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Portland Pilots (9-11, 2-6 WCC) at Pepperdine Waves (5-15, 1-7 WCC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Arena: Firestone Fieldhouse
TV: ROOT Sports NW, Spectrum SportsNet, CSN+
Video: TheW.tv
Radio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

GAME INFORMATION
The Portland Pilots look to snap a six-game losing streak and complete a season sweep of Pepperdine when they visit the Waves on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on Spectrum SportsNet, ROOT Sports NW and CSN+ as well as online at TheW.tv with Steve Quis and Brad Holland 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.
 
LAST GAME
#3 Gonzaga 83, Pilots 64: The 19-point loss by the Pilots was the narrowest margin of victory for the Zags against any WCC opponent this season. Gonzaga beat the Pilots by 21 points two days earlier in Spokane. The Pilots were without team leader Alec Wintering for both games after suffering a torn ACL in Thursday's game at San Francisco. Rashad Jackson scored a career-high 15 points and D'Marques Tyson added 15 points off the bench to lead the Pilots, while Jazz Johnson chipped in 10. Portland once again showed moxie and fight despite being shorthanded. After falling behind 9-0 to open the game, the Pilots battled back and consecutive three-pointers by Jackson made it 22-19 with 7:38 left in the first half, but the Zags closed the period with a 38-23 lead. An 18-0 run late through the first half and into the early part of the second half gave the Zags control. The margin would grow to as much as 33 points midway through the period before the Pilots finished strong at the end.
 
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 last 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 in the losses to Gonzaga on Saturday and Monday. He played 52 minutes combined in the two games after playing just 54 minutes all season previously.
• Sophomore G Rashad Jackson also started the last two games and recorded a career-high 15 points on Monday.
• 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 had comprised the highest scoring teammates in the WCC (36.4), the No. 9 scoring backcourt in the nation and No. 15 scoring tandem overall at the time of Wintering's injury.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 PEPPERDINE
The Waves (5-15, 1-7 WCC) have lost 14-of-their-last-15 games with the lone win coming against rival LMU by one point. Pepperdine had one common non-conference opponent as the Pilots, dropping a 91-85 home game to Portland State. Senior Lamond Murray, Jr. leads three Waves averaging double figures at 20.7 points per game. Utah graduate transfer Chris Reyes (14.7) and senior point guard Jeremy Major (11.2) also have been productive. The Waves were picked to finish fourth in the WCC Preseason Poll, but have been without sophomore Kameron Edwards all season and lost senior guard Amadi Udenyi to a season-ending injury six games into the year. Head coach Marty Wilson is in his sixth season at the helm of his alma mater.
 
COACHES VS. CANCER WEEK
The week of Jan. 23-29 is the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness week. Portland's coaching staff will be sporting Suits and Sneakers on Thursday at Pepperdine and at Saturday's home game versus San Diego as part of the initiative. The Pilots are also one of more than 200 schools nationwide participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Cahllenge. Visit www.3pointchallenge.org for more information.

JACKSON STEPS UP
Sophomore G Rashad Jackson has started the last two games and recorded double figures in each contest. He scored 10 points in Saturday's loss at Gonzaga and then had a career high 15 points on Monday versus the Zags. Jackson logged career highs of 31 and 32 minutes in the games, respectively.

FERGUSON FILLING BIG SHOES
Freshman PG Andre Ferguson played a total of 54 minutes this season entering Saturday's game at Gonzaga. He has now started the last two games and recorded 52 total minutes in those contests following the season-ending injury to Alec Wintering. Despite playing on a big stage against No. 3 Gonzaga in both outings, Ferguson was effective. He  ran the offense well and committed just two total turnovers in both games combined.

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. Porter used five straight different starting lineups before settling on the same unit of Andre Ferguson, Rashad Jackson, Jazz Johnson, Gabe Taylor and Philipp Hartwich for each of the last two games. Johnson and Taylor are the only players to start all 20 games this year.

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.

JOHNSON THRIVING IN STARTING ROLE
Sophomore G Jazz Johnson played primarily the backup point guard role last year, and will now take on a greater share of point guard minutes with Wintering out. Johnson thrived in starting alongside Wintering and is second on the team and eighth in the WCC in scoring (16.3) and shooting 47 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and 81 percent at the foul line. He is third in the WCC in both three-point percentage and 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 at the time of Wintering's injury:

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 20 games and is 10th in the WCC in rebounding (6.0) and 19th in scoring (12.3).

PORTLAND VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Portland is now 7-62 all-time against Associated Press Top 25 opponents following consecutive losses to Gonzaga in late January. The Pilots have lost seven 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.

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.

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.
 
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.

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.