Pilots Looks for Season Sweep Against No. 20 Gonzaga on Wednesday
Complete Release (PDF) I Live Video I Live Audio I Live Stats
Portland Pilots (13-10, 5-6) at No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs (20-3, 10-1)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
Tip-off: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center
TV: ROOT Sports NW
Radio: 1080 The Fan
Overall Series: 66-92
At UP: 35-36
At GU: 22-44
At Neutral/Unknown: 9-12
Last: POR 82, #18 GON 73 (at Portland – Jan. 9, 2014)
GAME INFORMATION
• Portland concludes its three-game West Coast Conference road trip on Wednesday against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
• The game will be televised live on ROOT Sports NW with Greg Heister, Richard Fox and Dan Dickau calling the action.
• 1080 The Fan (KFXX) will broadcast the Gonzaga (Feb. 5) and BYU (Feb. 22) road games. Coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the pregame show.
• Sports 910 AM (KMTT) is the primary home of Portland Basketball. Veteran voice of the Pilots Bill Johnson provides the play-by-play.
ROAD WATCH PARTIES AT BUFFALO WILD WINGS
• Pilot fans are encouraged to gather at Buffalo Wild Wings Lloyd District for Portland watch parties of all WCC road games this season.
• Located at 1200 NE Broadway Street, Suite 20 Portland, OR 97232, Buffalo Wild Wings will provide televisions and space for Pilot fans to gather for all road games. For more information about the watch parties contact Jon Brooks at (503) 943-7431 or brooksj@up.edu.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots (13-10, 5-6 WCC) sit in sixth place in the WCC standings after a road split last week in the Bay Area. Portland lost to San Francisco (84-71) on Wednesday before defeating Santa Clara (76-64) on Saturday.
• Junior C Thomas van der Mars scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over SCU, while junior G Kevin Bailey scored his 1,000th career point in the second half of the game.
• Portland's first five WCC games were at home and the team will play just two more home games. The second half of UP's schedule features 7-of-9 games on the road.
• Bailey, who leads the Pilots and ranks seventh in the WCC in scoring (16.6), became Portland's 36th 1,000-point scorer. He has reached double figures in all but two games this year and scored 20-plus eight times.
• Senior F Ryan Nicholas joined Portland's 1,000-point club in the second half against Princeton on Dec. 21. He is the WCC leader in rebounding (9.0) and is third on the team in scoring (12.4). He also ranks sixth on Portland's career rebounding list.
• Van der Mars has had a breakout year averaging 12.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. His 19-point, 18-rebound effort vs. Portland State earned him league player of the week honors on Dec. 9.
• Portland returns all five starters and nine lettermen from last year's team that finished 11-21 overall.
• Head coach Eric Reveno returns for his eighth year on The Bluff and recorded his 100th career win on Nov. 27 vs. San Jose State.
• Assistant coaches Eric Jackson and Mike Wolf also return for their eighth year, while Colin Pfaff returns for his second year as an assistant coach.
• Portland looks to return to its 2008-11 success, a stretch that included back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history and 60 wins over three seasons.
• The Pilots were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) for three consecutive seasons from 2008-2011.
• The Pilots were picked to finish ninth in the 10-team West Coast Conference in the pre-season coaches poll.
• Coach Reveno posts a 100 percent graduation rate and the men's basketball program has one of the top APR scores in the nation (995), receiving a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA last spring.
ABOUT GONZAGA
• The Bulldogs (20-3, 10-1) are ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the AP Poll this week after sweeping Santa Clara (54-52) and San Francisco (75-65) last week.
• Gonzaga needed a last second three-pointer from senior F Sam Dower to pull out the win over the Broncos.
• Junior PG Kevin Pangos leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while Dower adds 14.8 per game.
• Junior G Gary Bell, who missed the first game against UP with a broken hand, has returned to the lineup.
• Mark Few is in his 15th year as head coach of Gonzaga and has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament every season. His overall record is 394-96.
• The Pilots snapped a 20-game losing streak to GU with an 82-73 wire-to-wire win at the Chiles Center on Jan. 9... it was also the first home win for the Pilots in the series dating back to 1996... Bryce Pressley led the Pilots with 15 points and nine assists.
PORTLAND VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Jan. 9 win vs. Gonzaga was the seventh all-time for Portland against an AP Top 25 program and the first since defeating No. 22 Minnesota at the 2009 Anaheim 76 Classic.
• Portland earlier lost to then-No. 1 Michigan State on Nov. 18 and is now 7-54 all-time against AP Top 25 ranked opponents.
• The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
AMONG THE WCC LEADERS...
• Portland leads the WCC in blocked shots (4.5) and ranks second in assists (15.3), third in scoring (78.0), assist-turnover ratio (1.3), 3-point pct. (.389) and FT pct. (.746).
• Ryan Nicholas leads the league in rebounding (9.0) and Bryce Pressley is the tops in three-point percentage (.469). Van der Mars is second in FG pct. (.600). Pressley (2.4) and Wintering (2.3) are third and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio, respectively.
• Wintering is also sixth in steals (4.3), seventh in steals (1.4) and 13th in free throw percentage (.823).
BAILEY JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Junior G Kevin Bailey has had a breakout season and is joined teammate Ryan Nicholas as the 36th member of the 1,000 point club. His 10 points at Santa Clara on Feb. 1 pushed him to 1,007 for his career.
• He has reached double figures in 21 of the 23 games, scored 20 or more points eight times, and logged a career-high 29 points in the season opener over UC Davis.
• A three-year starter, the Clovis, Calif. native averaged 11.4 points last season and 9.5 points per game as a freshman.
SHARP-SHOOTER
• Junior G Bobby Sharp not only hit eight three-pointers and broke his previous career-high of 18 points with his 27-point effort against BYU, many of the three-pointers were clutch and against defensive pressure.
• The two biggest threes came in the final 30 seconds of the second overtime period as the Pilots came back from an eight-point deficit with 2:39 remaining.
• His fade-away three tied it at 103 with 13 seconds left and UP cruised in the third OT.
• Sharp is shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc in league play which ranks seventh, while his 27 three-pointers made in conference play are third overall.
VAN DER MARS ERUPTS
• Junior C Thomas van der Mars had another monster game with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds at Santa Clara. He was 9-for-10 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line for his sixth double-double of the year.
• Van der Mars previously scored 27 points with 18 rebounds in the triple overtime win against BYU on Jan. 23. 21 of his points came after halftime.
• He also dropped a 19-point, 18-rebound effort against Portland State on Dec. 7 that earned him WCC Player of the Week honors.
• He became the first Pilot to win the weekly honor since Jan. 31, 2011.
• Van der Mars had a remarkable second half against the Vikings, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds after the break. Overall, he was 6-for-8 from the field and made 7-of-9 free throw attempts in the victory.
• The Gouda, Netherlands native scored 21 points with 12 rebounds against North Texas. He also had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Idaho.
• Van der Mars has 64 career blocked shots are ninth in school history.
NICHOLAS CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
• Senior F Ryan Nicholas scored his 1,000th career point in the second half against Princeton on Dec. 21 to become the 35th player in school history to reach the mark. He currently ranks 19th in school history with 1,124 points. He is six points shy of Nik Raivio ('07-10) and 13 short of Jim Armstrong ('57-60) for 17th place.
• The Spokane, Wash. native is leading the WCC in rebounding (9.0) and cracked the top 10 in school rebounding history after his 16-rebound effort against North Texas. His 765 career rebounds are sixth all-time and 23 shy of Bill Garner ('59-63) for fifth.
• Nicholas is a three-year starter and led the Pilots in scoring and rebounding each of the past two seasons.
• Nicknamed 'Rhino', he sat behind All-WCC forward Luke Sikma and four-year starting center Kramer Knutson as a freshman but followed with a breakout sophomore year (11.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg). He averaged 13.0 points and 8.7 rebounds last season.
WINTERING GIVEN THE KEYS
• Freshman PG Alec Wintering dished out a season-high 13 assists with just one turnover against San Francisco on Dec. 28. It was the most assists by a Pilot against a Division I school in program history, and one shy of the school record set by Dionn Holton (14 vs. Southern Oregon — Dec. 9, 1995).
• He ranks fourth in the WCC this season in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
• The Concord, N.C. native has started all 23 games for the Pilots and matched his season high with 15 points against USF on Thursday.
• He is shooting a team-best 83 percent from the free throw line this year.
• Portland secured a commitment from Wintering out of United Faith Christian Acad. in North Carolina, where he was coached by former NBA point guard Muggsy Bogues.
• Wintering's ties to Portland go back to when he lived in Arizona and looked up to former Pilot PG T.J. Campbell, a two-time All-WCC selection for the Pilots in 2008-10.
IM-PRESSLEY
• Sophomore G Bryce Pressley had a remarkably efficient game in the win over Gonzaga on Jan. 9. He finished with 16 points on 5-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the foul line. He added nine assists with zero turnovers, and also had two rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.
• Pressley previously earned WCC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23, joining Thomas van der Mars as the second Pilot in three weeks to be recognized.
• He was named the MVP of the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic after scoring a career-high 25 points in the win over Princeton. He was 8-for-10 from the field, 5-for-5 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the foul line. His previous career high was 10.
• The Sacramento native picked up his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Pacific on Jan. 2.
• Pressley started the final seven games of the 2012-13 season and also took over backup point guard duties late in the year.
• The son of former NBA standout and NCAA Champion Harold Pressley (Villanova, '86), he has started every game on the wing this year and is also the backup point guard.
• An all-around versatile talent, Pressley has improved his shot is leading the WCC in three-point percentage (.469).
RECORD BREAKING GAME
• The win over BYU on Jan. 23 marked just the second triple overtime game in UP history. The other was an 82-81 win over San Jose State on November 27, 1984.
• BYU's Tyler Haws scored 48 points to break the Chiles Center individual scoring record, previously held by UP's Matt Houle (43) on Feb. 13, 1993 against San Francisco.
• The 114 points scored by the Pilots were the most against a Division I opponent in school history.
• Bobby Sharp, who hit seven three-pointers over the games final 22 minutes, was trending nationally on Twitter during the overtime periods.
SCORING PUNCH
• Scoring is up significantly this season for the Pilots as the team is averaging 78.0 points per game, the highest for a UP squad the 1991-92 season when current Miami HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra was a senior point guard for the Pilots and the team averaged 80.9 points per game.
• Portland ranks third in the WCC in team scoring.
• Last year the Pilots averaged 61.0 points and the team averaged 65.1 points during the 2011-12 season.
IT'S ALL ACADEMIC
• Thomas van der Mars (3.95, Operations Technology Management) was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 Team and is eligible for Acad. All-America Honors.
• Ryan Nicholas (3.47 GPA, Psychology) and van der Mars were named to the 2013 WCC All-Academic Team, while Riley Barker (3.46, Marketing) was honorable mention.
• Nicholas picks up his second award in as many years.
• Coach Reveno has had a total of 13 WCC All-Academic selections in his seven years.
• Reveno also posts a 100 percent graduation rate (17 players) and the men's basketball program has one of the top APR scores in the nation (995), receiving a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA last spring.
BLOCK PARTY
• Portland leads the WCC in blocked shots per game (4.5).
• Junior centers Riley Barker and Thomas van der Mars rank eighth and ninth in school history with 69 and 64 blocked shots, respectively.
• Junior G Kevin Bailey (51) is five shy of cracking the school's Top 10 list.
• Tim Frost (2000-02) owns the all-time Pilots record with 103 blocked shots.
DOMINATING THE BOARDS
• After being outrebounded in the first three games of the season, Portland has had a positive rebounding margin in 14 of the last 20 outings.
• For the season the Pilots have a +2.1 rebounding margin.
• During Coach Reveno's eight year tenure, the Pilots have had a positive rebounding margin in all but one season (2011-12, -0.4).
HOME SWEET HOME
• The Pilots have a 55-29 record at the Chiles Center since the 2008-09 season.
• Portland had a 19-game home winning streak snapped by Gonzaga in 2011.
• Signature home wins have come against Gonzaga, BYU, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Saint Mary's three times.
CENTURY CLUB!
• The 100 points scored in Portland's season opener marked the first time the Pilots hit the century mark since defeating Evergreen State College 101-77 on Dec. 31, 2009.
• It is the first time UP reached 100 against a Division I opponent since the opener of the 1993 season versus Hawaii at the Great Alaska Shootout.
BIG HOME WINS
• The BYU win was UP's first in 10 games and was the second straight big home win.
• The Pilots snapped a 20-game overall losing streak to Gonzaga and picked up the first win at the Chiles Center over the Bulldogs since 1996 with an 82-73 win on Jan. 9.
