SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The Portland Pilots women's basketball team was picked to finish second in the WCC for the 2023-24 season and had two players named to the WCC All-Preseason team: Maisie Burnham and Emme Shearer.
This is the second year in a row they've been picked to finish in the top two and the fourth year in a row they've been picked to finish in the top five. They received one first-place vote as well, finishing with 50 points in the poll.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were picked to win the WCC for the second year in a row, totaling 64 points with eighth first-place votes. The Pacific Tigers and Santa Clara Broncos were picked to finish third with 41 points each, the San Diego Toreros were picked to finish fifth at 40 points and the Saint Mary's Gaels at sixth with 34 points. The San Francisco Dons, Pepperdine Waves and LMU Lions round
out the bottom three with 31, 12 and 11 points respectively.
Maisie Burnham makes the team for the first time in her career. She was second on the team in both total points (352) and points per game (11.0), shooting 44.9% from the field and 38.3% from outside. An All-WCC Second Team selection last year, Burnham scored 19 points and added six boards and four steals in the WCC Tournament Championship game last year to help deliver the Pilots their second championship in four years and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 1996-97 season. She was named to the WCC All-Tournament Team as well.
Emme Shearer returns on the wing for Portland after playing all 32 games with 24 starts. She averaged 10 points a contest along with 1.3 steals. She scored over 20 points in a game three times last year, including a career-high 21 points twice against San Francisco. She earned All-WCC Honorable Mention last season as well.
Portland is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, finishing 23-9 overall and 15-3 in WCC play for their best overall record since the 1996-97 season and their best WCC record ever. They won the WCC Tournament for the second time in four seasons and played in their first NCAA Tournament game since 1997 against the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Pilots open their season on Monday, Nov. 6 against the San Diego State Aztecs as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. The women play at 5 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for more information.
Preseason Team
Ali Bamberger – Saint Mary's
Maisie Burnham – Portland
Yvonne Ejim – Gonzaga
Jasmine Gayles – San Francisco
Tess Heal – Santa Clara
Brynna Maxwell – Gonzaga
Emme Shearer – Portland
Liz Smith – Pacific
Kayleigh Truong – Gonzaga
Kaylynne Truong – Gonzaga
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Gonzaga (8) 64
2. Portland (1) 50
3. Pacific 41
Santa Clara 41
5. San Diego 40
6. Saint Mary's 34
7. San Francisco 31
8. Pepperdine 12
9. LMU 11
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