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Portland Pilots (9-10, 2-5 WCC) vs. #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-0, 7-0 WCC)
Date: Monday, Jan. 23, 2017
Tip-off: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
TV: ROOT Sports
Video: TheW.tv
Radio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

GAME INFORMATION
The Portland Pilots and No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs meet for the second time in three days in a sold out game that was re-scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. The contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 7, but was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be televised live on ROOT Sports Northwest with Tom Glasgow and Francis Williams on the call. All Pilot games will have radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with Jason Swygard providing the play-by-play. Coverage starts 30 minutes prior to tip-off and will have a complete post-game show.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Monday's game is sold out, but tickets for all other upcoming Pilot home games are available at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by calling the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525. A special Holiday 3-Game Pack is available for a limited time featuring tickets to upcoming games against San Diego (Jan. 28), Pacific (Feb. 16) and San Francisco (Feb. 18) and includes a hot dog, soda, popcorn and autographed Terry Porter photo starting at just $45.


LAST GAME
#4 Gonzaga 73, Pilots 52: The Bulldogs pulled away late for a 73-52 victory. Despite missing captain and leading scorer Alec Wintering, the Pilots trailed by seven early in the second half before the Bulldogs stretched the margin late. Portland out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 41-33 margin, including a season-high 21 offensive rebounds. Gabe Taylor scored a team-high 13 points, all in the second half, while Jazz Johnson finished with 12 points and Rashad Jackson scored 10 in his first start of the season. After a nervy opening gave the Bulldogs a 12-1 lead, Portland played the hosts even the rest of the half behind a balanced effort. The Pilots held Gonzaga without a field goal over the final 3:34 of the half. Ray Barreno had three put-backs for six points, while Johnson and D'Marques Tyson also added six points each as the Pilots trailed 34-23 at the break. Consecutive jumpers by Taylor to open the second half cut the deficit to 38-31, but the Zags responded with six straight points to push the margin back to double digits.
 
PILOT QUICK HITS
• Portland was dealt a major setback when a Saturday MRI confirmed that All-WCC senior PG Alec Wintering suffered a torn ACL in Thursday's game at San Francisco.
• Wintering was among the conference and national leaders in a variety of statistical categories and litters Portland's all-time charts. He concludes his career as the all-time leader in FT's made, second in assists and steals, and fifth in scoring.
• Freshman PG Andre Ferguson filled in at the point Saturday at Gonzaga and played a season-high 23 minutes. He played just 54 minutes all season entering the game.
• Head coach Terry Porter has used different starting lineups in each of the last five games due to various injuries and trying to find the right combination.
• Senior C Phillip Hartwich (concussion) missed one game, while senior F Jarrel Marshall has not played since mid-December after suffering a high ankle sprain.
• The Pilots are 2-2 in games decided in the final possession. Portland defeated UTRGV in triple OT on a layup by Jazz Johnson and beat South Dakota on a Gabe Taylor three-pointer. Portland lost to Portland State and then LMU on shots in the closing seconds.
• Jazz Johnson has reached double figures in all 19 games this season. Johnson ranks second in the WCC in three-point percentage (.468), third in free throw percentage (.831) and seventh in scoring (16.6).
• Wintering was just five assists shy of the school career record. He ranks top three in the WCC in scoring (19.5), assists (5.6), steals (2.0) and minutes per game (37.1).
• Wintering was named the WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 2 after averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in leading the Pilots to two WCC wins.
• Wintering and Johnson comprise the highest scoring teammates in the WCC (36.4), the No. 9 scoring backcourt in the nation and No. 15 scoring tandem overall.
• Portland's 53-45 win over Oregon State on Dec. 18 was the first against a Pac-12 opponent since the 2009-10 season (Oregon and UCLA) and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Beavers.
• Portland's four-player 2017 recruiting class has been ranked No. 17 nationally by The Hoop Scoop, tops among all mid-majors.
• First-year head coach Terry Porter took over the program in April and hired an experienced collegiate staff to support his transition in long-time Pac-12 assistants Bob Cantu (USC) and Ben Johnson (WSU).
• The Pilots return five of their top six scorers from last year's team that finished 12-20 overall and 6-12 in the WCC. The Pilots were picked eighth in the WCC Preseason Poll.
• Porter welcomes five newcomers to the roster in true freshmen Andre Ferguson, Alec Monson, Malcolm Porter and Joseph Smoyer, as well as sophomore transfer Franklin Porter (Saint Mary's). Malcolm and Franklin Porter are redshirting the 2016-17 season.
 
ABOUT GONZAGA
The No. 3 Bulldogs (19-0, 7-0 WCC) remained the lone unbeaten team in the nation with Saturday's 73-52 win against the Pilots. Notable non-conference wins for the Bulldogs came against Arizona, Florida, Iowa State, Washington, Tennessee and San Diego State. Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss leads five Bulldogs averaging double figures at 15.0 per game. Senior C Przemek Karnowski returned to the lineup after having back surgery last season and is averaging 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds. Other key transfers in rotation include Jordan Mathews (Cal) and Johnathan Williams (Missouri). Head coach Mark Few is looking to lead Gonzaga to its 19th straight NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were the favorite in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
WINTER SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING KNEE INJURY
Senior PG Alec Wintering suffered a season-ending knee injury in Thursday's game at San Francisco. A Saturday MRI confirmed a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) that will end Wintering's collegiate career. The Charlotte, N.C. native was a four-year starter for the Pilots, among the school's career leaders in a variety of statistical categories and has been a team captain each of the last three seasons. Wintering finishes his career with 568 total assists, five shy of the school record held by Pilot Hall of Famer and former NBA standout Darwin Cook. He also ranks second all-time in steals (177), fifth in points (1,548) and games started (110), sixth in three-point percentage (.401) and is the school's career leader in free throws made (499). He holds the school single season records for assists (187, 2014-15) and minutes played (1,064, 2014-15). His scoring average increased every year on The Bluff as he averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 assists overall for his career. Wintering was among the national leaders in scoring, assists, steals and minutes per game this season. He ranked in the top three of each of those categories in the West Coast Conference.

LINEUP ADJUSTMENTS
After using the same starting lineup for eight straight games heading into the Jan. 12 game against Saint Mary's, head coach Terry Porter has been forced to mix up the rotation due to various injuries. In addition to Wintering, Phillip Hartwich missed the Jan. 14 game versus LMU with a concussion. Freshman PG Andre Ferguson entered Saturday's game at Gonzaga having played just 54 minutes all season, but earned his first start and logged 23 solid minutes. Sophomore G Rashad Jackson also made his first start of the season and added 10 points. Senior F Jarrell Marshall made seven starts early in the season, but has not played since suffering a high ankle sprain mid-December.

OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
Portland entered its Jan. 5 game at Santa Clara ranked third in the WCC in scoring at 77.8 points per game. The Pilots then recorded back-to-back season lows in scoring with 42 points at Santa Clara and 33 against Saint Mary's. Portland shot 30.2 percent against the Broncos and 25 percent against the Gaels. The Pilots also made just three and two three-pointers in the games, respectively. Portland bounced back with a better effort in a 79-78 loss to LMU on Jan. 14, but was held to 50 points Thursday at San Francisco and 52 at Gonzaga on Saturday.

PORTLAND VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Portland is now 7-61 all-time against Associated Press Top 25 opponents following Saturday's loss at No. 4 Gonzaga. The Pilots have lost six straight games against ranked teams, and have never defeated a top 10 opponent. The Pilots last win against a ranked opponent came against then-No. 18 Gonzaga, 82-73, on Jan. 9, 2014. Portland's win over Minnesota at the 2009 Anaheim 76 Classic snapped an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

JOHNSON THRIVING IN STARTING ROLE
Jazz Johnson played primarily the backup point guard role last year, and will now take on a lion's share of those PG minutes with Wintering out. Johnson thrived in starting alongside Wintering and is second on the team and seventh in the WCC in scoring (16.6) and shooting 47 percent from the field, 47 percent from three-point range and 83 percent at the foul line. He is second in the WCC in three-point percentage and third in free throw percentage. Johnson was an elite prep scorer at Lake Oswego High School, setting the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational scoring record after averaging 35.5 points per game at the tournament his senior season.

DYNAMIC BACKCOURT DUO
Prior to Alec Wintering's injury, he and Jazz Johnson produced at an elite rate and were the highest scoring teammates in the WCC. The pair combined for 62 points in a win over CSUN, the most points by Pilot teammates in the same game in school history. They were the top two scorers at the elite Wooden Legacy tournament over Thanksgiving weekend as Wintering averaged 26.7 and Johnson averaged 22.7 points per game. The pair was also the No. 9 scoring backcourt and No. 15 overall scoring tandem nationally:
Top Scoring Backcourts in the Nation (As of 1/21)

1. Marcus Keene (G)/Braylon Rayson (G), Central Michigan	48.0
2. Matt Mobley (G)/Jalen Adams (G), St. Bonaventure	41.7
3. Randy Onwuasor (G)/James McGee (G), Southern Utah	38.1
4. Malik Monk (G)/De'Aaron Fox (G), Kentucky	38.1
5. Ike Smith (G)/Tookie Brown (G), Georgia Southern	37.1
6. Markelle Fultz (G)/David Crisp (G), Washington	37.0
6. Jaylon Brown (G)/Ryan Taylor (G), Evansville	37.0
8. Jon Elmore (G)/Stevie Browning (G), Marshall	36.7
9. Alec Wintering (G)/Jazz Johnson (G), Portland	36.4

TAYLOR BLOSSOMING IN EXTENDED ROLE
Gabe Taylor was named the WCC Player of the Week on Dec. 19 after leading the Pilots to wins over South Dakota and Oregon State. Taylor buried the game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left against South Dakota for an 85-82 Pilot win. It was his second straight game-winner as he also tipped in a rebound to give the Pilots a 90-89 double overtime win with two seconds left on Dec. 5 against UTRGV. Taylor recorded his first double-double against South Dakota (22 points, 11 rebounds) and has thrived under new coach Terry Porter. He has reached double figures in scoring 13 times in 19 games and is tied for ninth in the WCC in rebounding (6.0) and 19th in scoring (12.8).

RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 17 NATIONALLY
The HOOP SCOOP ranked Portland's 2017 recruiting class No. 17 nationally after the fall signing period, tops among all mid-majors nationally. First-year head coach Terry Porter and his staff secured four commitments in the fall with three incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer. According to the HOOP SCOOP's rating system, all four Portland commits are rated among the Top 300 signed players in the nation, while freshmen-to-be Tahirou Diabate (6-10, F, Niigate, Japan) and Taki Fahrensohn (6-5, G, Auckland, N.Z.) crack the Top 100 individually. JoJo Walker (6-1, PG, Santa Maria, CA) and JC transfer Austin Stone (6-9, F, USC Salkehatchie) also received high marks. Portland will also welcome current redshirts Franklin and Malcolm Porter to the rotation next season. The HOOP SCOOP referenced Portland's ability to identify quality international recruits as one of the main reasons that the Pilots have secured an elite recruiting class. Diabate (Japan by way of Mali), Fahrensohn (New Zealand) and JoJo Walker (California by way of Puerto Rico) all will bring international experience to The Bluff.

EXPERIENCED STAFF
Terry Porter indicated his desire to find an experienced coaching staff to help support his transition to the college game and he loaded up with a pair of big name assistants. Bob Cantu, a former USC interim head coach, associate head coach and long-time assistant coach with the Trojans and UTEP, has more than 20 years collegiate coaching experience at various levels. He has coached under four NBA Coaches, coached 14 NBA players and five NBA First Round Draft picks, while helping five teams reach the NCAA Tournament. Considered one of the top recruiters in the nation, Cantu helped land the No. 1 overall class in 2007 at USC. Ben Johnson also has extensive Pac-12 coaching experience and 24 years working the sidelines during his coaching career. Johnson was with Dick and Tony Bennett at Washington State during the program's most winning years. He has coached and recruited four NBA players, including NBA Lottery Pick Klay Thompson. Johnson also brought a pair of Australian National Team players to Wazzu in Brock Motum and Aron Baynes. He helped WSU to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and was also a standout player for Dick Bennett at UW-Green Bay. He helped the Phoenix to the 1991 NCAA Tournament and a pair of NIT appearances. Porter rounded out his coaching staff with a familiar face to Pilot fans in Kramer Knutson. A four-year starter for Portland from 2007-11, Knutson led the Pilots to a top-25 ranking and a program-best 60 wins over his final three seasons. Knutson served as Director of Basketball Operations for Portland last year after a four-year professional playing career in Europe.

TERRY PORTER ERA ARRIVES
Porter, a 17-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA All-Star, spent most of his pro career with the Trail Blazers where he helped lead Portland to a pair of NBA Finals and had his jersey retired. Porter also served as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, in addition to various assistant coaching positions throughout the league. He was named head coach of the Pilots on April 1, 2016.
 
WINTERING NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alec Wintering was named the WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 2 and was also named the CollegeSportsMadness.com National High-Major Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in leading the Portland Pilots to a pair of wins to open WCC play. Wintering erupted for 26 points, five rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers in an 80-76 road win at Pacific on Thursday and followed with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists in a 73-60 victory against Pepperdine on Saturday. Wintering twice earned the WCC Player of the Week award last season and is the second Pilot in the last three weeks to earn the WCC weekly honor. Gabe Taylor won the December 19 award after leading the Pilots to wins over South Dakota and Oregon State.

PORTER INKS FOUR DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland signed four prospects during the early signing period, three incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer:
- JoJo Walker (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph HS). The 6-1, 170-pound point guard was the CIF Southern Section Division 5A Most Valuable Player after leading St. Joseph High School to the 2016 CIF title. He earned All-Area MVP honors while averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
- Taki Fahrensohn (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Grammar School). A 6-5, 180-pound combo guard, Fahrensohn averaged 33.6 points over seven games at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball National Championships. He is a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, the country's national youth team.
- Tahirou Diabate (Niigate, Japan/Teikyo Nagaoka HS). At 6-10, 215 pounds he averaged 31 points and 18 rebounds per game last season and helped lead his team to the Okinawa Cup, Japan's High School National Championships. He and was named the Most Valuable Player of the event after leading the tournament in points and rebounds.
- Austin Stone (Lake Wylie, S.C./Clover HS/USC Salkehatchie). The 6-9, 225-pound post was a late bloomer to the game and has become a force down low at the Junior College level. Stone will enroll as a junior next fall.