Thursday • Nov. 18 • 7:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: POR leads 5-1
Last Meeting: POR 79, WSU 53 - Dec. 13, 2009 @ Pullman, Wash.
Pilots (2-0) vs. Air Force (1-1)
Saturday • Nov. 20 • 2:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: AF leads 2-1
Last Meeting: POR 73, AF 65 - Nov. 11, 2009 @ Air Force Academy, Colo.
Pilots (2-0) vs. Oregon (1-0)
Monday • Nov. 22 • 7:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: ORE leads 22-4
Last Meeting: ORE 95, POR 69 - Dec. 2, 2009 @ Eugene, Ore.
This Week in Pilots Basketball
The Portland Pilots (2-0) are set to play their first home games of the season with a three-game homestand, which begins on Thursday night with a game against the Washington State Cougars (0-2) at 7:00 p.m. at the Chiles Center. The Pilots then host the Air Force Falcons (1-1) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and the Oregon Ducks (1-0) on Monday night at 7:00 p.m.
Welcome to GameCentral... Did We Mention that it’s FREE?
New for 2010-11 is UP’s GameCentral, a free internet portal that combines free video, audio and livestats in one location, making following the Pilots easier and more accessible than ever before. All home, non-televised men’s and women’s soccer games, volleyball matches and men’s and women’s basketball games will be available through the free service, which is also available on your iPhone, iPad, or iTouch. To access GameCentral, simply visit PortlandPilots.com.
A Brief Look Back
The Pilots opened the 2010-11 season with a pair of road wins last week. On Friday, Nov. 12, Portland led from wire-to-wire en route to an 83-76 win over the Boise State Broncos in Boise, Idaho. Tara Cronin, who was five of eight from the floor and 3-for-4 on three-pointers, led five Pilots in double figures with a team-high 19 points. Natalie Day had 17 points and seven rebounds, while ReZina TecleMariam finished with 12 points, seven boards, six assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes.
Then on Sunday in Cheney, Wash., the Pilots opened a big lead over Eastern Washington and never looked back during a 77-58 win over the Eagles. Lauren Angel posted her second career double-double with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Day went for 13 points and nine rebounds, while TecleMariam was once again solid with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. UP held a sizable advantage in both total rebounds (53-31) and offensive rebounds (23-13), helping the Pilots to a 21-12 edge in second chance points.
About Washington State
The Cougars opened the 2010-11 season by dropping a pair of road games to Saint Mary’s and UC Davis. WSU fell to the Gaels 73-69, with freshman Sage Romberg leading WSU with 19 points. Jazmine Perkins added 17 and Rosetta Adzasu 15. Two days later, WSU fell at UC Davis 77-38. Katie Madison led WSU with 12 points. April Cook (back) sat out the weekend’s games and her status is day-to-day. Head coach June Daugherty is in her fourth season at the helm of the Cougars. WSU was 8-22 last year and returned nine letterwinners.
The Pilots have won five of six previous meetings with Wazzu, including a 79-53 win last season in Pullman, Wash. Tara Cronin had a game-high 19 points during that win.
About Air Force
The Falcons are scheduled to play at Idaho State on Thursday night. Air Force opened the season with a 64-50 win over Lipscomb before dropping a 79-56 decision to Northern Colorado. Senior guard Raimee Beck and sophomore forward Dymond James are both averaging in double figures this year, putting up 11.0 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Former South Florida assistant coach Andrea Williams is in her first year as head coach at Air Force. 10 letterwinners and three starters return from a team that was 3-27 last year.
Air Force claims a slim 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Portland. Last year, Natalie Day scored 19 points and Alexis Gannis had 10 points and 12 boards during a 73-65 win at Air Force.
About Oregon
The Ducks, who will play at Long Beach State on Friday, opened the year with its ninth consecutive season-opening victory, defeating visiting Western Oregon, 110-70, at McArthur Court on Saturday. Oregon had six players in double figures, led by Amanda Johnson’s 13th double-double of her career, scoring 18 points and adding a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior point guard Nia Jackson had 12 points, a game-high six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Legendary coach Paul Westhead is in his second year with the Ducks. Oregon returns 10 letterwinners and three starters from last year, when the Ducks went 18-16
Oregon has won 22 of 26 meetings all-time with Portland. All four UP wins in the series have come in Portland. The Ducks topped Portland 95-68 last year at Mac Court.
A Brief Look Ahead
Next week the Pilots head to Houston, Texas, for the Husky Classic, hosted by Houston Baptist. On Friday, Nov. 26. Portland is set to play Lamar at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific). Then on Saturday, Nov. 27, UP will face Houston Baptist at 3:00 p.m. Portland then returns to the Chiles Center for games against Seattle (Dec. 1) and Hawaii (Dec. 4).
For Openers
The Pilots are 2-0 to open the season for the fourth time since 2000. The Pilots last won their first two games to start the year in 2007-08, with both wins also coming on the road.
He Keeps Going... And Going... And Going...
Head coach Jim Sollars is approaching yet another coaching career milestone. Monday’s game against Oregon will mark Sollars’ 700th game as UP’s head coach. In 25-plus years, Coach has compiled a 337-360 (.484) overall record with the Pilots.
Last season, coach Sollars notched career win No. 500 when the Pilots defeated the Idaho Vandals 67-56 on Nov. 11 in Moscow, Idaho. In 35-plus years as a head women’s basketball coach, Sollars has compiled 514 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.
With 149 WCC wins, Sollars has won more league games than any other coach in the 23-year history of the conference.
Postseason History
The Portland Pilots returned to the post-season for the second straight season last year and for the tenth time in program history. Portland’s trip to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational marked the seventh time to reach the post-season as an NCAA Division I program, as the Pilots reached the NAIA playoffs three times in the early to mid 1980’s.
Following the 2008-09 campaign, the Pilots ended a ten-year post-season drought, advancing to the first round of the WNIT. Previously, Portland was a post-season regular throughout the 1990’s, reaching the NCAA Tournament four straight years (1993-97). UP played in the WNIT following the 1998-99 season.
WCC Coaches Pick Pilots to Finish Fifth
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were chosen as the favorites to claim the West Coast Conference women’s basketball title for the third straight year, while the Portland Pilots were picked to finish fifth in the 2010-11 preseason coaches poll. The Pilots are coming off an 18-win season and will be looking to make their third straight trip to the post-season.
On Point
Returning to run the point this season is veteran guard ReZina TecleMariam, who is now a junior for the Pilots. TecleMariam had a break-out year last season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and second in both rebounding (5.6 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg). The native of
Puyallup, Wash., started all 31 games and averaged 10.5 points per game during WCC contests.
She established career highs in points (18), rebounds (11), assists (8), steals (5) and blocks (1), shot a career-best .750 (69-for-92) from the free throw line and .343 (34-for-99) from the three-point arc.
Z is back at this year, opening the season with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes at Boise State on Nov. 12. TecleMariam followed that performance with 12 more points, seven boards and five assists at Eastern Washington on Nov. 14.
Carpe Diem
Back for her second season with the Pilots is transfer Natalie Day, who is Portland’s top returning scorer. Day, a wing who came to The Bluff from Howard University prior to the 2009-10 season, averaged 11.2 points per game last year. Now a junior, the native of Germantown, Md., is putting up a team-best 15.0 points per game as Portland has opened 2-0. She’s also been active on the glass, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team.
During Portland’s two road wins at LMU and Pepperdine last year (Jan. 21-23), Day careered shooting 17-for-24 (.708) from the field and averaged 23.0 points and 4.0 rebounds. She also hit six of nine (.667) three-pointers and went 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Against Pepperdine on Jan. 23, Day poured in a career-high 28 points on 11 of 15 shooting. She also went 4-for-5 on three-pointers, hit both of her free throws and scored nine points in overtime to help the Pilots to an 82-76 win.
On the Rebound
Junior Alexis Gannis, who earned All-WCC honorable mention as a sophomore, is UP’s top returning rebounder. Last season, the Phoenix, Ariz., native reached double figures in rebounding 11 times, and she dropped a career-high 21 points against Eastern Washington on Nov. 14. She led the WCC in offensive rebounds (3.0 rpg) and ranked third in overall rebounding (8.0 rpg). She was third on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg) and she was named the WCC Co-Player of the Week after ripping down 17 boards against USF on Jan. 28, becoming the first Pilot to have that many rebounds in a game since 2006. Gannis’ .609 field goal percentage during conference play led the WCC.
Gannis, who was named to the WCC’s All-Freshman Team in 2008-09, is averaging 9.5 rebounds through two games this season. Her career field goal percentage of .508 ranks third all-time at UP.
The Griffin Chronicles
Redshirt-freshman Sarah Griffin has taken on blogging duties for the women’s hoops team, and she’ll be checking in from time-to-time with her thoughts and some updates on the season. Make sure to bookmark www.portlandpilots.com/GriffinBlog and follow Sarah and the Pilots all season.
Focusing on Hoops
After playing both volleyball and basketball during her first three years on The Bluff, senior forward Jessica Clemens will just be focusing on hoops this season. As a junior, Clemens put up 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. During a win at San Francisco on Feb. 25, the Burns, Ore., native registered first her career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 10 boards.
