Live Stats I Live Audio I Tickets I Complete Release (PDF)
Game Information
The Portland Pilots host two nationally televised men’s basketball games this week as the San Diego Toreros and Saint Mary’s Gaels visit the Chiles Center. The Pilots will welcome the Toreros on Thursday at 8 p.m. live on ESPNU, while the Gaels come to town for a Saturday 6 p.m. tip-off on ESPN2. Portland will be on 970 AM on Thursday and 95.5 The Game FM on Saturday. An autograph zone with the team will also be available for fans following Saturday’s game.
Portland (14-8, 5-3 WCC) is alone in third place in the West Coast Conference standings and with six games remaining. San Diego (9-16, 2-7) is tied for seventh place, while Saint Mary’s (21-3, 8-1) is currently the league leader entering its Thursday night matchup with Gonzaga.
The Pilots handled the Toreros on the road earlier this season by a 63-54 margin, while the Gaels held their home court with a narrow 77-72 win over Portland. Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls.
Las Vegas Travel Package Giveaway on Saturday
The University of Portland will also be giving away a free trip for two to Las Vegas (must be 21 or older) to catch the 2010 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships at Saturday’s game versus the Gaels. Bring your numbered poker chip (or get one at the game) and be entered to win complimentary airfare, lodging and all-session passes to the WCC Tournament hosted by the Orleans Arena March 5-8.
Ticket Information
Tickets are still available for both games through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, over the phone at (800) 745-3000 or in-person at the Pilot Box Office. General admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youths if bought in advance, or $8/$6 at the door.
Pilots Briefly
*UP had its four game win streak stopped at No. 13 Gonzaga last Thursday (76-49)
*Seniors Robin Smeulders and Ethan Niedermeyer had 12 and 11 points, respectively
*The Pilots shot just36 percent from the field and were 6-for-22 from the three-point line
*Junior G Jared Stohl is the school’s career leader in three-pointers made (214), passing Casey Frandsen (212) on Jan. 30 at Santa Clara
*Leading scorer Nik Raivio has missed the last five games (Achilles’ strain) and is expected to miss both games this week as well
*Stohl replaced Raivio in the starting lineup and is averaging 16.0 points in his absence
*Junior F Luke Sikma leads the WCC in FG percentage (.574) and is third in rebounding (8.0)
*Stohl leads the WCC in 3-pointers made (3.0) and is fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (.465)
*Smeulders is averaging a team-high 15.4 points in WCC games
*Stohl went 10-for-15 from the three-point line vs. Idaho on Dec. 22 with 30 points, becoming the first college player in a decade to score 30 without making a free throw or two-point field goal
*UP also set a team and Chiles Center record for total three-pointers (16) in the win vs. Idaho
*UP cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in 50 years on Nov. 30 (#25)
*Portland defeated UCLA (74-47) and No. 16 Minnesota (61-56), before falling to No. 8 West Virginia (84-66) at the 76 Classic in Anaheim over Thanksgiving weekend
*Campbell earned 76 Classic All-Tournament Honors and his second consecutive WCC Co-Player of the Week award after averaging 16.7 points in the three games at the 76 Classic
*Raivio recorded his 1,000th career point on Dec. 2 vs. Portland State
*Portland was picked second in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll behind Gonzaga
*Campbell and Raivio were named to the 10-player WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
*Raivio was also named an honorable mention mid-major All-America by CollegeInsider.com
*Portland appeared in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) last year, the program’s first postseason appearance since 1996
*The Pilots tied for second in school history last year in total wins (19) and WCC wins (9)
*Portland returns 12 players and all five starters
*2009 WCC Coach of the Year Eric Reveno and his staff remain together and enter their fourth year at the helm of the Pilots (assistants Joel Sobotka, Eric Jackson and Michael Wolf)
*Four high school seniors singed NLI’s with Portland on Nov. 11, 2009: Riley Barker, John Bailey, Ryan Nicholas and Tanner Riley
About San Diego
The Toreros (9-16, 2-7 WCC) have lost seven of their last eight games, including a pair of home games versus San Francisco (72-70, ot) and Santa Clara (59-43) last week. USD lost a heartbreaker to the Dons on Thursday after trailing most of the game. San Francisco had a four-point play with four seconds remaining in overtime to pull out the win, but the Toreros suffered more than the loss as second leading scorer De’Jon Jackson suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee. Jackson averaged 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season. Senior G Brandon Johnson led USD with 25 points versus the Dons and is averaging a team-high 14.6 ppg. No Torero reached double figures in points in the loss to Santa Clara as the 43 points scored were the second lowest for the team this year. USD posted impressive nonconference wins over Stanford (77-64), Oklahoma (76-64) and Houston (72-65). Former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier is in his third year as head coach of San Diego. Grier led USD to the NCAA second round in his first season. Last year the Toreros finished 16-16 overall, 6-8 in the WCC. The Toreros lead the series with Portland by a 42-24 margin, although the Pilots earned a 63-54 win at USD earlier this year.
