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Tickets PORTLAND PILOTS (4-16, 2-7 WCC) vs. GONZAGA BULLDOGS (16-4, 9-0 WCC)Date: Saturday, January 31, 2015
Tip-off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena (Capacity): Chiles Center (4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.comLive Stats: PortlandPilots.com POR vs. GU Overall Series: 27-43
Here: 14-18
There: 10-23
Neutral: 3-2
Last 5/Last 10: 0-5/0-10
Last 1: @GU 79, POR 57 (Jan. 3, 2015)
THIS WEEK • The Portland Pilots play one game this week when they host northwest rival Gonzaga for a West Coast Conference contest on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center.
• Tip-off for the Pilots and Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m.
LAST WEEK • Portland had a chance to claim a win on Thursday night in Stockton, Calif., but Pacific's Hailie Eackles hit a game-clinching three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to hand the Tigers a 71-69 victory.
• Cassandra Brown had previously given the Pilots a one-point lead with a clutch three-point play, and the Tigers denied Portland a potential game-tying field goal with some tight defense in the closing seconds.
• Brown (23 pts, 10 rebs) registered her first double-double of the season in the loss, and Cassandra Thompson added 20 points and eight rebounds.
• On Saturday in Moraga, Calif., the Saint Mary's Gaels held off the Pilots 66-53; Kari Luttinen led Portland with 16 points.
ABOUT THE PILOTS • Senior Cassandra Brown is having a remarkable year and has scored 20 points during seven of Portland's nine WCC games, averaging a league-best 21.2 points against conference opponents; she scored a season-best 30 points during a win over LMU (Jan. 15) and she notched her first double-double (23 pts, 10 rebs) of the year at Pacific last Thursday.
• Brown currently ranks 10th in the country in free throw percentage (69-for-77, .896) and is 29th nationally in three-point percentage (50-for-119, .420); Portland as a team is 11th in the country in three-point percentage (.378) and is 22nd in free throw percentage (.751).
• Brown (1,234), Kari Luttinen (1,211) and Jasmine Wooton (1,020) have each become 1,000 career point scorers this season, with Wooton accomplishing the feat against Pepperdine (Jan .17); Luttinen scored her 1,000th career point during a win against Utah (Nov. 29), while Brown reached the milestone during the win over Portland State (Dec. 12).
• Portland has never had three players reach 1,000 career points during the same season, and all three reached the milestone during a win.
• Wooton had a career-best nine assists against BYU (Dec. 29), which was the most assists by a Pilot since ReZina TecleMariam handed out nine assists on Jan. 2, 2012.
• Brown was named to the Nugget Classic All-Tournament Team (Nov. 28-29) after averaging 14.0 points per game to help the Pilots claim the consolation trophy; during Portland's win over Utah (Nov. 29) she had 20 points and nine boards.
• Brown is second in the WCC in free throw percentage (.896), is third in scoring (18.6 ppg) and three-pointers made (50) and is fourth in three-point percentage (.420); Luttinen leads the conference in three-point percentage (21-for-41, .512) in WCC games and she's second in overall three-point percentage (36-for-82, .439).
• Head coach Cheryl Sorenson is in her first year at the helm of the UP women's basketball program; Sorenson spent three years as an assistant coach with the Pilots before replacing long-time head coach Jim Sollars, who retired after 28 years on The Bluff.
• Wooton was named to the All-West Coast Conference Preseason Women's Basketball Team and the Pilots were tabbed to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT • The Bulldogs are in their usual spot on top of the WCC standings with an overall record of 16-4 and an unblemished 9-0 league mark.
• Junior and reigning WCC Player of the Week Elle Tinkle leads Gonzaga in scoring (14.1 ppg) and she's one of three Bulldogs averaging in double figures in scoring.
• Former Gonzaga assistant coach Lisa Fortier is in her first year as head coach of the Bulldogs.
• Earlier this season Gonzaga defeated the Pilots 79-57 in Spokane and the Bulldogs have won 11 straight in the series; Portland's last win against GU was a 70-67 decision in Spokane in 2009.
