by MANHATTAN, Kan. — Despite a valiant second-half effort and key performances from Maisie Burnham and Kianna Hamilton, the 13-seed Portland Pilots fell to the 4-seed Kansas State Wildcats 78-65 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Pilots (21-13) had two players score in double figures, led by Burnham, who had 21 points and eight rebounds. Hamilton added 12 points off the bench and Dyani Ananiev added seven points and four steals.
Portland utilized fantastic ball movement in Friday’s game, piling up 18 assists on 26 made field goals. Individually, Lucy Cochrane led the way for the Pilots with five assists.
The Portland defense was a problem in Friday’s game, forcing 14 Kansas State turnovers with 10 steals. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Ananiev’s four steals led the way individually for the Pilots.
How It Happened
Portland struggled out of the gate, falling behind 25-10 at the end of the first quarter. Kansas State kept adding to that lead, building a 40-23 advantage before Portland went on a quick 5-0 run, highlighted by a late three from Hamilton, to narrow the deficit to 40-28, a score that would hold until halftime.
The Pilots and Wildcats traded baskets the entire third quarter, with the Pilots bringing the game within single digits. Kansas State countered and stretched its lead to 57-45 heading into the fourth.
Despite matching the Wildcats the rest of the way through, Portland could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 78-65.
