were unable to get closer than 16 points the rest of the game.
— Nick Daschel reported from Los Angeles.
