PORTLAND PILOTS (0-3, 0-0 WCC)
WEEK 3: at Great Alaska Shootout
 
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (4-0, 0-0 GNAC)
Day: Tuesday
Date: Nov. 22, 2016
Place: Anchorage, Alaska
Time: 8:30 PM (Pacific)
Gym: Alaska Airlines Center
Video: GoSeawolves.com
Stats: GoSeawolves.com
 
POR vs. UAA
Overall: 2-0  •  Last 5/10: 2-0/2-0
H: 0-0  •  A: 2-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: POR 65, @UAA 61 (1979)
 
USC Trojans (2-1, 0-0 PAC-12)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Nov. 23, 2016
Place: Anchorage, Alaska
Time: TBA
Gym: Alaska Airlines Center
Video: GoSeawolves.com
Stats: GoSeawolves.com
 
POR vs. USC
Overall: 0-2  •  Last 5/10: 0-2/0-2
H: 0-1  •  A: 0-1  •  N: 0-0
Last: USC 59, @POR 47 (11/23/1999)
 
Missouri State Bears (1-2, 0-0 The Valley)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Nov. 23, 2016
Place: Anchorage, Alaska
Time: TBA
Gym: Alaska Airlines Center
Video: GoSeawolves.com
Stats: GoSeawolves.com
 
POR vs. MSU
Overall: 0-0  •  Last 5/10: 0-0/0-0
H: 0-0  •  A: 0-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: N/A
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots head north to Anchorage, Alaska, to take part in the Great Alaska Shootout at the Alaska Airlines Center.
• Portland will first face tournament host Anchorage Alaska on Tuesday, with tip-off for the Pilots and Seawolves set for 8:30 p.m. (Pacific).
• The Pilots will then play either USC or Missouri State on Wednesday, depending on the outcomes of Tuesday's games.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots gave the No. 24 Oregon State Beavers all they could handle at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis on Friday night, but the hosts would hold on for a 62-47 win.
• Ashley Gray led the way for the Pilots with nine points and six rebounds, while Julie Spencer added eight points and a team-high seven boards.
 
NEXT WEEK
• The Pilots return home from Alaska for their first regular season game at the Chiles Center when they host No. 15 Washington on Sunday at 2 p.m.
• Portland then welcomes crosstown rival Portland State to The Bluff for a game on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are currently No. 25 in the country in fewest turnovers per game (12.3) and are 29th in total turnovers (37).
• Portland returned 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.
• 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), and she currently leads the team in scoring (11.3 ppg).
• 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.
• Three of Portland's scheduled opponents this season are currently ranked in the national polls, while one opponent is receiving votes.
• Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Seawolves are currently ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division II, and they've defeated their opponents so far by an average of 89.5 to 38.5.
• Senior forward Autummn Williams leads four Seawolves averaging double figures in points with a 16.5 per game mark.
• Reigning All-West Region Coach of the Year Ryan McCarthy is in his fifth year as head coach, and he lead UAA to the national title game last season.
• The Trojans, who open the Great Alaska Shootout on Tuesday against Missouri State, suffered their first loss of the season Saturday at UNLV.
• Freshman guard Minyon Moore is USC's leading scorer (12.3 ppg), while junior Kristen Simon is averaging 10.0 points and a team-best 8.3 boards per game.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is in her fourth year as head coach of at USC, her alma mater.
• Missouri State's lone win this season came at Kansas.
• Junior guard Liza Fruendt leads the Bears in scoring by averaging 14.7 points per contest.
• Head Coach Kellie Harper, who was previously at the helm of NC State, is in her fourth year with the Bears.