Maxwell’s 21, Ejim’s 18 help No. 18 Gonzaga women open WCC with 74-53 win over Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brynna Maxwell scored 21 points, Yvonne Ejim had 18 and No. 18 Gonzaga defeated Portland 74-53 on Thursday night, kicking off the West Coast Conference season with a matchup of the top two teams.

Kayleigh Truong, Eliza Hollingsworth, who had 11 rebounds, and Calli Stokes each scored nine points for the Bulldogs (14-2), who raced to a big lead but gave it back in the second quarter before pulling away in the second half.

Maud Huijbens had a career-high eight rebounds for Gonzaga, which had a 48-32 rebounding advantage, a margin built with a dominating performance on the offensive glass in the first half. Maxwell, who was 7-for-11 shooting, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Maisie Burnham had 13 points for the Pilots (8-7) and Natalie Fraley had 10. Portland was just 2 of 18 from 3-point range and 13 of 22 from the foul line. The 32.8% shooting (19 of 58) was a season low.

Gonzaga reeled off 11 points after Portland scored the opening basket and led 20-6 after one quarter. Ejim scored 11 points. The Bulldogs only shot 40% but put up 20 shots by grabbing eight offensive rebounds while beating Portland on the boards 17-4. The Pilots were 3 of 11.

Emme Shearer opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Burnham hit a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 run to pull the Pilots within two. Maxwell ended Gonzaga’s drought with a 3-pointer and Stokes hit a 3 to make the lead 30-20 at the 3:43 mark. Burnham had a three-point play to help Portland get within 36-28 at the half.

Ejim played less than 90 seconds in the second quarter after picking up her second foul. The Bulldogs had a 29-11 rebounding advantage, including 14 offensive boards.

The Pilots lost ground in the third quarter, getting outscored 18-10 as they were 4 of 15 from the field and 2 of 6 from the foul line.

Gonzaga, which was off 13 days prior to their league opener, have a week off before playing Santa Clara at home on Jan. 11. Portland is at San Francisco on Saturday.

___ Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball