Complete Release (pdf) I at USD:
Live Video Live Stats I at BYU:
Live Video Live StatsPORTLAND PILOTS (2-14, 0-5 WCC)at SAN DIEGO TOREROS (14-2, 4-1 WCC)Date: Thursday, January 14, 2016
Tip-off: 6:00 p.m.
Location: San Diego, Calif.
Arena (Capacity): Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100)
Live Video: TheW.tvLive Stats: USDToreros.comPOR vs. USD Overall Series: 32-35
Here: 17-13
There: 10-19
Neutral: 5-3
Last 5/Last 10: 1-4/1-9
Last 1: @USD 80, POR 72 (Feb. 28, 2015)
PORTLAND PILOTS (2-14, 0-5 WCC)at BYU COUGARS (12-4, 4-1 WCC)Date: Saturday, January 16, 2016
Tip-off: 1:00 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Provo, Utah
Arena (Capacity): Marriott Center (20,900)
TV: BYUtv
Online Video: BYUtv.orgLive Stats: BYUCougars.comPOR vs. BYU Overall Series: 4-16
Here: 2-8
There: 2-7
Neutral: 0-1
Last 5/Last 10: 0-5/0-10
Last 1: @BYU 65, POR 63 (Feb. 26, 2015
THIS WEEK The Pilots embark on a two-game West Coast Conference road trip this weekend that takes them to San Diego, Calif., and Provo, Utah.
First on Thursday night in San Diego, the Pilots will face the San Diego Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion at 6 p.m.
Portland then heads to Provo to battle the Brigham Young Cougars on Saturday at the Marriott Center at 1 p.m. (Pacific).
LAST WEEK The Pilots jumped out to a big lead in the first half before the first-place Gonzaga Bulldogs came back to escape with a 71-63 win at the Chiles Center on Saturday.
Portland surged ahead 12-1 to start the game, built a 17-point lead in the first half and still led 39-35 at the half, but the Bulldogs claimed the lead early in the second half en route to the win; the Pilots did remain within reach during the entire second half and were still within four points with about two minutes left to play.
Sophomore Ashley Gray registered career highs in both points (16) and rebounds (9), while freshman Ellie Woerner scored in double digits for the sixth straight game with 15 points.
Junior Kaylie Van Loo handed out a career-best seven assists.
ABOUT THE PILOTS Freshman wing Ellie Woerner is off to an impressive start to her collegiate career; she leads the team in scoring with a 12.3 points per game mark, which ranks 12th in the WCC, and she grabbed a career-best nine boards at Pepperdine (Dec. 23), matching a season-high for the Pilots.
Woerner has scored in double digits in six straight games and she's reached double figures during 13 of her 16 career games, which includes a career-high 19 points in her collegiate debut vs. Willamette (Nov. 14).
Woerner is one of six newcomers for the Pilots, to go along with just six returners.
Junior transfer guards Holly Blades and Rachelle Owens both came to The Bluff from the College of Southern Idaho, while forward Corissa Turley previously attended College of the Sequoias.
Blades is tops on the team with 27 three-pointers, while Turley leads the team in free throw percentage (.833).
Headlining Portland's six returners are junior guards Hannah Mattson and Kaylie Van Loo; both Mattson and Van Loo appeared in all 30 games last year, with each making eight starts.
Sophomore posts Ashley Gray and Sara Zaragoza also return after promising freshman campaigns; Gray is shooting 55.0 percent from the field and is tops on the team in rebounds with a 4.3 per game mark.
During the summer, Zaragoza helped Spain claim the gold medal the 2015 U20 FIFA European Championships.
Cheryl Sorenson is in her second season as head coach of the Pilots after assuming the role last year after long-time coach Jim Sollars' retirement; she spent her first three years on The Bluff as an assistant coach.
The Pilots lost three 1,000-point scorers to graduation; Cassandra Brown (1,396 points), Kari Luttinen (1,366 points) and Jasmine Wooton (1,130 points) all reached that historic milestone last year, becoming the first Pilot trio to do so in the same season.
Brown captivated the nation last year when she won the 2015 State Farm Three-Point Championship (men's and women's) on ESPN, which was part of Final Four Weekend in Indianapolis, Ind.
Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS San Diego (14-2) is tied with BYU (12-4) for second place in the WCC with a 4-1 league mark.
USD's Malina Hood (20.0 ppg) is tied for second in the conference in scoring, while her sister Maya Hood (14.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg) is second in rebounding.
Cindy Fisher is in her 11th season as head coach of the Toreros and she's led San Diego to an unprecedented four straight 20-win seasons.
BYU senior guard Lexi Eaton Rydalch (23.6 ppg) leads the WCC and ranks seventh in the nation in scoring; junior Kalani Purcell (10.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg) is tops in the league in rebounding.
Head coach Jeff Judkins is in his 13th year at the helm of the Cougars and BYU has posted four straight 20-win seasons.
