Complete Release (pdf)  I  The Pilot Report  I  at Santa Clara: Live Video  Live Stats  I  at San Francisco: Live Video  Live Stats
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (9-7, 2-3 WCC)
at SANTA CLARA BRONCOS (6-10, 2-3 WCC)
Date: Friday, January 17, 2014
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Arena (Capacity): Leavey Center (4,500)
Game Coverage: Live Video  Live Stats
 
POR vs. SCU
Overall Series: 29-34
Here: 14-12
There: 11-20
Neutral: 4-2
Last 5/10: 3-2/5-5
Last 1: POR 70, SCU 64 (March 7, 2013 @ Las Vegas)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (9-7, 2-3 WCC)
at SAN FRANCISCO DONS (7-9, 2-3 WCC)
Date: Sunday, January 19, 2014
Tip-off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Arena (Capacity): Memorial Gym (4,800)
Game Coverage: Live Video  Live Stats
 
POR vs. USF
Overall Series: 30-26
Here: 19-7
There: 11-15
Neutral: 0-4
Last 5/10: 3-2/8-2
Last 1: USF 75, @POR 71 (Feb. 14, 2013)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots began a four-game stretch away from home this week when they travel to Northern California for West Coast Conference games against Santa Clara and San Francisco.
• First the Pilots will be in Santa Clara, Calif., for a game against the Broncos at the Leavey Center on Friday night at 7 p.m.
• Then on Sunday the Pilots will face the Dons at War Memorial Gym at 2 p.m. in San Francisco.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots picked up their first win over a ranked opponent in more than 10 years when they handled No. 24 San Diego 72-51 at the Chiles Center on Wednesday night.
• The loss was the first this season for the Toreros, who had opened the year at 15-0.
• Cassandra Brown scored 18 points and was one of five Pilots to score in double figures; Amy Pupa had 11 rebounds.
• On Saturday against BYU the Pilots nearly erased an 18-point second-half deficit, but the Cougars held on for a 75-68 win at the Chiles Center.
• Cassandra Thompson was 7-for-10 from the field, including four of five on three-pointers, en route to a career-high 19 points.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The 72-51 win over No. 24 San Diego last Wednesday was Portland's first win over a ranked opponent since Dec. 6, 2003, when the Pilots topped No. 20 Oregon 76-58 at the Chiles Center.
• Jasmine Wooton exploded for a career-high 36 points during a 73-65 win at Pacific on Dec. 28; it's the most points scored by a Pilot since Martha Sheldon also scored 36 in 1991.
• Cassandra Brown has scored 20 or more points five times this season; Brown, who usually comes off the bench for the Pilots, is averaging a career-best 15.1 points per game, which ranks 10th in the WCC.
• Brown, a redshirt-junior, missed all of last season while recovering from off-season surgery.
• Earlier this season Kari Luttinen became the first UP player to score 20 points or more in three straight games since Natalie Day in January of 2012; Luttinen posted 20 points against Columbia (Nov. 29), 21 against Oregon State (Dec. 6) and a career-high 25 points vs. Boise State (Dec. 8).
• Both Luttinen, who was Portland's leading scorer last season with a 12.5 per game mark, and Brown have scored in double figures 12 times this year.
• On Nov. 15 in Seattle, Portland notched the program's first ever win against the Washington Huskies with a 91-77 victory.
• The Pilots matched a program record with 15 three's against the Huskies, while the 91 points were the most for the Pilots since also scoring 91 against Washington State in 2010.
• Portland's roster features three newcomers, which includes 2012 Alaska State High School Player of the Year Hannah Mattson and freshman transfer guard Kaylie Van Loo, who 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.
 
SOLLARS SAYS GOODBYE
• Jim Sollars, who is in his 28th year as head coach of the Pilots, will retire following the 2013-14 season he announced on Monday.
• Sollars, who also served the university as a history professor during his first 11 years on The Bluff, ranks second all-time in WCC wins (166) and he's been named league coach of the year five times.
• He has won 383 games at UP, 406 victories overall at the NCAA Division I level, has posted a 560-504 career record as a collegiate head coach and he led the Pilots to four straight NCAA Tournaments (1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997) in the mid-1990's.
• Under Sollars' leadership at Portland, 39 players have earned All-WCC honors, four players have been named the WCC Player of the Year, and he has coached two Pilots (Laura Sale and Deana Lansing) to honorable mention All-America status.
• He's also guided 40 WCC All-Academic Team selections, 14 CoSIDA Academic All-Region Team picks and one WCC Scholar Athlete of the Year, while two athletes earning first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
 
THAT'S A LOT OF POINTS
• Junior guard Jasmine Wooton had a historic day last week when she erupted for 36 points during a 73-65 win at Pacific on Dec. 28.
• The 36 points are the most scored by a Pilot since Martha Sheldon also scored 36 back in 1991, and Wooton is the first Portland player to score 30 or more points since Cassandra Brown dropped 32 on Santa Clara at the WCC Tourney on March 1, 2012.
• Wooton also hit 10 free throws against the Tigers, the most by a Pilot since Alexis Byrd in 2011, and she hit a career-best six three-pointers.
 
THAT TOO IS A LOT OF POINTS
• Portland has already scored 80 or more points four times this year after accomplishing that feat just once last year.
• The 91 points against Washington were the most points scored by the Pilots since also putting up 91 points against Washington State in 2010.
• Cassandra Brown, Alexis Byrd, Kari Luttinen and Jasmine Wooton all have games of 20 or more points this season.
 
CB FOR 3
• Cassandra Brown is enjoying a break-out season after missing all of last year while recovering from off-season surgery.
• The redshirt-junior guard leads the Pilots in scoring (15.1 ppg) and she's scored 20 or more points during five times.
• She ranks 10th in the WCC in scoring and is fourth in free throw shooting (.818).
• During the 91-77 win at Washington, she registered her first career double-double with 28 points and 12 boards, while also burying six three-pointers.
 
THE BLOGGER
• Junior guard Kari Luttinen has taken on blogging duties for the Pilots this season, so visit PortlandPilots.com/WBBblog to follow Kari and the Pilots and year long.