Kristine Fuller Nielson snatches a rebound as BYU defeated Portland at home earlier this season. Nielson scored 9 points off the bench tonight. (Universe Archives)
Three Cougars scored triple digits to fuel an offensive fire in BYU's sixteenth consecutive win in Portland tonight.
Lexi Eaton Rydalch led the Cougars' scoring with 27 points and six rebounds. Kalani Purcell added 12 points and seven rebounds while Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher put up 13 points.
The Cougars proved worthy of their No. 22 rank the whole game. BYU closed the last two minutes of the first quarter with an 11-0 run and led by as many as 13 going into the second quarter.
The Cougars added defensive pressure as they held the Pilots to eight points in the second quarter. BYU shot 64 percent from three in the first half, compared to Portland's zero percent. The Cougars locked in a 51-20 lead going into halftime.
The Pilots attempted to chip away at the lead by out scoring the Cougars during the third quarter, but BYU still held on to a 27 point lead going into the fourth.
Portland struggled to keep possession throughout the game and BYU secured 26 points off turnovers and had a 14-0 advantage in fast break points.
BYU's 84-59 victory was the fourth game this season the Cougars have scored more than 80 points in a game.
The Cougars tied a season-high 23 points off the bench led by Katherine Fuller Nielson's 9 points.
The Cougars play their final regular season game at Gonzaga on Saturday before heading to Las Vegas for the WCC tournament.