Tuesday • Dec. 29 • 2:00 p.m. • Orem, Utah (McKay Center - 8,500)
Live Audio/Stats: WolverineGreen.com
Series: POR leads 3-2
Last Meeting: POR 86, UVU 60 - Dec. 31, 2008 @ Portland, Ore.
Pilots (9-3) at BYU (7-3)
Thursday • Dec. 31 • 1:00 p.m. • Provo, Utah (Marriott Center - 22,700)
Live Audio/Stats: BYUCougars.com
Series: BYU leads 7-4
Last Meeting: BYU 65, POR 37 - Jan. 3, 2009 @ Portland, Ore.
Pilots (9-3) at Seattle (3-12)
Sunday • Jan. 3 • 2:00 p.m. • Seattle, Wash. (Connolly Center - 1,050)
Live Audio/Stats: GOSeattleU.com
Series: POR leads 6-4
Last Meeting: SU 56, POR 51 - Dec. 7, 2008 @ Portland, Ore.
This Week in Pilots Basketball
The Portland Pilots (9-3), who are riding a six-game winning streak, hit the road this week for non-conference games at Utah Valley, Brigham Young and Seattle. First, the Pilots travel to Orem, Utah, for a 2:00 p.m. tilt against the Utah Valley Wolverines (3-10) on Tuesday afternoon. Then on Thursday, UP will be in Provo, Utah, to face the BYU Cougars (7-3) at 1:00 p.m. The Pilots then head back to the Pacific Northwest for their final non-conference game of the season as they travel to Seattle for a game against the Seattle Redhawks (3-12) at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3.
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 games are $8. As usual, free audio streams and live stats are available at www.PortlandPilots.com.
Stay Connected
Fans can now follow the Portland Pilots like never before. Just visit Twitter (@PortlandPilots), facebook (facebook.com/PortlandPilots) and YouTube (youtube.com/UPPurplePride) for access to everything Pilots.
A Brief Look Back
Portland extended its winning streak to six games and matched its best start to a season since 1997-98 with home wins over Montana (Dec. 19) and Montana State (Dec. 21) before taking a brief break for Christmas. During the 66-58 win over the Lady Griz, the Pilots busted loose after the break with 42 second-half points. Sophomore Natalie Day scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the second half and the Pilots shot 50 percent from the floor after connecting at a 33.3 clip during the first half. Both Day and senior Laiken Dollente hit three three-pointers as the Pilots totaled 11 as a team. Dollente finished with 13 points. Montana didn’t hit a field goal during the game’s final 4:25.
Dollente then scored a season-high 31 points as the Pilots defeated the Bobcats 78-75 for their ninth win in their last 10 games. Portland needed all 31 of Dollente’s points as the Bobcats refused to go away. Montana State even had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Erica Perry’s three-point attempt from deep in the left corner was off the mark.
It’s the third time Dollente has reached 30 points during her career and the first time since scoring 30 at San Francisco on Jan. 27, 2007. Against the Bobcats, Dollente shot 10 of 17 from the field and went 5-for-8 from behind the arc. The most accurate free throw shooter in UP program history went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe and also handed out seven assists en route to earning the WCC’s Player of the Week award for the second time this year.
About Utah Valley
The Wolverines have lost five straight, including an 85-58 loss at Portland State on Dec. 18. UVU was without its top scorer, senior forward Julie Smith (16.5 ppg), in the loss. The Wolverines have also been without third-leading scorer Kayla Burningham for four games. In her absence, Jenna Johnson has filled in admirably, averaging 18.0 points and shooting 50 percent from the field in her first four starts. Cathy Nixon is in her 15th year as head coach of the Wolverines. Six letterwinners and three starters are back from a team that was 17-10 last year. This is UVU’s first season in the Great West Conference.
The Pilots have won three of five meetings all-time against Utah Valley. Last season, UP held the Wolverines to 11 first-half points en route to an 86-60 win at the Chiles Center. Dollente scored a team-high 14 points in the win.
About BYU
Thursday’s game with the Pilots is the first for BYU since a 61-48 win at Utah State on Dec. 19. Junior guard Mindy Nielson scored 12 points during the win and is leading the Cougars in scoring this season with a 13.0 per game mark. She’s the only Cougar averaging double figures in points, while junior forward Coriann Wood is the team’s top rebounder (6.4 rpg). Jeff Judkins is in his ninth year as head coach and he has his team outscoring opponents 70.2-56.2. BYU was 18-11 (8-8 Mountain West) last year and returned 12 letterwinners and three starters.
BYU claims a narrow 7-4 edge in the all-time series with Portland. The Cougars have won three straight against the Pilots, including a 65-37 win last season at the Chiles Center.
About Seattle
The Redhawks are set to play at Cal Poly and at LMU before hosting the Pilots on Sunday. Seattle, which has lost five of its last six games, is fresh off a pair of losses at Oregon State and at Boise State. Senior forward Ashley Brown is averaging a team best 14.6 points per game, while sophomore forward Maggie McCarthy leads the team in rebounding with a 5.6 per game mark. Joan Bonvicini is in her first year at the helm of the SU program. The independent Redhawks, who returned 14 letterwinners and three starters, were 20-9 last season.
UP has won five of the last seven meetings with Seattle and claims a 6-4 all-time advantage in the series. SU defeated Portland 56-51 last season at the Chiles Center,
Taking Notice
For the second time this season, senior guard Laiken Dollente was named the WCC’s Player of the Week. Dollente was 10-for-17 from the field, 5-for-8 on three-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line en route to a season-high 31 points to help the Pilots defeat Montana State 78-75 at the Chiles Center on Dec. 21. The senior from Yakima, Wash., also handed out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds during the win.
Dollente was named the WCC’s co-Player of the Week on Dec. 14 after helping lead the Pilots to road wins over Idaho and Washington State. Dollente averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the week, was 6-for-9 on three-pointers and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line to earn the honor, which she shared with Louella Tomlinson of Saint Mary’s.
On Dec. 11 at Idaho, Dollente hit four of six from three-point range and went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe to help head coach Jim Sollars record his 500th career win, a 67-56 victory over the Vandals. She also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. On Dec. 13, Dollente played all 40 minutes, corralled eight more rebounds, dished six assists and hit two of three three-pointers en route to 14 points as the Pilots defeated the Cougars 79-53.
A Brief Look Ahead
Portland is set to open play in the West Coast Conference with a game at Northwest rival Gonzaga on Saturday, Jan. 9. The Bulldogs and Pilots, who finished first and second in the conference last season, respectively, are slated to tip off at 2:00 p.m. at the McCarthey Center in Spokane, Wash.
The Pilots then return home for WCC games against San Diego (Jan. 14) and Saint Mary’s (Jan. 16).
To New Beginnings
Portland’s 9-3 start matches the program's best beginning to a season since the 1996-97 squad raced out to a 11-1 record after 12 games. That team finished 27-3 on the season and advanced to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pilots also began 9-3 in 1997-98.
The Laik Show
Senior guard Laiken Dollente is one of the most prolific scorers in UP program history and she continues to climb up the Portland record books. With 31 points against Montana State on Dec. 21, Dollente moved past former UP standout Laura Sale for fourth all-time on the Portland career scoring list. Now with 1,566 career points, Dollente is just 36 points shy of moving up to No. 3 all-time and No. 2 at the Division I level. Lorena Legarde (1981-85) is Portland’s all-time leading scorer with 2,568 points, which came when the Pilots played in the NAIA. Martha Sheldon (1988-92) is number two on the list with 1,953 points. Portland moved up to NCAA DI in 1987.
Dollente, a native of Yakima, Wash., also currently ranks first all-time at UP in free throw shooting (.876) and three-point accuracy (.409), is second in free throws (489) and three-pointers made (175), is fifth in career points per game (15.2) and is ninth in assists (321). She recently cracked the top 10 in field goals made with 451 career makes, which rank tenth.
This season, Dollente is scoring, spreading the wealth and crashing the glass. She leads the team and the WCC in scoring (16.7 ppg) and she ranks second in the league in assists (5.0 apg). Dollente is averaging a career-best 4.6 rebounds per game and her 31 points against MSU are the most scored in a game by a WCC player this season. It’s the third time in her career to score at least 30 points and the first since scoring 30 at San Francisco on Jan. 27, 2007. Dollente’s career high of 32 points came at Portland State on Dec. 9, 2006.
500 and Counting
Head coach Jim Sollars notched career win No. 500 when the Pilots defeated the Idaho Vandals 67-56 on Nov. 11 in Moscow, Idaho. In 34-plus years as a head women’s basketball coach, Sollars has compiled 503 wins at three different schools. He began his head coaching career in 1976 at Wenatchee Valley Community College, where he tallied 154 wins in seven years. During three years (1983-86) at the helm of Portland State, Sollars added 23 more wins to the resume before moving to The Bluff. While at UP, the native of Longview, Wash., has posted 326 wins. He’s 503-432 (.538) overall, 349-407 (.462) at the NCAA Division I level and 326-350 (.482) at Portland.
He’s easily the most winningest coach in UP program history and with 142 West Coast Conference wins, Sollars has won more WCC games than any other coach in the 22-year history of the conference. During the 2007-08 season, Sollars picked up his record-breaking 130th WCC win against 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.
Seize the Day
Before the season began, the NCAA waived its one-year residence requirement for sophomore transfer Natalie Day and she is taking full advantage. Day is second on the Pilots in scoring with a 12.2 per game mark, while averaging 4.1 rebounds per game. She’s shooting .442 from the field. Day has scored in double figures seven times this season and poured in a career-high 19 points at Air Force on Nov. 20. She drained five three-pointers during the win over the Falcons.
The guard/forward from Germantown, Md., transferred to UP from Howard University and was expected to sit out the entire year. She has three years of eligibility remaining.
A Career Year
Junior post Lauren Angel, who ranks third on the ream in scoring (11.7 ppg), has been a steady presence down low for the Pilots. She’s scored in double figures nine times this season, while she scored eight points in the other three games. Angel, a native of Wollongong, Australia, has matched career highs this season in points (18 vs. Portland State) and assists (3 vs. Pacific) while setting career highs in rebounds (11 vs. Utah State), steals (4 vs. Utah State) and blocks (4 vs. Sacramento State). She also recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 11 boards against Utah State on Nov. 16.
On Point
It’s no secret that Portland’s recent success has coincided with the improved and consistent play of sophomore point guard ReZina TecleMariam. Z is averaging career bests of 7.9 points per game, 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. After grabbing nine rebounds during UP’s win at Idaho (Dec. 11), the native of Puyallup, Wash., ripped down a career-high 11 boards in the victory at Washington State (Dec. 13). She had 10 rebounds by halftime against the Cougars. She scored a career-high 18 points during a 98-63 win over Sacramento State on Nov. 22. Perhaps her most impressive stat-line came at Idaho when she had 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers in 40 minutes played.
Glad to Assist
The Pilots have been playing an unselfish brand of basketball this year and currently feature three players in the top four in the WCC in assists. Senior Laiken Dollente is second in the conference at 5.0 assists per game, sophomore ReZina TecleMariam is third with a 4.3 per game mark and junior Tara Cronin is fourth (3.5 apg). Cronin has a game this season with nine assists, TecleMariam handed out eight assists at Air Force and Dollente had seven dimes during the season-opener.
WCC Coaches Pick Pilots to Finish Fourth
Portland senior guard Laiken Dollente was voted to the WCC’s Preseason All-Conference team, while Gonzaga was chosen as the favorite to claim the West Coast Conference women’s basketball title for the second straight year in the 2009-10 preseason coaches poll. The Pilots were picked to finish fourth.
