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PORTLAND PILOTS (4-7, 0-0 WCC)
vs. OREGON DUCKS (2-8, 0-0 PAC-12)
Date: Friday, Dec. 21, 2012
Tip-off: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena (Capacity): Chiles Center (4,852)
Video/Audio (free): PilotsVideo.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. ORE
Overall Series: 4-24
Here: 4-8
There: 0-16
Neutral: 0-0
Last 5/10: 1-4/2-8
Last 1: @ORE 88, POR 78 (Dec. 4, 2011)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots will look to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Oregon Ducks for a non-conference game on Friday at the Chiles Center at 12 p.m.
• The Pilots then take a week off before hosting the Portland State Vikings on Saturday, Dec. 29.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots picked up a pair of wins over two foes from the Mountain West Conference.
• First on Friday night at the Chiles Center, the Pilots overcame a 13-point half-time deficit to defeat the Fresno State Bulldogs 76-69; UP out-scored the Bulldogs 44-24 in the second half and sophomore Kari Luttinen scored a game-high 18 points to lead five Pilots in double figures.
• Portland then headed to Boise, Idaho, and dismantled the Boise State Broncos 73-49 on Sunday afternoon at Taco Bell Arena; Luttinen scored a game-high 17 points, freshman Annika Holopainen added a career-high 15 points and junior Amy Pupa grabbed 10 boards.
• Luttinen was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week following the weekend, her first such honor.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Sophomore guard Kari Luttinen is the reigning WCC Player of the Week.
• Portland’s game against Boston College on Nov. 24 marked the 1,000th game in the history of the women’s basketball program, which dates back to 1977-78; the Pilots, who jumped from NAIA to NCAA Division I in 1986, have an all-time record of 534-471 (.531).
• Portland does not have one senior on its roster.
• Three of Portland’s five freshmen originally hail from overseas, with Ellen Nurmi and Annika Holopainen both coming to The Bluff from Finland; Sara Ines Hernandez is from Italy.
• Portland has been to the post-season twice during the past four years, going to the WNIT in 2009 and the inaugural WBI in 2010.
• Head coach Jim Sollars has more WCC wins (159) than any other coach in the 24-year history of the league, has compiled 367 career wins at UP and has been named league coach of the year an unprecedented five times.
• Sollars, who was the head coach at Portland State before coming to The Bluff, is 10 wins away from historic win No. 400 at the NCAA Division I level.
 
SOPHOMORE SURGE
• Kari Luttinen is following her stellar freshman season by leading the team in scoring as a sophomore.
• Luttinen, a native of Seattle, Wash., is putting up 12.7 points per game and she’s averaging nearly 20 points (19.3 ppg) per contest during UP’s current three-game winning streak.
• She was also named the U.S. Bank University of Portland Student-Athlete of the Week and the WCC Player of the Week following last weekend.
• Luttinen, who was named to the WCC’s All-Freshman Team last year, ranks seventh in the league in scoring and she poured in a career-best 23 points during a win over Nevada on Dec. 14.
• During a win at Idaho on Nov. 16, Luttinen recorded her first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
OWNING THE PAINT
• Forward Cassandra Thompson is also enjoying her sophomore campaign by averaging 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
• The native of Athol, Idaho, is third in the WCC in field goal percentage (.522) and she landed on the Washington Dental Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team earlier this season.
• Thompson has also registered career highs in both points (18 vs. Nevada) and rebounds (14 at Idaho) this winter.
 
FROM ACROSS THE POND
• The Pilots have a well-established history of featuring Australians on their roster, including past Pilots Rachel Warren and Lauren Angel, but this season Portland features a trio of Europeans.
• Freshmen Ellen Nurmi and Annika Holopainen both came to The Bluff from Finland, while freshman Sara Ines Hernandez hails from Italy.
• Holopainen is averaging 7.9 points per game, has reached double figures three times and scored a career-best 15 points at Boise State.
• Nurmi is tops on the Pilots in three-pointers made (18), is third in scoring (8.4 ppg) and is averaging 12.3 points per game during Portland’s three-game winning streak.
• Holopainen and Nurmi were also teammates on the same club team in Helsinki, and they were teammates for Finland’s U-16 and U-18 National Teams.
• Hernandez has extensive playing experience in the Italian Junior National Team system.
 
CAREER MILESTONES
• Long-time Portland head coach Jim Sollars, who’s in his 27th year at the helm of the Pilots, coached in his 1,000th career game at Santa Clara last season on Jan. 5.
• Sollars had stops at Wenatchee CC (seven years) and Portland State (three years) before settling in at UP.
• Sollars has more WCC wins (159) than any other coach in the 24-year history of the league, has compiled 367 career wins at UP and has been named league coach of the year an unprecedented five times.
• He has 544 wins total, he’s led the Pilots to three WCC titles and one WCC Tournament title, and he’s guide Portland to four NCAA Tournaments.
• Sollars is also just 10 wins away from historic win No. 400 at the NCAA Division I level.
 
THE BLOGGER... OR BLOGGERS
• The Pilots will combine efforts this year on a season-long blog, as members of the team and coaching staff will take turns sharing their thoughts on the season.
• Visit, and make sure to bookmark, PortlandPilots.com/WBBblog.