LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Pacific women's basketball's (15-17, 8-10) UCU WCC Tournament run ended against the #2 seeded Portland Pilots (22-8, 15-3) in the semifinals, falling 75-72. 

"I want to give a lot of credit to our players and how hard they fought, especially down the stretch of the season," said Head Coach Bradley Davis. "They have been nothing but a joy and fun to be around." 

Pacific's first semifinal appearance in five years ended in heartbreak. The game-tying three hit off the backboard as time expired, sending Portland to the finals and ending the Tigers' magical run. 

Junior Liz Smith had her best game of the tournament, scoring 19 points and only missing three shots. Smith added four rebounds and four assists. Senior Sam Ashby scored 16 points and led the team in rebounds with eight and steals with three. Junior Cecilia Holmberg scored 14 points, and sophomore Elizabeth Elliott scored 11. 

Pacific got an early lead in the first quarter, with a nine-point lead with three minutes remaining after a layup from redshirt junior Rosie Schweizer. Portland fought back to take its first lead with just under a minute remaining before Ashby responded to give the Tigers a one-point lead heading into the second quarter. 

The first part of the second quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading leads until the Pilots pulled away to take an eight-point lead with 1:24 remaining. A layup from Elliott and a deep three from Smith as time expired cut the Portland lead to three at halftime. 

The third quarter was the best of the game for Pacific, outscoring Portland 22-16. A three from sophomore Diamond Richardson retook the lead for Pacific two and a half minutes into the third. An 8-0 run for the Tigers stretched the lead to five. Portland continued to try and close the gap, but Pacific maintained a lead for the remainder of the quarter as the Tigers made five straight baskets to close the quarter. 

The fourth quarter was almost entirely a one-possession game, as Pacific had an early 5-point lead that was cut to a single possession. With five lead changes in the final quarter, there could not have been a tighter finish. After a Pilots turnover with 24 seconds remaining, the Tigers had a chance to get a game-tying shot off, but it did not fall.