Complete Release
Portland (17-7, 4-4 WCC) at Pepperdine (10-16, 4-5)
February 10, 2011 • 7:00 PM • Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse - 3,104)
Radio: 800 AM (KPDQ)
Live Audio: PortlandPilots.com
Series: PEP leads 52-40
Last Meeting: UP 57, PEP 42 (1/5/11 at UP)
Portland (17-7, 4-4 WCC) at Loyola Marymount (9-15, 1-8)
February 12, 2011 • 3:00 PM • Los Angeles, Calif. (Gersten Pavilion - 4,156)
TV: FSN West
Radio: 800 AM (KPDQ)
Live Audio: PortlandPilots.com
Series: LMU leads 46-40
Last Meeting: UP 79, LMU 78 (2OT) (1/13/11 at UP)
This Week in Pilots Hoops…
The Portland Pilots (17-7, 4-4 WCC) return to West Coast Conference play with a road trip to Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount this week. Portland will take on the Pepperdine Waves (10-16, 4-5) on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Pilots and Lions (9-15, 1-8) will meet on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Game Coverage
Saturday’s game against LMU will be televised live on FSN West with Larry Burnett and Mitch Butler calling the action. All Portland basketball games are aired live on the radio on 800 AM (KPDQ) with a 30-minute pregame show. Bill Johnson and Jason Brough will provide the commentary for all road games.
Portland Briefly...
• The Pilots bounced back from a 67-64 home loss to Gonzaga last Thursday with a 71-55 road win at Seattle on Saturday.
• Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic scored 20 points, while senior G Jared Stohl added 16 in the win over the Redhawks.
• Senior Kramer Knutson made his 113th career start on Saturday to become UP’s all-time leader.
• Senior F Luke Sikma is three rebounds shy of becoming UP’s all-time rebounds leader.
• The Pilots are No. 2 nationally in team 3-point percentage (.428).
• Mitrovic leads the nation in three-point percentage (.483) and Stohl is No. 9 (.460).
• Stohl (74) and Mitrovic (70) have combined to make 144 three-pointers, the highest total of any teammate duo in the nation.
• UP is No. 16 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
• Stohl is seventh on UP’s career scoring list (1,290 points).
• Sikma ranks 10th nationally in rebounds (10.9) and leads the WCC with 11 double-doubles.
• Portland’s 57 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 Pepperdine
• The Waves (10-16, 4-5) split a WCC road trip last week, following a 79-71 loss to Saint Mary’s with a 70-63 overtime win at San Diego
• Junior G Keion Bell, the team’s leading scorer at 18.9 ppg, was recently suspended for the remainder of the season.
• Junior G Lorne Jackson has averaged a team-best 16.6 ppg in WCC games.
• Pepperdine was picked seventh in the WCC Preseason Poll after finishing 7-24 and 3-11 in the WCC last year.
• Head coach Tom Asbury is in his ninth overall year at Pepperdine, returning to the Waves prior to the 2008-09 season for his second head coaching stint with the program.
About LMU
• The Lions (9-15, 1-8 WCC) were swept on a WCC road swing through San Diego (66-63) and Saint Mary’s (79-70) last week.
• Drew Viney and Vernon Teel, both All-WCC First Team selections last season, lead the Lions in scoring at 15.5 and 12.8 ppg, respectively.
• LMU was picked second in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Head coach Max Good is in his third year at LMU and returns four starters and 10 lettermen from a squad that finished 18-16 and was invited to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Mitrovic Leading Nation in 3-Point Percentage
Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic is currently leading 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 looking to follow teammate Jared Stohl as the national leader. Stohl led the country last year by finishing at .478 and is currently ninth this season at .460. He could become the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in consecutive seasons.
Pilots No. 2 Nationally in Three-Point Percentage
Portland is second in the nation in team three-point percentage (.428), trailing only Northern Arizona (.435). Last year Portland finished fifth nationally as a team in three-point percentage (.407), while the Pilots finished second nationally in 2008-09 (.418).
Sikma Three Rebounds Shy of UP Career Record
Luke Sikma is three rebounds shy of passing Rick Raivio (910, 1976-80) as the Portland all-time leader in career rebounds. Sikma gathered eight against Seattle University and now has 908 for his career. He also ranks in the school’s top 10 in blocked shots (3rd, 83) and field goal percentage (6th, .537). The Bellevue, Wash. native is also in the Top 20 in career assists (19th, 230) and steals (15th, 108).
Knutson Sets Career Starts Record
Senior C Kramer Knutson started his 113th career game for the Pilots on Feb. 5 at Seattle to break the school record held by Dionn Holton (112, 1995-98). A four-year starter for Portland, the Mesa, Ariz. native also ranks fourth in Pilot history in career field goal percentage (.550) and fifth in blocked shots (69).
Stohl/Mitrovic Top Three-Point Combo in the Nation
Jared Stohl and Nemanja Mitrovic have combined to make the most three-pointers (144) of any duo in the nation. Stohl (74) is tied for seventh in three-pointers made, while Mitrovic is tied for 11th (70). Already the Portland leader in career three-pointers made (319), 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 Riding Free Throw Streak
Jared Stohl has made 21 consecutive free throws entering Thursday’s game. He opened the season by making 22 straight. Stohl is No. 2 in UP history in career free throw percentage (.870).
Chiles Center Dominance
The Chiles Center has become quite comfortable for the Pilots over the last three seasons as Portland has rattled off a 37-5 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 12-1 at the Chiles Center this year and have had at least 10-point leads in all 13 games.
Sikma 10th Nationally in Rebounds
Senior F Luke Sikma is leading the WCC and ranks No. 10 nationally in rebounding average (10.8). Sikma has corralled double-digit rebounds in 14 games already has 11 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.
Douglas Garners Second Player of the Week Honor
Freshman PG Tim Douglas and Saint Mary’s senior guard Mickey McConnell were named WCC Co-Players of the Week on Jan. 31. Douglas earned his second weekly award of the season to become just the fifth player in WCC history to receive multiple player of the week honors as a freshman. Douglas also earned weekly honors on Dec. 20 after scoring a career-high 27 points against Portland State. The Cerritos, Calif. native joins some select company by earning multiple honors as a true freshman. The only other players in WCC history to do so are Elias Harris (Gonzaga, 2010), Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s, 2008), Darrell Tucker (San Francisco, 2000) and Greg Anthony (Portland, 1987). The league records for WCC player of the week awards date back to the 1981-82 season. Mills is the only freshman to earn the honor three times in one season. Portland leads the league with five WCC Player of the Week selections by four different players. In addition to the two awards for Douglas, Luke Sikma, Jared Stohl and Nemanja Mitrovic have also been recognized this season.
Mitrovic Named December WCC Co-Player of the Month
Junior G Nemanja Mitrovic was named the WCC-Co Player of the Month after leading the Pilots to a 7-1 record in December. He logged three consecutive 20-plus point games to end the month of December. He went 7-of-9 shooting against Boise State on Dec. 22, including 5-for-5 from three-point range for a career-high 22 points. He matched that total on Dec. 27 vs. Nevada as he was 8-for-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc to earn WCC player of the Week honors. The Toronto native scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half against Utah on Dec. 31 to lead a second half comeback. He is No. 2 nationally in three-point percentage (.485) according to NCAA Statistics and has made at least four treys in 10 of the last 16 games. Mitrovic has reached double figures in scoring 19 times this season to lead the team.
Stohl Cracks UP Top 10 Scoring List
Senior G Jared Stohl became the 33rd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points after his 24-point effort on Sunday versus Florida Atlantic on Nov. 14. He then cracked the top 10 in UP scoring history after his 16-point performance against Gonzaga on Feb. 3. The Marysville, Wash. native is currently seventh in Portland history with 1,290 career points and is 150 points shy of tying Jim Winters for sixth all-time.
Stohl Obliterates UP Three-Point Record
With four three-pointers at Santa Clara on Jan. 30, 2010 Jared Stohl became the Portland career leader in three-pointers made. Stohl now has 319 career threes, 108 more than second place Casey Frandsen (211, 2000-04). Stohl also ranks second in career three-point percentage (.454), trailing only format teammate T.J. Campbell (.478). He led the WCC last season in three-pointers made per game (3.1) and his 98 three-pointers tied for second place in UP single-season history, eight shy of Peter McKelvey’s record from the 1991-92 season. Stohl also owns the UP single-game record by drilling 10 three-pointers on Dec. 22, 2009 against Idaho. He finished 10-for-15 from three-point range for 30 points. He set the previous record by going 9-for-13 against San Francisco on Jan. 15, 2009.
