PORTLAND, Ore. — The University of Portland women’s basketball team is headed to Los Angeles to face the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round of the women's NCAA tournament on Saturday.
The selection committee gave Portland (23-8 overall, 15-3 West Coast Conference) a No. 12 seed after the Pilots upset Gonzaga in the WCC championship game to earn an automatic berth. Oklahoma, a 5 seed, has a record of 25-6 overall and 14-4 in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
The winner of Saturday’s game will play the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 4 seed UCLA and No. 13 seed Sacramento State (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2) in the second round. The second-round games are scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
Game time, channel and how to watch
The game between 12th-seeded Portland and fifth-seeded Oklahoma is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 18. The game will be played at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. The game will also stream online via Watch ESPN (with a TV provider subscription).
Players to watch | Portland Pilots
- Alex Fowler: The 6-foot-2 junior forward from Australia is averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals this season. She shoots 58.4% from the field and 79.5% from the free-throw line.
- Maisie Burnham: The 6-foot sophomore guard from Washington state is averaging 11.1 points and 4.2 rebounds this season. She shoots 46.2% from the field and 39.3% from the 3-point line.
- Emme Shearer: The 6-foot sophomore guard from New Zealand is averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals this season. She shoots 47.6% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line.
Players to watch | Oklahoma Sooners
- Madi Williams: The 5-11 senior forward from Texas is averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals this season. She shoots 52.1% from the field and 77.5% from the free-throw line.
- Taylor Robertson: The 5-11 senior guard from Kansas is averaging 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season. She shoots 45.6% from the field and 43.3% from the 3-point line. Robertson is the NCAA women’s basketball all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 1,214.
- Skyler Vann: The 5-11 junior guard from Oklahoma is averaging 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season. She shoots 46% from the field and 75.% from the free-throw line.
By the numbers
- Oklahoma is favored by 8.5 points. The over/under for the game is 156.5 points.
- The Sooners rank second in the country in points per game at 84.5 and 342nd in the country in points allowed at 75.6 per game.
- The Pilots rank 93rd in the country in points per game at 69.5 and 111th in the country in points allowed at 62.0 per game.
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