Complete Release I GameCentral I Tickets
Portland (18-9, 5-6 WCC) vs Santa Clara (16-12, 6-5)
February 19, 2011 • 5:30 PM • Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center - 4,852)
TV: CSN NW
Radio: 800 AM (KPDQ)
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: SCU leads 55-26
Last Meeting: SCU 72, UP 59 (1/22/11 at SCU)
This Week in Pilots Hoops…
The Portland Pilots will take on Santa Clara on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in the regular season home finale. Portland’s four seniors will be recognized 10 minutes prior to tipoff with a Senior Night presentation. The Pilots (18-9, 5-6 WCC) dropped an 82-73 decision to San Francisco on Thursday, while the Broncos (16-12, 6-5) lost 85-76 at Gonzaga.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all Portland home games are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, over the phone at (800) 745-3000 or in-person at the Pilot Box Office. The Box Office will also be open one hour before tip-off for walk-up sales.
Game Coverage
Saturday’s game against Santa Clara will be aired on CSN Northwest and CSN Bay Area with Scott Lynn and Dwight Jaynes on the call. All Portland games will be aired live on the radio on 800 AM (KPDQ) with Bill Johnson providing the play-by-play, including a 30-minute pregame show.
Portland Briefly...
• The Pilots dropped just their second game at the Chiles Center this season with Thursday’s 83-72 loss to San Francisco.
• Senior F Luke Sikma scored six points to become the 34th player in school history to score 1,000 points.
• Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic scored a career-high 26 points against the Dons.
• Sikma became the school’s top all-time rebounder last week at Pepperdine, passing Rick Raivio (1976-80, 910) and he now has 938 career rebounds.
• Senior C Kramer Knutson is the Portland career leader in games started (116).
• The Pilots are fourth nationally in team 3-point percentage (.421).
• Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic is No. 3 in the nation in three-point percentage (.483) and senior G Jared Stohl is No. 15 (.440).
• Mitrovic (83) and Stohl (77) have combined to make 160 three-pointers which is the most of any teammate duo in the nation. BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery are second with 153.
• UP is No. 21 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
• Portland’s 58 wins over the last three years are the most of any three-year stretch since the Pilots joined Division I for the 1958-59 season.
• Portland is coming off of back-to-back postseason appearances and tied a school record with 21 wins last year. Head coach Eric Reveno welcomes eight newcomers to the roster, including seven true freshmen.
About Santa Clara (16-12, 6-5 WCC)
• The Broncos dropped an 85-76 game at Gonzaga on Thursday and remain alone in fourth place in the WCC standings, one game ahead of the Pilots.
• SCU overcame a 20-point second half deficit to defeat San Diego 60-56 at home on Saturday after a 65-59 loss to No. 23 Saint Mary’s the previous Thursday.
• SCU is led by sophomore Kevin Foster who leads the WCC in scoring (19.5 ppg).
• Junior F Marc Trasolini adds 11.7 ppg and freshman PG Evan Roquemore 11.0 ppg.
• Head coach Kerry Keating is in his fourth year at SCU with a career record of 59-66.
• Santa Clara was picked fourth in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Broncos dealt the Pilots a 72-59 defeat on Jan. 22 in Santa Clara.
Sikma Joins 1,000-Point Club
Senior F Luke Sikma became the 34th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club after scoring six points on Thursday against San Francisco. He entered the game with 997 points and now joins fellow senior Jared Stohl in the exclusive club.
Sikma Breaks UP Career Rebounding Record
Luke Sikma corralled seven second half rebounds against Pepperdine on Feb. 10 to pass Rick Raivio (910, 1976-80) as the Portland all-time leader in career rebounds. Sikma now has 938 for his career. He also ranks in the school’s top 10 in blocked shots (2nd, 87) and field goal percentage (6th, .540). The Bellevue, Wash. native is also in the Top 20 in career assists (17th, 240) and steals (t-12th, 114).
Mitrovic No. 3 Nationally in 3-Point Percentage
Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic is currently No. 3 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage according to NCAA statistics (minimum of 2.5 made per game). Mitrovic is shooting .483 from beyond the arc and is trailing only Weber State’s Scott Bamforth (.545). He is looking to follow teammate Jared Stohl as the national leader as Stohl led the country last year by finishing at .478. Stohl is currently 15th this season at .440 and could become the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in consecutive seasons.
Pilots No. 4 Nationally in Three-Point Percentage
Portland is fifth in the nation in team three-point percentage (.421). Northern Arizona is the current national leader at .443. Last year Portland finished fifth nationally as a team in three-point percentage (.407), while the Pilots finished second nationally in 2008-09 (.418).
Knutson Sets Career Starts Record
Senior C Kramer Knutson has started a school record 116 career games for the Pilots. He broke the previous record of 112 (Dionn Holton, 1995-98) on Feb. 5 at Seattle. A four-year starter for Portland, the Mesa, Ariz. native also ranks fourth in Pilot history in career field goal percentage (.552) and fifth in blocked shots (74).
Stohl/Mitrovic Top Three-Point Combo in the Nation
Jared Stohl and Nemanja Mitrovic have combined to make the most three-pointers (160) of any duo in the nation along with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery (153). Mitrovic is tied for fifth individually in three-pointers made (83), while Stohl (77) is tied for 12th. Already the Portland leader in career three-pointers made (322), Stohl moved into second place in the WCC record books after drilling five treys against Utah on Dec. 31. He is now chasing the WCC record of 363 held by Jeff Fryer of LMU (1987-90).
Stohl Makes 20 Consecutive Free Throws... Twice
Jared Stohl had a string of 24 consecutive free throws broken on Saturday at LMU. It is the second streak this season of 20 or more free throws made as he opened the season by making 22 straight. Stohl is No. 2 in UP history in career free throw percentage (.870).
Freshmen Coming On
Freshman PG Tim Douglas has moved into the starting lineup over the last six games and is averaging 9.6 points and 3.7 assists in WCC games. Other Pilot freshmen are also making impacts of late. Center Riley Barker matched a career-best with eight points on Thursday versus USF. On Feb. 10 at Pepperdine, Ryan Nicholas played a season-high 20 minutes and finished with five points and three rebounds. Guard Tanner Riley added 11 points in only seven minutes of playing time against the Waves, including three three-pointers.
Chiles Center Dominance
The Chiles Center has become quite comfortable for the Pilots over the last three seasons as Portland has rattled off a 37-6 home record and 19 consecutive wins prior to the loss to Gonzaga on Feb. 3. Signature home wins have come against Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Saint Mary’s three times. Portland is 12-2 at the Chiles Center this year.
Sikma 11th Nationally in Rebounds
Senior F Luke Sikma is leading the WCC and ranks No. 11 nationally in rebounding average (10.7). Sikma has corralled double-digit rebounds in 16 games and has 12 double-doubles this season to lead the WCC. He matched his career-high with 19 rebounds versus Florida Atlantic on Nov. 14 and grabbed 18 at Idaho on Nov. 20.