PORTLAND PILOTS (4-0)
WEEK 3: at CSUN / Air Force
 
CSUN Matadors (0-4)
Day: Thursday
Date: Nov. 21, 2019
Place: Northridge, Calif.
Time: 12:00 PM
Gym: The Matadome
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. CSUN
Overall: 5-5  •  Last 5/10: 2-3/5-5
H: 4-1  •  A: 0-4  •  N: 1-0
Last: CSUN 68, @POR 62 (12/18/15)
 
Air Force Falcons (1-4)
Day: Saturday
Date: Nov. 23, 2019
Place: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Time: 1:00 PM (Pacific)
Gym: Clune Arena
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. AF
Overall: 3-2  •  Last 5/10: 3-2/3-2
H: 2-1  •  A: 1-1  •  N: 0-0
Last: @POR 79, AF 60 (12/18/18)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots head back on the road this week for games against the CSUN Matadors and Air Force Falcons.
• First the Pilots will be in Northridge, Calif., on Thursday for a 12 p.m. tip-off with the Matadors at the Matadome.
• Saturday brings a 1 p.m. (Pacific) game against the Falcons at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Links for live streams and live stats for both games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots continued their perfect start to the season with home wins over Warner Pacific (78-36) on Wednesday and Fresno State (75-64) on Sunday.
• Portland scored the game's first 17 points against the Knights and led 54-16 at the break en route to the win.
• Kate Andersen scored 14 points in just 12 minutes for the Pilots, who utilized their bench during the win.
• The Bulldogs led early against the Pilots, who claimed the lead at half and held on for the win.
• Alex Fowler registered a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, Haylee Andrews had 10 points and eight assists, and Liana Kaitu'u scored a career-high 16 points.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are off to only their third 4-0 start to season ever, and it's the first time since 2010-11; the program also began 4-0 in 2001-02 and 1978-79, and the '01-02 squad holds the record for best start at 6-0.
• It's still early, but the Pilots are third in the nation in three-point field goal defense (.175), they're No. 14 in the country in field goal percentage (.498), and they rank 16th in both three-point percentage (.400) and assists per game (20.0).
• Portland also leads the WCC in all four categories.
• Haylee Andrews, who averaged 23 points and 8.5 rebounds during Portland's two season-opening wins, was the inaugural WCC Player of the Week (Nov. 11).
• Andrews posted a double-double against Utah State with 18 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, and she poured in 28 points against the Weber State; she also shot 67% from the field.
• Freshman Alex Fowler has posted a pair of double-doubles during her first four collegiate games, including an 18-point and 14-rebound performance against Fresno State.
• Individually, Fowler is fourth in the WCC in points (15.5 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg), and field goal percentage (.604).
• Andrews is third in the league in field goal percentage (.611) and is fifth in points (15.0 ppg), Maddie Muhlheim ranks second in three-pointers (8) and is fifth in free throw percentage (.889), and Kate Andersen is second in field goal percentage (.645).
• Maddie Muhlheim set a program record last year when she buried nine three-pointers against San Diego; she currently ranks ninth all-time at UP with 125 career three's.
• The Pilots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michael Meek, who came to The Bluff after a successful nine-year stint at George Fox University; Meek is the sixth head coach in UP women's basketball program history.
• At 4-0, Michael Meek is easily off to the best start ever for a first-year head coach at Portland.
• With George Fox, Meek led the Bruins to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, which included NCAA Division III championship game appearances in 2012 and 2015.
• The Bruins also won six Northwest Conference (NWC) championships under Meek's guidance, and his teams were ranked at the end of the year seven times.
• With a career collegiate coaching record of 234-35 (.870), Meek ranks fourth in career winning percentage among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women's college basketball.
• The Pilots returned 10 letterwinners and three starters this season, while adding five newcomers.
• Sophomore guard Haylee Andrews landed on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team last year, and she's Portland's top returning scorer (11.8 ppg).
• Freshman Alex Fowler led her team in both scoring and rebounding as Australia finished second overall at the 2019 FIBA U-19 Women's World Cup last summer in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Fowler averaged 9.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, she was fourth overall in rebounding at the tournament, and she landed on the World Cup's All-Star Team.
• Joining Meek on his staff are first-year assistant coaches Tom Batsell and Sharon Rissmiller, while assistant coach Skyler Young returns for his second season on the Portland staff.
• Batsell was with Meek all nine years with the Bruins, and Rissmiller ('01) is a UP alum who comes to The Bluff from Oregon State, where she was the director of operations since 2015.
• Rissmiller starred on the court for the Pilots from 1997 to 2001, and she still ranks ninth all-time with a .770 career free throw percentage. She compiled 1,069 career points.
• Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The CSUN Matadors have lost four straight games to begin the season, most recently falling to San Francisco 79-61 on the road.
• The team is averaging 54.2 points per contest, while allowing 71.0.
• Jordyn Jackson and De'Jionae Calloway are both averaging a team-high 11.0 points.
• Two-time Big West Coach of the Year Jason Flowers is in his 10th year as head coach; he's led the Matadors to three NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2018.
• The Air Force Falcons have lost four of five to open the year, including a 72-62 setback at Northern Colorado on Tuesday.
• Air Force is putting up 62.2 points a game, and they're allowing 69.0.
• Riley Snyder is the Falcons' leading scorer at 14.0 points per contest, and Emily Conroe has per game marks of 11.0 points and 9.8 rebounds.
• Chris Gobrecht is in her fifth year at the helm of the Air Force program.