The Portland Pilots begin the 2008-09 season on the road with a pair of games this weekend. On Friday, the Pilots travel to Logan, Utah, for their season-opener against the Utah State Aggies at 4:00 p.m. (PT). Portland then heads to Boise, Idaho, for a game against the Boise State Broncos on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (PT).
Game Coverage
All women’s basketball home games are video streamed live at www.pilotsvideo.com. A season pass is available for $50, while single-game are $8. As usual, free audio streams and live stats are available at www.portlandpilots.com.
A Brief Look Back
2007-08 was a season of milestones for head coach Jim Sollars as the Portland Pilots posted their best record since the 1998-99 season. UP’s overall record of 15-15 was the first non-sub .500 mark since the Pilots finished 1999 at 16-13. Portland went 5-9 in the West Coast Conference for its best conference record since going 8-6 in 2004. On Feb. 16, Sollars picked up his 300th career victory at UP with an 80-78 win at home over the San Francisco Dons in front of 1,218 fans. In 32 years as a collegiate women’s basketball head coach, Sollars has posted a 477-415 overall record. He is 300-333 all-time at Portland. Sollars also became the winningest coach in the 21-year history of the WCC. He picked up his 130th WCC win as the Pilots defeated Saint Mary’s on Feb. 2, moving him past former USF head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel for first place on the league’s all-time list. Sollars finished the season with 132 WCC victories.
About Utah State
The game with Portland is the season-opener for Utah State as well. During the exhibition schedule, the Aggies defeated Montana Tech (73-46) and Dixie State (74-58). Senior guard Danyelle Snelgro led the way against Montana Tech with a game-high 12 points. Against Dixie State, junior center Lydia Whitehead had 12 points to lead a quartet of double-figure scores for Utah State. Raegan Pebley is in her sixth season as head coach of the Aggies. Nine letterwinners and two starters returned from a team that was 9-20 last season. The Aggies placed fifth in the WAC with a 5-11 league mark.
Pilots/Aggies Series
The Pilots and Aggies have split two previous meetings. Last season, Portland handed Utah State a 68-55 defeat at the Chiles Center. In their only meeting in Logan, Utah, the Aggies topped the Pilots 68-58 during the 2006-07 season.
About Boise State
The Broncos received one vote in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll. BSU opens the season at home against Seattle on Friday. On Nov. 1, junior center Ja’Lara Walker and senior guard Tasha Harris combined for 31 points to lead Boise State to a 67-55 exhibition victory over the nation’s fifth ranked NAIA team Lewis-Clark State. Head coach Gordy Presnell is in his 22nd year at the helm of the BSU program. The Broncos went 24-8 last season and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. Eight letterwinners and three starters returned this season.
Pilots/Broncos Series
Portland has won five of the last six meetings with Boise State and owns a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Pilots defeated the Broncos last year 84-80 at the Chiles Center. In 2006, the Broncos prevailed 72-62 over the Pilots in Boise.
A Brief Look Ahead
The Pilots open the 2008-09 season with six straight games on the road. Following their trip to Utah State and Boise State, the Pilots head east for three games. On Thursday, Nov. 20, Portland faces 23rd-ranked Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. The Pilots then travel to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Hawkeye Challenge, where they’ll open with Providence on Saturday, Nov. 22. UP then takes on either Boston University or Iowa on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Portland’s first home game of the season is set for Sunday, Nov. 30, against Sacramento State at the Chiles Center.
Season Openers
The Pilots are 19-12 all-time in season-opening games and 9-9 in season-openers played on the road. Portland has won two straight season-openers and began last season with a 70-40 drubbing of Washington State in Pullman, Wash.
UP began last season by wining its first two games. The most consecutive wins to open a season in program history is five, set during the 2001-02 season.
Dollente Continues Her Assault on the UP Record Books
Entering her third season on The Bluff, junior guard Laiken Dollente has already established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in program history. As a sophomore, she led the Pilots and ranked seventh in the WCC in scoring with a 14.6 points per game mark, scored in double figures in all but seven games, scored at least 20 points eight times and led the Pilots in scoring 18 times. Dollente also finished second in the nation and set a UP single-season record in free throw shooting, hitting 139 of 152 (.914) from the line.
Dollente enters the 2008-09 season just 108 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She also ranks first all-time at UP in free throw shooting (.899) and three-point accuracy (.416), while ranking fifth in career points per game (14.9), three-pointers made (96) and free throws made (302).
Sievers Settles in for her Senior Season
After her phenomenal performance during the second half of the 2007-08 season, senior forward Allyson Sievers is poised to have her best year yet. Sievers is Portland’s top returning rebounder (5.2 rpg) and second returning scorer (8.9 ppg). During the conference schedule last season, the Kent, Wash., native took her game to a new level, averaging 10.9 points and 6.7 rebounds during WCC games.
A Rough Road Ahead
Portland head coach Jim Sollars calls this season’s schedule one of the most difficult in program history. The Pilots open the year with six straight games away from the friendly confines of the Chiles Center. Included in those six games are trips to Boise State, Purdue and Iowa, who all reached the postseason last year. Purdue is currently ranked 23rd in the Associated Press Preseason Poll.
After the brutal stretch of six straight games on the road, Portland still has to face perennial powers Montana and Oregon in December. January brings one more non-conference game (BYU) before the Pilots open WCC play against four-time defending regular season league champion Gonzaga.
Montana, Gonzaga, Iowa and Boise State are all receiving votes in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches preseason polls.
WCC Coaches Pick Pilots to Finish Seventh
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were chosen as the favorite to win their fifth straight WCC women’s basketball regular season title. Loyola Marymount received one first place vote and totaled 40 points to come in at second in the voting. The Pilots were tabbed to finish seventh, while junior guard Laiken Dollente was voted to the WCC’s preseason all-conference team.
Automatic
As a team, Portland had its best season at the free throw line in program history in 2007-08. The Pilots combined to go 407-for-526 (.774) from the line, which was the 10th best percentage in the country. During their win at home against San Francisco on Feb. 16, the Pilots set a program and Chiles Center single-game record by hitting all 17 of their attempts from the line.
Individually, junior guard Laiken Dollente finished second in the country in free throw accuracy. Her .914 (139-for-152) clip from the line was just 0.1 of a percentage point behind Gabriela Marginean of Drexel. Dollente finished the season by hitting 28 straight from the charity stripe.
New Leadership
For the second year in a row, the Pilots feature two first-year assistant coaches, Shayla Johnson and former UP standout Anne Graner. Johnson spent the past two years as an assistant coach at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania after previously starring as a guard at the University of Rhode Island. Graner was a volunteer assistant coach for the Pilots last season after using up her eligibility in 2007.
While at Cheyney, Johnson helped guide the team to a seven-win improvement. Last year, the Wolves reached the conference tournament for the first time in 19 years. Prior to her stint at Cheyney, Johnson was a guard at Rhode Island (2000-04), where she played alongside former UP assistant coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Johnson was a 1,000-point scorer with the Rams and landed on the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Defensive team three times. She was also named to multiple all-tournament teams and was voted the MVP at the 2002 Terrapin Classic. As a co-captain during the 2002-03 season, Johnson helped lead the Rams to the A-10 championship game.
Graner played two years with the Pilots (2005-07) after transferring from the North Dakota State College of Science. Graner appeared in 58 career games for the Pilots, while making 36 starts. The native of Red Wing, Minn., had career averages of 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, while her career free throw percentage of .755 ranks ninth all-time at UP. During her senior campaign in 2007, Graner was named to the WCC Winter All-Academic Team and the ESPN The Magazine/CoSida Academic All-District Second Team.
Two Sports? No Problem
Sophomore Jessica Clemens is now in her second year as a two-sport athlete at the University of Portland. Clemens, who is an outside hitter on the UP volleyball team, will join the Pilots in early December, once the volleyball season ends.
Clemens came on strong towards the end of the 2007-08 season, providing Portland with sturdy rebounding and consistent scoring down low. In 11 games, she averaged 1.6 points per game and 1.7 rebounds.
On the volleyball court, Clemens leads the Pilots with 28 service aces and 257 digs. She’s also tied for second on the team with 225 kills.
Recapping the Exhibition
The Pilots opened the exhibition portion of their schedule with an 84-58 win over Concordia at the Chiles Center on Nov. 3. Junior Laiken Dollente led four Pilots in double figures with a game-high 19 points as the Pilots outscored the Cavaliers 47-29 in the second half en route to the win. Senior Jennifer Wassom scored 13 points in the second half and finished with 15 on the night. She hit three three-pointers. Sophomore Tara Cronin finished with 12 points, while freshman ReZina TecleMariam added 12 points during her first collegiate action.
On Nov. 8, freshman Alexis Gannis poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Pilots handled the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers 82-50. Gannis hit 11 of 14 shots from the field and corralled six offensive boards en route to the double-double. Senior Karlie Burris also had a productive day for the Pilots, finishing with 17 points. Burris was 7-for-11 from the floor and hit two three-pointers. Cronin flirted with a triple-double by scoring 11 points, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out a game-high seven assists.
