PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0, 0-0 WCC)
WEEK 1: at Seattle / vs. No. 9 Oregon
 
at Seattle Redhawks (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Nov. 25, 2020
Place: Seattle, Wash.
Time: 2 p.m.
Gym: Redhawk Center
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. SU
Overall: 7-8 •  Last 5/10: 2-3/5-5
H: 5-2  •  A: 2-4  •  U: 0-2
Last: @POR 70, SU 63 (11/24/13)
 
vs. #9 Oregon Ducks (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Day: Monday
Date: Nov. 30, 2020
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 8 p.m.
Gym: Chiles Center
TV: NBC Sports Northwest
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Online: Video I Audio I Stats
 
POR vs. ORE
Overall: 5-28  •  Last 5/10: 1-4/2-8
H: 5-9  •  A: 0-19  •  N: 0-0
Last: @ORE 81, POR 41 (12/9/2016)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots open their 2020-21 campaign with a road trip north to play the Seattle U Redhawks on Wednesday afternoon before returning home to host the No. 9 Oregon Ducks on Monday night.
• Tip-off for the title game for the Pilots and Seattle U at the Redhawk Center is set for 2 p.m.
• Monday's night showdown with the Ducks is set to begin at 8 p.m. at the Chiles Center, and the game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Northwest, with the legendary Ann Schatz handling play-by-play duties and Jennifer Mountain providing commentary.
• Monday's game can also be heard on the radio dial at 910 ESPN-Portland.
• Online video streams and live stats for both contests will also be available, and those links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots feature a limited non-conference schedule, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their next game will be at home on Sunday, Dec. 6 against Seattle U.
• Tip-off is set for 12 p.m.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots, who are led by second-year head coach Michael Meek, are coming off a historical season as Portland made a magical run at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., to win the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship and earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
• It was a the first WCC Tourney title for the Pilots since 1994, and Portland would have made their first appearance at March Madness since 1997, had the tourney not been cancelled due to COVID.
• More historical accomplishments from 2019-20 are listed later in these game notes.
• The Pilots were picked to finish third in the WCC this season in the preseason coaches poll, and they received a first-place vote; only Gonzaga and BYU finished ahead of the Pilots.
• Junior guard Haylee Andrews and sophomore forward Alex Fowler were both voted to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• Andrews and Fowler are two of four returning starters for the Pilots, who lost only graduated senior Kate Andersen from the starting five.
• Portland returns nine letterwinners overall from 2019-20, while adding six newcomers.
• Last year the Pilots lead the league in scoring (69.5), field goal percentage (.449), assists (16.2), and three-point percentage defense (.267), and they're second in margin of victory (+6.5), free throw percentage (.734), and steals (10.0).
• Nationally in 2019-20, Portland ranked 11th in three-pointer defense, 22nd in field goal percentage and steals, and 24th in assists per game.
• Alex Fowler is coming off perhaps one of the best seasons in program history; the forward led the conference in scoring with an 18.0 points per game mark, she was named the WCC's Newcomer of the Year, was voted to the All-WCC First Team, was tabbed the WCC Tournament MVP, and she joined Andrews on the all-tournament team.
• Fowler also collected seven double-doubles and averaged 8.0 boards per contest.
• Nationally, she ranked fourth in field goals made (242) and was 21st in total points (577).
• Her .546 field goal percentage ranks No. 1 on Portland's all-time single season charts since the Pilots began playing at the NCAA DI level in 1986; all-time, Fowler is second in program history in career points per game (18.0) and field goal percentage.
• As a sophomore, Haylee Andrews averaged 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, which ranked 17th nationally and was tops in the WCC.
• She nabbed 2019-20 All-WCC Second Team honors, and she was selected to the WCC All-Tournament team after hitting a handful of clutch shots during Portland's run to the title in Las Vegas.
• Andrews is No. 9 all-time at UP with a career field goal percentage of .479, and she's 10th in career points per game (13.8).
• The Pilots claimed a league-high five player of the week awards last season, with Fowler earning the distinction three times and Andrews nabbing it twice.
• Senior sharpshooter Maddie Muhlheim ranks fourth all-time at UP with 177 career three-pointers; she's only four three's shy of passing Cassandra Brown for third all-time, and the school career record of 223, held by Deana Lansing, is within reach.
• As a sophomore in 2018-19, Muhlheim she set a program single-game record when she hit nine three's against USD.
 
A HISTORICAL SEASON
• 2019-20 was a season of milestones for the Pilots as then first-year head coach Michael Meek led the team to a 21-11 overall record for the program's first 20-win season since 1996-97.
• Portland went 11-7 in the WCC to finish fourth, and this came after the Pilots were selected 10th in the preseason coaches poll.
• You have to go back to 1996-97 to find a season with more conference wins for the program; that year the Pilots went a perfect 14-0 in league play when the WCC featured just eight teams.
• The fourth-place finish was the highest in conference since 2010-11 (4th).
• The Portland faithful flooded to the Chiles Center last year to support the Pilots, and 2019-20 featured two of the biggest crowds in program history.
• The 1,772 that came to the game vs. San Francisco on Feb. 15 was the fifth biggest crowd ever, and the contest with Gonzaga on Feb. 29 featured the sixth largest crowd at 1,709.
• The Pilots began the season 4-0 for only the third time ever in program history, and it was the first time since 2010-11.
• The Pilots swept the regular season series vs. Saint Mary's for the first time since 2008-09.
• On Jan. 4, the Pilots won 57-48 at BYU, ending a 20-game losing streak to the Cougars; it was the first win for Portland over BYU since the 1998-99 season.
• The wins at USF and SCU (Jan 16-18) marked the first WCC weekend road sweep for the Pilots since 2009-10 (also at USF & SCU).
• The Pilots saved perhaps their best performance for Las Vegas when they stormed through the WCC Tournament to claim the title for the first time since 1994.
• The tourney featured wins over three teams that swept the Pilots during the regular season: Pacific (Quarterfinals), No. 11 Gonzaga (Semifinals), San Diego (Finals).
• The win over the No. 11 Zags was the Pilots first win in the series since defeating Gonzaga in 2009 in Spokane, a stretch of 23 straight Bulldog wins.
• It was also the first win over a ranked opponent since topping the No. 24 San Diego Toreros at the Chiles Center in 2014.
• By winning the WCC, the Pilots claimed their first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1997.
 
THE COACHES
• The Pilots are under the guidance of second-year head coach Michael Meek.
• Meek ranks fourth in career winning percentage (251-46, .845) among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women's college basketball.
• At 21-11 at UP, Meek is easily off to the best start ever for a Portland coach at the DI level.
• Second-year assistant coach Sharon Rissmiller ('01) is a Portland alum who starred on the court for the Pilots from 1997 to 2001; she still ranks 10th all-time with a .770 career free throw percentage, and she compiled 1,069 career points.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Seattle U Redhawks were voted to finish fifth in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, while juniors Courtney Murphy and McKenzi Williams were selected preseason all-conference.
• Last year Seattle U was 13-16, and Murphy is the top returning scorer (11.0 ppg).
• Head Coach Suzy Barcomb is in her fifth season at Seattle U.
• The No. 9 Oregon Ducks host Seattle on Saturday before traveling to Portland.
• The Ducks went 31-2 last year and are riding a 19-game winning streak.
• Five players earned preseason all-conference recognition, and Oregon was selected to finish third in the Pac-12.
• Former Portland assistant coach Kelly Graves is in his seventh year at the helm of the Ducks.