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PORTLAND PILOTS (3-2, 0-0 WCC)
vs. COLUMBIA LIONS (1-4, 0-0 IVY)
Date: Friday, November 29, 2013
Tip-off:  7:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena (Capacity): Chiles Center (4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. COL
Overall Series: 0-0
Here: 0-0
There: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Last 5/10: 0-0/0-0
Last 1: N/A
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots play their lone game this week at the Chiles Center on Friday when they host the Columbia Lions for a non-conference game at 7 p.m.
• This is the first meeting between the Pilots and Lions, who have lost four in a row.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots split their two games last week, suffering a 68-61 set-back at Montana on Monday, Nov. 18 before rallying to defeat Seattle 70-63 at home on Sunday.
• Against the Lady Griz, Jasmine Wooton led four Pilots in double figures with a career-high 20 points.
• On Sunday Cassandra Brown scored 18 points, Alexis Byrd had 15 and Amy Pupa ripped down 16 rebounds as the Pilots went on a late run to secure the win.
• Trailing 60-55 with about two minutes left, the Pilots ended the game on a 15-3 run to surge past the Redhawks.
• Pupa added 10 points for her first double-double this season.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Cassandra Brown notched her first career double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds during Portland's first ever win against Washington, which was a 91-77 victory in Seattle on Nov. 15.
• Brown hit a career-best six three-pointers to help the Pilots match a program record with 15 three's overall.
• The 91 points were the most for the Pilots since also scoring 91 against Washington State in 2010.
• Four Pilots are averaging double figures in scoring (Brown, Byrd, Luttinen, Wooton) and two Pilots (Thompson, Pupa) are averaging at least seven rebounds per game.
• Brown, who has been coming off the bench, is Portland's leading scorer (17.4 ppg) and ranks fifth in the West Coast Conference.
• Cassandra Thompson ranks fifth in the WCC in rebounding (8.8 rpg).
• Amy Pupa is Second in WCC in three-point percentage (.545), fourth in steals (2.4) and ninth in rebounds
• The Pilots returned 11 letterwinners and four starters from 2012-13, which includes last year's leading scorer Kari Luttinen, who ranked seventh in the WCC with a 12.5 points per game average.
• Brown, a redshirt-junior, missed all of last season while recovering from off-season surgery.
• Portland's roster features three newcomers, which includes 2012 Alaska State High School Player of the Year Hannah Mattson.
• Freshman transfer guard Kaylie Van Loo, who earned all-state honors at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, comes to UP from the University of Idaho where she was briefly on the track & field team; Van Loo must sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
• Head coach Jim Sollars is in his 28th year at the helm of the Pilots and last Sunday's victory over Seattle was career win No. 400 at the NCAA Division I level.
• Sollars ranks second all-time in WCC wins (164) and he's been named league coach of the year an unprecedented five times.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Columbia Lions opened the season with a win over Long Island Brooklyn before dropping the next four, most recently a 69-59 setback at Farleigh Dickinson
• The Ivy League school is led by freshman guard Carolyn Binder, who is averaging 15.0 points per game; she's started just one game and is shooting 46.4 percent (13-for-28) on three-pointers.
• Senior forward Courtney Bradford is the team's top rebounder (5.6 rpg).
• Stephanie Glance, who most recently coached at Illinois State, is in her first year as head coach at Columbia.
 
WELCOME BACK
• Cassandra Brown is back and better than ever after utilizing her medical redshirt season last year.
• The junior guard is fifth in the WCC in scoring (17.4 ppg) and she recorded her first career double-double during a win at Washington on Nov. 15.
• Brown hit a career-best six three's against the Huskies en route to 28 points and 12 rebounds.
• The 28 points are tied for the second most scored by a WCC player in a game this season, and the 12 boards are a career high.
 
ANOTHER MILESTONE
• Chalk up another milestone for Portland head coach Jim Sollars, who is in his 28th year at the helm of the Pilots and in his 38th year overall as a head coach.
• Last Sunday's win over Seattle was career No. 400 at the NCAA DI level for Sollars, who previously coached at Portland State.
• Sollars, who has also coached Wenatchee Valley CC, has compiled 377 wins with the Pilots and 544 wins overall.
• He also ranks second all-time in the WCC with 164 career conference wins.