ALBANY, Ore. - After the long holiday break, the Portland women's basketball team returned to action at Linn-Benton resulting in a 67-54 loss.

The game was the NWAC South Region opener for both teams. 

The Panthers weren't able to shake off the rust until the second half, which led to a 42-26 deficit at halftime. PCC's offensive output was hindered by a 35 percent shooting effort for the game, and the ball handling was also a challenge (15 total turnovers).

The host Roadrunners enjoyed a stellar first half, and broke away with a 10-18 shooting performance in the 2nd quarter.

Portland tightened up their defense after the break and was especially effective in the 4th quarter, holding LBCC to three field goals made. The gap was too much to overcome however, as PCC never found enough scoring touch to make a comeback.

Abbie Scharringhausen had a breakout game for the Panthers, scoring a career best 16 points on 8 of 9 shooting. Amelia Echternkamp went all 40 minutes and added 15 points and six assists.