Saturday • Feb. 6 • 2:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: GON leads 32-27
Last Meeting: GON 90, POR 54 - Jan. 9, 2010 (Spokane, Wash.)
This Week in Pilots Basketball
The Portland Pilots (15-7, 4-3 WCC) are riding a four-game winning streak as they begin their second swing through the West Coast Conference by hosting the first-place and 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (18-4, 7-0 WCC) at the Chiles Center on Saturday. Tip-off between these two Northwest rivals is set for 2:00 p.m.
Saturday’s game is Portland’s annual “Pink Zone” game, which is part of a global, unified effort to raise breast cancer awareness and funding. Fans are encouraged to join the Pilots and Bulldogs in wearing pink to the game.
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
The Pilots picked up a pair of conference wins at the Chiles Center last week to run their winning steak to four games. On Thursday, sophomore forward Alexis Gannis scored 20 points and ripped down 17 boards to propel the Pilots past San Francisco 53-50. It’s the team-high fifth double-double for Gannis, who scored Portland’s final 11 points of the game. Senior guard Laiken Dollente helped carry the Pilots’ offensive for most of the night and finished with 18 points.
On Saturday, senior guard Tara Cronin scored a team-high 17 points to help lead the Pilots to a 73-65 win over Santa Clara. Gannis had another solid game, shooting eight of nine from the field en route to 16 points.
Gannis was rewarded for the effort and was named the WCC’s Co-Player of the Week.
About Gonzaga
Three of Gonzaga’s four losses this season have come against nationally ranked opponents. The Zags are outscoring WCC opponents by an average of 33.6 points (89.1/55.6) and are led by the conference’s all-time leading scorer, senior post Heather Bowman (16.0 ppg). Junior guard Courtney Vandersloot leads the nation in assists (9.3 apg) and is second on the team in scoring (14.2 ppg). Senior forward Vivian Frieson leads Gonzaga in rebounding with a 6.5 per game mark. Former UP assistant coach Kelly Graves is in his 10th year at the helm of the GU program. The Zags, who have won or shared five straight WCC titles, returned 12 letterwinners and four starters from a team that was 27-7 last year and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pilots/Bulldogs Series
GU has won 17 of the last 18 meetings with UP and lead the all-time series 32-27. The Bulldogs defeated the Pilots 90-54 earlier this season in Spokane. Last year, GU and UP split their two-game series, with each team winning on the road.
A Brief Look Ahead
Saturday’s game against Gonzaga ends a brief three-game homestand for the Pilots. Next week, it’s back to California as Portland is slated to play at San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 11 and at Saint Mary’s in Moraga on Saturday, Feb. 13. The Pilots will then play their final two regular season home games against Pepperdine on Feb. 18 and LMU on Feb. 20 at the Chiles Center.
Pack the House with Pink
The Pilots are asking you to join the global, unified effort to raise breast cancer awareness and funding at its annual “Pink Zone” game, which is set for Saturday against Gonzaga. Fans are encouraged to join the Pilots and Bulldogs in wearing pink to the game. All fans wearing pink will receive entry into the game for just $2.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association began the WBCA Pink Zone, formerly known as “Think Pink”, in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women’s basketball, on campuses and in communities. The 2009 campaign raised over $1.3 million, reached more than 912,000 fans, unified more than 1,600 participating teams and organizations.
The University will also use the game against the first-place Zags as a chance to “Pack the House”, a national competition aimed to promote women’s basketball attendance and awareness. The goal is to set a season-high in attendance at a UP women’s basketball game.
Sitting on 499
Portland’s next win will be a monumental one as UP is currently sitting on 499 wins during the program’s history. 1977-78 was the first season of women’s hoops on The Bluff and the Pilots have compiled a 499-423 (.541) overall record in 31-plus years.
A Little Something for the Effort
Sophomore forward Alexis Gannis, who shot 83.3 percent (15-for-18) from the field and averaged 18.0 points and 12.0 rebounds to help UP defeat San Francisco and Santa Clara at home, was named the WCC Co-Player of the Week. It’s the first player of the week honor this season for Gannis and the second of her career. She shares the award with Louella Tomlinson of Saint Mary’s.
During Thursday’s 53-50 win over USF, Gannis scored 20 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, becoming the first Pilot to record that many boards since Rachel Warren in 2006. The native of Phoenix, Ariz., took over in the closing minutes against the Dons to score Portland’s final 11 points of the game. On Saturday, Gannis missed just one shot (8-for-9) from the floor en route to 16 points during UP’s 73-65 win over Santa Clara. She grabbed seven boards to help the Pilots win their fourth straight game.
Money from the Line
Laiken Dollente, who is the most accurate free throw shooter in UP program history with a career percentage of .880, has been money from the line once again and ranks No. 2 in the nation in accuracy this season. The senior guard has made 102 of 111 attempts this winter for a percentage of .919, which ranks behind only Kelsey Luna (71-for-76, .934) of Indiana State. Dollente finished second in the country in free throw shooting as a sophomore.
As a team, the Pilots rank 11th in the nation with a free throw percentage of .761.
Career Builder
With 11 points at Seattle on Sunday, Jan. 3, senior guard Laiken Dollente moved up to No. 3 all-time in career scoring at the University of Portland. Now with 1,719 career points, Dollente sits behind only Martha Sheldon (1,953) and UP’s all-time overall leading scorer Lorena Legarde (2,568). Sheldon (1988-92) is Portland’s all-time leading scorer at the NCAA Division I level as Legarde’s (1981-85) career took place when UP was still competing as an NAIA school.
Dollente also currently ranks first all-time at UP in free throw shooting (.880) and three-point accuracy (.410), is second in free throws (526) and three-pointers made (197), is fifth in career points per game (15.2) and is seventh in assists (367). She recently cracked the top 10 in field goals made with 498 career makes, which rank tenth.
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, who is currently nursing a leg injury, is second on the Pilots in scoring with a 12.2 per game mark, while averaging 4.1 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures 12 times.
During Portland’s two recent road wins at LMU and Pepperdine, Day shot 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.
The guard/forward from Germantown, Md., transferred to UP from Howard University and was expected to sit out the entire year. She will have two years of eligibility remaining following the season.
The Laik Show
This season, Laiken Dollente is scoring, spreading the wealth and crashing the glass. She leads the team and ranks second in the WCC in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg). She also leads the league in free throw percentage (.919) and is second in three-point percentage (.441).
Dollente is averaging a career-best 4.0 rebounds per game and her 31 points against Montana State on Dec. 21 are the second 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. She also handed out a career-high 10 assists during the win at Utah Valley on Dec. 29, becoming the first UP player to dish 10 assists in a game since Trisha Felts accomplished the feat on Feb. 26, 2000. Dollente scored 19 points at UVU for her second career double-double.
Dollente has been named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week twice this season.
Alexis: The Pursuit of Perfection
After earning WCC All-Freshman honors last season, sophomore forward Alexis Gannis has taken her game to a new level. Gannis has reached double figures in rebounding seven times this season and she dropped a career-high 21 points against Eastern Washington on Nov. 14. The native of Phoenix, Ariz., has also recorded her first five career double-doubles. The reigning WCC Co-Player of the Week ripped down 17 boards last week against USF, becoming the first Pilot to have that many rebounds in a game since 2006.
She currently ranks fourth in the WCC with an 8.0 per game mark and she is fifth on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg). Her career field goal percentage of .502 ranks fourth all-time at UP.
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 509 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 332 wins.
With 146 WCC wins, Sollars has won more league games than any other coach in the 22-year history of the conference.
On Point
It’s no secret that UP’s success this winter has coincided with the improved and consistent play of sophomore point guard ReZina TecleMariam. Z is averaging career bests of 8.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 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). On Nov. 22, she scored a career-high 18 points during a 98-63 win over Sacramento State.
Perhaps her most impressive stat-lines this year were at Idaho (10 pts, 9 rebs, 6 assts, 0 TO’s, 40 mins) and at Seattle (13 pts, 9 rebs, 7 assts, 1 TO, 43 mins).
West Coast Cronin
While having her usual all-around solid season, junior guard Tara Cronin has stepped up her play during the WCC schedule. Averaging 9.2 points per game on the year, against WCC foes Cronin is putting up 11.1 points. Among the league leaders in turnover-assist ratio all season long, the Spokane, Wash., native currently ranks second with a ratio of 1.6. She is also fourth in assists (3.3 apg), giving the Pilots three players in the top four in that category, with Dollente ranking second (4.8 apg) and TecleMariam third (4.0 apg).
A Career Year
Junior post Lauren Angel, who ranks third on the ream in scoring (9.9 ppg), has been a steady presence down low for the Pilots, scoring in double figures 12 times. 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.
Quite the Trip
Portland’s two-game swing through soggy Southern California (Jan. 21-23) was a historical one for the Pilots. It marked the first time Portland won at both LMU and Pepperdine on the same trip since 1997.
During the 94-91 win at LMU on Thursday, the Pilots shot 61.8 percent (34-for-55) from the floor, setting a program single-game record at the NCAA Division I level. As an NAIA school, UP shot .644 against Humboldt State during the 1985-86 season.
The 94 points scored were also the most scored by the Pilots in a WCC game since registering 101 in 1996, also against the Lions.
Two Sports? No Problem
Junior Jessica Clemens is now in her third year as a two-sport athlete at the University of Portland. Clemens, who is an outside hitter on the UP volleyball team, joined the Pilots in early December and is averaging career bests of 6.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. A native of Burns, Ore., and the sister of NFL quarterback Kellen Clemens, Jessica recorded a career high with 10 rebounds against Utah Valley on Dec. 29. She matched a season high with 14 points against Santa Clara on Saturday.
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.
Nearly a Chalupa
Portland just missed reaching the century mark for the first time in 12 years when it defeated the Sacramento State Hornets 98-63 at the Chiles Center on Nov. 22. The point total is the highest for the Pilots since a 107-74 win over Idaho on Jan. 4, 1997. UP outscored Sac State 55-33 during the second half to match a program DI record for points in a half.
