PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0)
WEEK 1: at Utah State / Weber State
 
Utah State Aggies (0-0)
Day: Thursday
Date: Nov. 7, 2019
Place: Logan, Utah
Time: 10:00 AM (PST)
Gym: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. USU
Overall: 3-2  •  Last 5/10: 3-2/3-2
H: 2-1  •  A: 1-1  •  N: 0-0
Last: @POR 61, USU 54 (11/28/18)
 
Weber State Wildcats (0-1)
Day: Saturday
Date: Nov. 9, 2019
Place: Ogden, Utah
Time: 6:00 PM (PST)
Gym: Dee Events Center
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. WSU
Overall: 3-9  •  Last 5/10: 1-4/2-8
H: 2-4  •  A: 1-5  •  N: 0-0
Last: POR 89, @WSU 73 (11/12/18)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots open the 2019-20 season and the coach Michael Meek era with a road trip to Utah, where they'll play the Utah State Aggies on Thursday morning and the Weber State Wildcats on Saturday.
• Tip-off for Thursday's season opener against the Aggies is scheduled for 10 a.m. (Pacific) at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.
• Saturday's game with the Wildcats at the Dee Events Center in Ogden will begin at 6 p.m. (Pacific).
• Links for live streams and live stats for both games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots dominated their exhibition game, cruising to a 92-30 win over the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at the Chiles Center last Saturday.
• Haylee Andrews and Alex Fowler both scored 14 points for the Pilots, while Jayce Gorzeman had 11 points off the bench.
• The Pilots shot a blistering 71.4 percent from the field, while holding the Pioneers to 21.3 percent shooting.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michael Meek, following a successful nine-year stint at George Fox University; Meek is the sixth head coach in UP women's basketball program history.
• 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 230-35 (.868), Meek ranks fourth in career winning percentage among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women's college basketball.
• Portland has won three of their last four season openers, including a 65-60 win at Utah Valley last season.
• The Pilots return 10 letterwinners and three starters this season, while adding five newcomers.
• Sophomore guard Haylee Andrews is Portland's top returning scorer after averaging 11.8 points per game in her first year on The Bluff.
• Andrews also landed on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team, and she led the Pilots in assists (4.0 apg).
• Also back are sharp-shooter Maddie Muhlheim and guard Kate Andersen, the lone senior on the roster.
• Muhlheim, a junior who nearly averaged double digits in points (9.9 ppg) as a sophomore, set a program record last year when she buried nine three-pointers against San Diego.
• Andersen enters the season with 90 career appearances, and she had per-game marks of 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds as a junior.
• Headlining the newcomers is Alex Fowler, a forward who 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.
• Fowler helped the Australians finish second in the group stage, which included a 19-point and 17-rebound performance during a win over Hungary; Australia when advanced to the finals by defeating Colombia, Mali, and Spain in the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals, respectively.
• The title game brought a rematch with the United States, and the Americans needed overtime to escape with a 74-70 win; it was easily the closest game the U.S. experienced at the World Cup.
• 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.
• Returning to her role as the Pilots' director of operations is Tiffany Gibson, who enters her fifth year on the Portland staff.
• Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Utah State Aggies went 17-16 overall last season, finished sixth in the Mountain West Conference, and advanced to the second round of the WBI.
• The Aggies return five letterwinners this season, led by senior guard/forward Hailey Bassett, who averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 2018-19.
• Utah State adds six newcomers and a pair of redshirts.
• Jerry Finkbeiner is in his eighth year as head coach of the Aggies.
• The Pilots lead the all-time series with Utah State 3-2, and Portland defeated the Aggies 61-54 last year at the Chiles Center.
• The Weber State Wildcats dropped their season opener at No. 11 UCLA, 85-45.
• Ula Chamberlin scored a team-high 15 points against the Bruins.
• The Wildcats went 6-25 last season, they return eight letterwinners this year, and add six newcomers.
• Junior Kayla Watkins is Weber State's top returning scorer after averaging 12 points in 2018-19.
• Second-year head coach Velaida Harris is in her second year with the Wildcats.
• Last season the Pilots topped Weber State 89-73 in Ogden, but Weber State leads the all-time series 9-3.