PORTLAND PILOTS (19-11, 11-7 WCC)
WEEK 19: The WCC Tourney / Semifinals
 
vs. #11 Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-2, 17-1 WCC)
Day: Monday
Date: March 9, 2020
Place: Las Vegas, Nev.
Time: 12 p.m.
Gym: The Orleans Arena
TV: BYUtv / Root Sports NW
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Online: Video | Audio | Stats
 
POR vs. GU
Overall: 27-54  •  Last 5/10: 0-5/0-10
H: 14-24  •  A: 10-28  •  N: 3-2
Last: GON 56, POR 42 (2/29/20)
 
THIS WEEK
• The fourth-seeded Pilots will battle the top seed and 11th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference Tournament Semifinals on Monday afternoon at the Orleans Arena.
• Tip-off for the two northwest rivals is set for 12 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on both Root Sports Northwest and BYUtv.
• An online stream and live audio will also be available, and those links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
• The Pilots are making their first appearance in the WCC Semifinals since 2011.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots built a double-digit lead in the second half before holding off the Pacific Tigers to claim a 76-69 victory in the WCC Quarterfinals on Saturday.
• Alex Fowler led all scorers with 27 points, and Haylee Andrews had 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
• The Pilots shot 27-for-30 at the free throw line.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE
• Standout freshman forward Alex Fowler was named the West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year, and she landed on the all-league first team.
• Fowler is Portland's first All-WCC First Team selection since 2011-12.
• Sophomore guard Haylee Andrews was voted to the All-WCC Second Team, and senior guard Kate Andersen received honorable mention recognition.
• Fowler was also voted to the league's all-freshman team, as was forward Keeley Frawley.
• This is only the second time ever that he Pilots have placed two players on the WCC's All-Freshman Team, with the other time happening in 1993-94.
• The four players honored is also the most for Portland since 2010-11.
 
A HISTORICAL SEASON
• It's been a season of milestones for the Pilots, who are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michael Meek.
• At 19-11, the Pilots have their most wins since 1997-98.
• Portland went 11-7 in the WCC, and 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 is the highest in conference since 2010-11 (4th).
• The Portland faithful have flooded to the Chiles Center this year to support the Pilots, and this season has 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.
• Portland's five-game winning streak earlier this winter was their longest since 2009-10.
• 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).
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots lead the league in scoring (69.7), field goal percentage (.448), assists (16.6), and three-point percentage defense (.264), and they're second in margin of victory (+6.8) and steals (10.3).
• Portland is 10th nationally in three-pointer defense, 20th in assists, 23rd in field goal percentage, and 30th in steals,
• Fowler leads the WCC in scoring (17.8 ppg), she's second in field goal percentage (.544), and she's fourth in rebounds (7.9).
• Her .544 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.
• Fowler ranks seventh nationally in field goals made (224).
• Haylee Andrews leads the conference in assists (5.7), and she's fourth in scoring (15.9); she ranks 15th nationally in assists.
• During wins over Saint Mary's (1/11) and Santa Clara (1/18), Andrews dished a career-best 12 assists.
• The 12 assists are the most by a Portland player since 2011, and the program record for assists in a game is 13.
• Alex Fowler was named the WCC Player of the Week for the third time this season on Feb. 24 after averaging 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds during wins at Pepperdine and LMU; Fowler scored 27 points and collected a career-best 17 boards at LMU.
• The Pilots claimed a league-high five player of the week awards this season as point guard Haylee Andrews has also nabbed the weekly honor twice.
• Andrews received the honor the week before Fowler after averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds during home wins over Santa Clara and San Francisco.
• Previously, Andrews was named the WCC's inaugural player of the week after she averaged 23 points and 8.5 rebounds during wins at Utah State and Weber State.
• Fowler nabbed the WCC's weekly award on Nov. 25 when she averaged 23.5 points and 7.0 rebounds during Portland's games at CSUN and Air Force.
• She was named the WCC's Player of the Week for the second after averaging 26 points and eight rebounds, and shooting 65 percent from the field during a road sweep at San Francisco and Santa Clara.
• Fowler exploded for 35 points at Santa Clara (1/18), which are the most scored by a Pilot since 2013; Fowler also became the first Pilot to score at least 30 points since 2015.
• It's the most points scored by a player in the WCC this year.
• Kate Andersen became the second Pilot this season to score at least 30 points when she poured in a career-high 32 at Pacific (2/8).
• Andersen shot 11 of 14 from the field, she was nine of 11 on free throws, and she easily surpassed her previous career-best of 24 points, which came in 2018 at Pepperdine.
• Andersen, out of Portland's Jesuit High School, is the lone senior on the roster.
• She's averaging a career-high 14.0 points, she ranks 22nd nationally in steals (2.7), and she's scored 968 career points.
• Maddie Muhlheim ranks fourth all-time at UP with 175 career three-pointers; last year she set a program single-game record when she hit nine three's against USD.
 
THE COACHES
• The Pilots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michael Meek.
• In nine years at George Fox, Meek led the Bruins to eight NCAA DIII Tournaments, which included national title game appearances in 2012 and 2015.
• Meek ranks fourth in career winning percentage (249-46, .844) among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women's college basketball.
• First-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 ninth all-time with a .770 career free throw percentage, and she compiled 1,069 career points.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The No. 11 Bulldogs won the WCC regular season title and received a bye all the way to the WCC Semifinals.
• Gonzaga is holding opponents to just 51.3 points per game, which ranks second nationally; they're scoring 68.1 per contest.
• The Bulldogs are third in the country in three-point percentage (.394) and are 13th in field goal percentage defense (.348)
• WCC Player of the Year Jill Townsend leads three Bulldogs scoring in double digits with a 12.2 per game mark, and Jenn Wirth is the team's top rebounder.
• Lisa Fortier is in her sixth season as head coach of the Bulldogs, and she's led GU to four NCAA tournaments.
• In their two meetings this season, the Pilots led the Bulldogs at the half of both games, but Gonzaga rallied for the win on Dec. 29 in Spokane and on Feb. 29 in Portland.
• During the game in Spokane, the Pilots built a 20-point lead in the first half, but Gonzaga came back to win by five.
• The winner of Monday's semifinal will advance to Tuesdays title game and will play the winner between San Diego and Pepperdine.