PORTLAND PILOTS (0-2, 0-0 WCC)
at No. 24 Oregon State (2-0, 0-0 PAC-12)
Day: Friday
Date: Nov. 18, 2016
Place: Corvallis, Ore.
Time: 6:00 PM
Gym: Gill Coliseum
Video: Pac-12.com
Stats: OSUBeavers.com
 
POR vs. OSU
Overall: 4-19  •  Last 5/10: 2-3/3-7
H: 3-7  •  A: 1-12  •  N: 0-0
Last: OSU 94, @POR 50 (11/16/2015)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots travel to Corvallis, Ore., this week for a non-conference game against the No. 24 Oregon State Beavers on Friday night.
• Tip-off for the two in-state rivals is set for 6 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots opened the 2016-17 season on the road, succumbing to the UC Davis Aggies 66-52 on Friday night and to the Nevada Wolf Pack 72-59 on Sunday.
• Portland's Darian Slaga came off the bench to average a team-best 13.5 points per game during the two road contests, and she just missed a career high with 17 points at Nevada.
• Kaylie Van Loo also had a solid road trip, handing out six assists per game, and she registered 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists against the Wolf Pack.
• Julie Spencer matched a career high with 10 points at UC Davis, while also pulling down seven boards.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Portland returns a veteran squad in 2016-17 as the Pilots feature a group of 10 returning letterwinners after losing just one player to graduation last season.
• Headlining the returners is a deep supply of guards, led by senior point guard Kaylie Van Loo; last season Van Loo averaged 7.9 points per game and 2.7 rebounds, and she ranked fifth in the WCC in assists, handing out 3.7 dimes per contest en route to All-WCC Honorable Mention.
• Currently Van Loo ranks 30th in the nation and second in the WCC in assists (6.0 apg).
• Van Loo also throws the javelin for the UP track & field team, and she was the first thrower in Portland women's track & field program history to compete at NCAA Nationals last spring; she earned All-American Honorable Mention with an 18th-place finish at the 2016 NCAA's.
• Van Loo just missed qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials by one spot.
• Sophomore guard Darian Slaga ended last year on fire, averaging 12.1 points per game covering the final seven games of the season; she also shot 90.9 percent from the free throw line during that span, shot 44.9 percent from the floor and connected on 43.3 percent of her attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
• Slaga came up two points shy of a career high with 17 points at Nevada (Nov. 13).
• Senior Holy Blades buried a team-high 50 three's last year, which is the 10th most three-pointers during a season in program history.
• Portland's three newcomers feature a pair of freshmen, guard Kate Andersen and forward Keala Quinlan, and sophomore transfer Jojuan Carrington, a forward who comes to UP from Diablo Valley JC.
• Andersen comes to The Bluff from nearby Jesuit High School, while Quinlan calls Papakolea, Hawaii, home.
• 2016-17 marks the third year for head coach Cheryl Sorenson, who was previously an assistant for the Pilots; she assumed the reins of the program after long-time head coach Jim Sollars retired following the 2013-14 season.
• Sorenson, who starred collegiately at the University of Washington, was a high school All-American at nearby Clackamas High School.
• Back on the Portland bench are third-year assistant coaches Steve Lowe and Brianna Chambers; assistant coach Drew Muscatell returns for his second year on the Portland bench.
• Two of Portland's scheduled opponents this season are currently ranked in the national polls, while three other opponents are receiving votes.
• Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Beavers opened the season with two home wins, defeating Lamar 88-56 and Idaho State 61-38.
• Oregon State reached the Final Four last season, and the Beavers returned seven letterwinners and two starters this year.
• OSU also added the 12th ranked recruiting class.
• Sophomore Katie McWilliams is one of three Beavers scoring in double figures, averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game.
• Junior Breanna Brown is the team's top rebounder (7.0 rpg).
• Scott Rueck is in his seventh year at the helm of the Beavers, and he was one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year last season