Wednesday • Dec. 31, 2008
2:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: UV 91, POR 87 - Dec. 15, 2007 (Orem, Utah)
Pilots (6-6) vs. BYU (8-2)
Saturday • Jan. 3, 2008 • 2:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: BYU leads 6-4
Last Meeting: BYU 64, POR 55 - Dec. 30, 2005 (Provo, Utah)
This Week in Pilots Basketball
The Portland Pilots (6-6), who have won three straight games, welcome Utah Valley and Brigham Young to the Chiles Center this week. On Wednesday, the Pilots close out the year with a game against the Wolverines (5-6) at 2:00 p.m. The Cougars (8-2) then visit for a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday.
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
The Pilots have won three straight games, including a 48-44 win over Idaho at the Chiles Center on Sunday. Portland built a big lead in the first half before holding on for the four-point win. UP sophomore Jessica Clemens led the way with career highs of 17 points and six rebounds, while senior Karlie Burris came up with a huge steal and a clutch three-pointer during the closing minute to help secure the win.
On Dec. 19, the Pilots, who trailed by 12 at the half, outscored the Manhattan Jaspers by 30 points after the break to pick up an 84-66 win at the Chiles Center. Portland’s 58 points in the second half are a program record at the NCAA Division I level for points in a half. Junior Laiken Dollente led the Pilots with 25 points and nine assists.
Arctic Blasted
Portland’s scheduled game at Oregon on Dec. 22 was wiped out by the recent arctic blast of weather that crippled the region. Game officials were unable to get to Eugene, prompting the postponement. The Pilots and Ducks are expected to re-schedule the game, but a time and date have yet to be determined.
About Utah Valley
The Wolverines are 4-3 in their last seven games and defeated Portland State 102-92 in overtime at the Stott Center on Monday. Senior center Robyn Fairbanks, who is averaging a double-double (24.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg) this season, had 34 points and 14 rebounds against the Vikings. Junior wing Julie McMurray is averaging 18.7 points per game and senior guard Sandy Wall is averaging 12.2. As a team, Utah Valley is putting up 74.8 points per contest while giving up 75.6. Cathy Nixon is in her 14th year at the helm of the Wolverines. Utah Valley returned eight letterwinners and all five starters from a team that went 16-12 last season.
Pilots/Wolverines Series
The Pilots and Wolverines, who are tied 2-2 in the all-time series, first met during the 2004-05 season and have played each year since. The home team has won every game, including a 91-87 Utah Valley victory in Orem, Utah, last season.
About BYU
The Cougars have won six straight games and are set to play Arkansas State at home on Tuesday night before traveling to Portland. Senior wing Shawnee Slade (12.6 ppg) and sophomore guard Mindy Nielson (11.7 ppg) lead the Cougars in scoring this season. 6-3 senior center Cassie King is the team’s leading rebounder with a 5.3 boards per game mark. Jeff Judkins is in his eighth year as head coach at BYU. The Cougars went 13-16 last season and finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-9 league mark. 12 letterwinners and two starters returned this season.
Pilots/Cougars Series
The Pilots have won four of the last six meetings with BYU but still trail 4-6 in the all-time series. In the most recent meeting, the Cougars defeated UP 64-55 in Provo, Utah, during the 2005-06 season. The Pilots are 2-3 all-time against BYU in Portland.
A Brief Look Ahead
The Pilots conclude their five-game homestand by opening conference play at the Chiles Center against Pacific Northwest rival Gonzaga on Saturday, Jan. 10. The Pilots and Bulldogs, who are the four-time defending conference champions, are set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. Portland then travels to the Bay Area for WCC road games against San Francisco (Jan. 15) and Santa Clara (Jan. 17).
A Perfect Half
After trailing by 12 at the half against the Manhattan Jaspers at the Chiles Center on Dec. 19, the Pilots had perhaps one of the greatest second halves of basketball in program history. Portland outscored Manhattan by 30 points after the break to pick up an 84-66 win. UP’s 58 points in the second half are a program record at the NCAA Division I level for points in a half. The Pilots have previously scored 54 points in a half three times, most recently during the 1998 season. UP scored 66 points during a half in 1983 while competing at the NAIA level.
Portland, which shot 61.3 percent (19-for-31) in the second half and 51.7 percent (30-for-58) for the game, outscored Manhattan 58-28 in the second half. The Pilots also had a remarkable 24 assists on 30 field goals.
Junior guard Laiken Dollente was her usual self, leading the Pilots with a game-high 25 points. Dollente also shared the wealth with nine assists. Her nine dimes are the most for a Pilot since Da’Love Woods accomplished the feat in 2001.
1,000 Points of Light
With nine points against Portland State on Nov. 26, junior guard Laiken Dollente became the 18th player in UP program history to score 1,000 career points. The native of Yakima, Wash., needed just 66 games to reach the 1,000-point plateau, becoming the second quickest player to reach the landmark in Portland’s history at the Division I level. Amy Claboe (1993-95) reached the mark in her first 59 career games on The Bluff. Dollente, who currently has 1,107 career points, became the first Portland player to reach the mark since Whitney Grant concluded her career in 2006 with 1,138 points.
Lorena Legarde (1981-85) is Portland’s all-time leading scorer with 2,568 points. Martha Sheldon (1988-1992), who racked up 1,953 career points, is UP’s all-time leading NCAA DI scorer, as Portland competed at the NAIA level during Legarde’s career. Dollente currently sits at No. 14 on the all-time scoring list and is just 32 points shy of moving up to 12th.
The Century Club x 2
Portland’s 63-59 win at home against Sacramento State on Nov. 30 was the 200th win ever at the Chiles Center. In the 24-year history of the facility, the Pilots have compiled a 202-117 record for a winning percentage of .633. The Pilots went 9-6 at the friendly confines last season and are 3-1 at home this year.
Assaulting the UP Record Books
In her third season on The Bluff, junior guard Laiken Dollente has already established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in program history. On Nov. 26, Dollente became the 18th player in UP women’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Now with 1,107 career points, she ranks No. 14 on UP’s all-time scoring list. She also ranks first all-time at UP in free throw shooting (.886) and three-point accuracy (.403), ranks third in free throws made (366) and three-pointers made (119) and is fifth in career points per game (15.4).
Dollente has been a scoring machine this season, leading the Pilots in points nine times. She is averaging 17.9 points per game, which ranks third in the WCC and 42nd in the nation. So far this season, she has games of 21, 27, 22, 26 and 25 points and has reached double figures in every game save two.
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.
Among the Conference Elite
Junior Laiken Dollente, who ranks third in the WCC in scoring with a 17.9 points per game average, is one of a handful of Pilots making an appearance among the conference’s statistical leaders. Dollente leads the league in free throw accuracy (.831), is fifth in three-pointers made (23) and assists per game (3.3) and ranks eight in three-point percentage (.359). Senior Karlie Burris is third in assist-turnover ratio (1.75), is fourth in assists (3.4) and fifth in steals (2.0), while sophomore guard Tara Cronin ranks seventh in the WCC in boards per game (6.9). Cronin ranks fifth in free throw percentage (.800) and is eighth in steals (1.8). Senior Carly Koebel is second in blocks per game (2.8) and sophomore Lauren Angel is eighth in field goal percentage (.474).
Portland, which set a program record and ranked tenth in the country last season in free throw accuracy, leads the conference once again in free throws with a percentage of .727.
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, re-joined the Pilots earlier this month and is already making an impact. During Portland’s win over Idaho on Sunday, the native of Burns, Ore., scored a career-high 17 points to go along with a career-best six rebounds.
During the 2008 volleyball season, Clemens finished with 271 kills and 288 digs. She also had a team-high 29 service aces.
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.
