PORTLAND PILOTS (2-3, 0-0 WCC)
WEEK 3: vs. Houston & Northeastern

vs. Houston Cougars (1-3, 0-0 AAC)
Day: Thursday
Date: Nov. 24, 2022
Place: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Gym: McArthur Center
Online Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. UH
Overall: 0-0 •  Last 5/10: N/A
H: 0-0 •  A: 0-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: N/A

vs. Northeastern Huskies (2-3, 0-0 CAA)
Day: Saturday
Date: Nov. 26, 2022
Place: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Time: 11 a.m.
Gym: McArthur Center
Online Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. NU
Overall: 0-0 •  Last 5/10: N/A
H: 0-0 •  A: 0-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: N/A

THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots are partaking in the St. Pete Showcase this Thanksgiving Weekend, taking on the Houston Cougars and the Northeastern Huskies.
• They'll play the Cougars on Thanksgiving day at 2:30 p.m. and the Huskies on Nov. 26 at 11 a.m.
• An online video stream and live stats for will be available. Those links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are 2-3 on the season after taking losses on the road against the San Diego State Aztecs and the UC San Diego Tritons.
• Portland lost on a last-second shot against San Diego State 55-53 and by 85-76 to UC San Diego.
• Fowler was the leading scorer in both contests for Portland, scoring 14 and 16 points respectively.
• In the UCSD game, Fowler hit 12 free throws, marking the second game this season for her with other 10 free throws made. She's the first Pilot to do that since Laiken Dollente in 2007.
• She is also the only player in NCAA Division I this season to have multiple games with at least 11 free throws made.
• Despite the losses, several Pilots also hit new benchmarks throughout the weekend.
• Kelsey Lenzie and MJ Bruno each set career-highs in points against the Tritons with 11 each. It's the first time either Pilot has scored 10 or more points in a game.
• Emme Shearer also scored a season-high 13 points against SDSU and had a career-high eight rebounds against UCSD.
• McKelle Meek eclipsed double digit scoring for the first time since her freshman year against UCSD and had seven assists against SDSU.
• Lucy Cochrane had 11 boards against SDSU, making her the first Pilot to eclipse double-digit rebounds on the year. She also added six blocks over two games.
• The Pilots currently lead the WCC in turnovers forced (17.6), steals per game (10.0), assists per game (16.4) and free throw attempts per game (21.6).
• Individually, Fowler leads the WCC in in both free throws attempted (40) and free throws made (32), ranking 12th and fifth in those categories nationally. She is also shooting 80% from the free-throw line.
• Cochrane currently leads the WCC in both total blocks (8) and blocks per game (2.0) while Meek ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.50).
• The Pilots went 20-11 last season, finishing fourth in the WCC and qualifying for the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the first time since 2009.
• It is the first time that Portland has earned a .500 record or better three seasons in a row since 2009-11.
• It was also their fifth season as a Division I program winning at least 20 games and their second time in three seasons under head coach Michael Meek.
• The Pilots also earned their first win in the WNIT against Colorado State 72-63. It was also their first home win in a playoff game.
• They advanced to the second round before falling to the Oregon State Beavers.
• The Pilots finished the season ranked first in the WCC in both blocks (154) and blocks per game (18.2), second in scoring offense (70.6), assists (564), assists per game (18.2), assist to turnover ratio (1.11), turnovers forced (18.58), steals (340), steals per game (11.0) and field-goal percentage (43.6%) and third in scoring defense (62.0).
• Of the stats above, they ranked seventh nationally in assists per game, 15th in assists and steals per game, 16th in total steals, 17th in blocks per game and 20th in total blocked shots.
• In terms of All-WCC honors, Alex Fowler was named to the All-WCC First Team, Haylee Andrews made the second team and Lucy Cochrane earned honorable mention.
• Fowler became the first Pilot to make the All-WCC First Team three times since Laiken Dollente in 2010 and the first to make it three times in a row since Kristin Hepton in 1999.
• Fowler averaged 17.1 points and eight rebounds per contest, leading the WCC in field-goal percentage (53.1) and ranking third in field goals made (199), rebounds (249) and rebounds per game, fourth in total points (530) and fifth in points per game.
• Andrews suffered a leg injury late in the season, only playing 18 games. She still averaged 11.3 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest, with her assist average being first in the WCC.
• Despite her injury, Andrews finished 10th in the WCC in total assists, with the next closest player having played eight more games than her.
• Cochrane was an absolute force defensively, blocking 114 shots for an average of 3.9 per contest. Both of those totals led the NCAA.
• Both of those stats also set program records for both most blocks in a season and most blocks per game in a season.
• Per HerHoopStats.com, Cochrane is one of just 30 players in the last 12 seasons to average 3.9 blocks per contest and one of just 52 players to record at least 110 blocks in a season. 
• Cochrane currentl sits at sixth all-time in career blocks and fifth among those who only played NCAA Division I at 122. If she matched her pace set last season, she would become the all-time shot-blocking leader among Pilots who played Division I basketball only.
• Fowler and Andrews have also put together impressive statistical resumes.
• Fowler sits at 1,632 career points and is just 321 points away from tying the school record for most points in a career at the NCAA Division I level. She is currently third in program history (DI level).
• The forward is also third all-time in career rebounds among Division I players, just 34 rebounds shy of the record at 726 boards.
• Per HerHoopStats.com, Fowler is one of just nine players to put up at least 450 points and 200 boards in each of the last three seasons. She was also one of just 10 players to at least 17 points and eight rebounds per game last season on at least 50% shooting and one of nine players with at least 530 points and 240 rebounds on 50% shooting.
• Andrews is the only NCAA Division I player returning with career totals of at least 1,400 points, 450 rebounds, 500 assists and 100 steals.
• She ranks fifth among Division I players in career assist average at 5.2 and sixth in total assists at 525.
• Andrews is one of just three players in NCAA Division I since the 2018-19 season at have two seasons averaging at least 14 points, five assists, 4.5 rebounds and one steal per game. The other two players are Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu.
• She is also the only player to, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, put up three seasons with a total of 350 points, 120 rebounds, 120 assists and 30 steals. If she hadn't been injured last season, Andrews was on pace for around 350 points, 175 assists, 145 rebounds and 62 steals, which only four other players did last season.
• Among the Pilots, Andrews is second all-time in total assists at 525, just 114 shy of breaking Kathy Adleman's record. Her 5.2 assist average is also second all-time and she is sixth among Pilots who only played Division I basketball at 1,411 points.
• The Pilots were picked to finish second in the WCC in the annual WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. This is their highest such ranking since at least the 1990s.
• Fowler and Andrews were both named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, the third such year in a row that both players have been named to the team. No other Pilot duo has done that.
• 14 of Portland's 17 players from last year return this season, including 11 players who earned minutes last season and four of their top five scorers.
• Emme Shearer returns after finishing fifth in the WCC in steals (58) and steals per game.
• Maisie Burnham also returns after ending last season on a tear, averaging 13.5 points on 58% shooting (47.4% from three) in the final 13 games of the season.
• For newcomers, the Pilots added to their bevy of Oceana-based players by signing Florence Dallow and Melika Samia to the roster.
• Dallow is a 6-foot guard our of New Zealand who played for the U14 and U16 New Zealand youth national teams that placed first and second respectively at the FIBA Oceania Championships. She played for North Harbour Representative Basketball Team from 2015-21 as well, with her team taking third at nationals in 2019 and 2020 and fourth in 2021.
• Samia has played for several New Zealand national teams, including taking part with the U16 select team in 2017 and 2018 and the Waikato U19 team in 2021. That U19 team won a national championship in 2021. She was also a part of the NBA Global Academy.

THE COACHES
• The Pilots are under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Michael Meek.
• Meek ranks eighth in career winning percentage (287-73, .797) among active DI coaches with 10-plus years of experience.
• He has the best record for a UP coach through the first three seasons ever at 55-35.
• Tom Batsell has been an assistant coach with Meek for dating back to 2005, back when Meek was the head coach for Southridge High School. From 2005-10, the Skyhawks won six state championships.
• Assistant coach Skyler Young is the longest tenured coach on staff, having joined the Pilots after spending 19 years as a coach with several programs and professional teams.
• Fourth-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 Houston Cougars are 1-3 on the season with losses to New Mexico, Florida State and Louisiana and a win over Texas A&M Commerce.
• They currently lead the nation in offensive rebounds, rank fifth nationally in steals per gamel, ninth in turnovers forced per game (27.25) and 18th in total rebounds (47.25).
• Tatyana hill is third nationally in offensive rebounds at six per game.
• The Northeastern Huskies are 2-3 on the season.
• Gemima Motema leads the CAA in free-throw percentage (94.4) while Derin Erdogan leads the CAA in three-pointers made (12).
• Ronald Hughey is in his ninth season as coach of the Cougars while Bridgette Mitchell is in her second with the Huskies.