HOPEWELL, N.J. – Portland Pilots forward Alex Fowler was named to the mid-season watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award presented by Her Hoop Stats on Wednesday. She is the first Pilot to earn the honor and one of three WCC players to make the list.
The watch list consists of 15 players across the 26 conferences in NCAA Division I deemed "mid-major," excluding the Pac-12, Big 12, ACC, Big East, Big Ten and SEC. Fowler was also named to the initial preseason watch list. The list will be whittled down to 10 semifinalists in February and then five finalists in early March, with the winner set to be announced in late March.
Fowler has been dominant to start the year for the Pilots. She's averaging 17.7 points per contest along with 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals. She one of just six NCAA Division I players to be averaging at least 17.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals against Division I opponents only.
The Townsville, Australia product currently leads the WCC in field-goal percentage (63.3%) and free throws made (19), ranks second in points per game and third in total points (319). Nationally, she is seventh in field-goal percentage and 19th in free throws made. This year, she became just the third Pilot ever to reach 800 rebounds for their career and also became the all-time leader for rebounds among Pilots who only played Division I. At 1,880 points, she is just 74 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer among Pilots who only played Division I.
Portland is 12-6 this season with a 6-1 record in WCC play. They won seven games in a row for the first time since 2009-10 and won their first six conference games for the first time since the 1996-97 season. They are tops in the conference in assists per game (17.6), field-goal percentage (47.1%), free throws made (13.17), steals per game (9.7) and turnovers forced per game (17.89). They are 15th and 17th nationally in field-goal percentage and assists per game respectively.
The Pilots are heading to Northern California for a showdown against the Saint Mary's Gaels. The two teams play on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
