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LAS VEGAS – For the first time since 2003, the Loyola Marymount University women's basketball team has won two straight games at the WCC Championships. The eighth seeded Lions advance to the quarter finals after the team upended the fifth seeded Portland Pilots 74-56, behind Khari Clark's career high of 22 points. 

"Again, I am so proud of this group and so happy for them," said head coach Charity Elliott. "They continue to show tremendous courage and resiliency.  They refuse to quit and believe in each other so much and we just want to keep playing!"

 
The Lions set the tone right at tip-off, as the team took the first lead of the game. The Pilots were able to tie the game up at 16-16, but the Lions took the lead back and held onto it for the remainder of the game. The Lions left the first quarter up 20-16. 
 
LMU opened up the second quarter with a 9-0 run, giving the team its first double-digit lead of the game. The Lions were up by as much as 16 points in the quarter until the Pilots responded with a 14-2 run to narrow the lead. The Lions left the half up 41-35. 
 
The Pilots came within one possession in the third quarter, but the Lions continued to fight and extended the lead, leaving the third up 51-42. 
 
There were only two short points during the fourth quarter when the Lions were not leading by double-digits. Up 65-56, the Lions closed out the game with another 9-0 run, to beat the Pilots 74-56. 
 
In the Lions' first game of the tournament, Clark set her career high of 20 points, which she beat on Friday, tallying up 22. Clark not only led the team in points, but she was also a team leader with Jasmine Jones in rebounds with eight. 
 
Jones and Chelsey Gipson both had 13 points each. Jones, Ariel Johnson and Cassandra Gordon all had four assists each, while Gipson and Nicole Rodriguez led in steals with three each. 
 
The Lions shot 53.4 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from behind the arch and 70 percent from the line, compared to the Pilots' 37.3, 16.7 and 83.3 percent. LMU collected 34 total rebounds, 19 assists, 10 steals and four blocks, while Portland had 30, 13 and four, respectively. 
 
The Lions win over the 2020 WCC Champions advances them to the quarterfinals, where the team will meet with the Santa Clara Broncos. The Broncos are seeded fourth after putting together a 13-10 overall season, while going 9-8 in conference play. 
 
The Lions split with the Broncos this season, as the team beat SCU on the road, 66-57, and fell to them at home 79-65. The Broncos last game of the season against San Diego was canceled, so the team has not played a game since February 25 and is on a two-game losing streak, with their last loss being to BYU, 66-63. 
 
Tip-off will be at 11:00 AM on Saturday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the semifinals and play the No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Monday.  The game can be streamed on WCC Networks and BYUtv.