PORTLAND PILOTS (18-6, 12-1 WCC)
WEEK 14: at No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs

at No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs (22-3, 12-1 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Feb. 11, 2023
Place: Spokane, Wash.
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Gym: McCarthey Athletic Center
TV: ROOT Sports
Online Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. GON
Overall: 28-59 •  Last 5/10: 0-5/1-9
H: 14-27 •  A: 10-30  • N: 4-2
Last: @POR 66, GON 73 (1/14/23)

THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots are off to Spokane for a crucial showdown for the top spot in the WCC against the No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs.
• The two teams will play on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. on ROOT Sports.
• An online video stream and live stats for will be available for the game. Those links can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Portland Pilots are 18-6 overall and 12-1 in WCC play after an 83-80 win over the San Francisco Dons in overtime and an 80-68 win over the Santa Clara Broncos.
• The wins gave Portland their best WCC record since the 1996-97 season.
• Alex Fowler led the way with 23 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. It's the eighth time she's scored at least 20 points this season.
• Fowler made 10 free throws in the contest, becoming the seventh player to make at least 10 free throws at least four times this season.
• The Pilots matched their season high for free throws made with 21 and also shot an impressive 91.3% from the line.
• Emme Shearer matched her career high for points with 21 while McKelle Meek set a career high for points with 15.
• The Pilots trailed by as many as 16 points with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. They put together an 18-0 run to briefly take the lead before going into overtime.
• Against the Broncos, the Pilots shot lights out, making 61.5% of their shots overall and 54.5% of their 3-pointers.
• Fowler scored 26 in the contest with six rebounds. She also officially reached 2,000 points, becoming the second Pilot ever to do so and the fifth WCC player ever.
• Her two performances helped Fowler earn WCC Player of the Week for the third time in a row and the fourth time this season.
• Liana Kaitu'u also scored a career-high 21 points against the Broncos.
• The Pilots lead the WCC in steals per game (9.3), field-goal percentage (47.1%) and assists per game (17.2). Nationally, they're 17th in assists per game and 11th in field-goal percentage.
• Fowler leads the WCC in field-goal percentage (60.7%), free throw attempts (132), free throws made (108), points per game (18.4), total points (442) and steals per game (1.8). She is also seventh in assists per game (3.5).
• Nationally, Fowler ranks 12th in field-goal percentage, 22nd in total points and 23rd in free throws made.
• Fowler is one of eight players in NCAA Division I averaging at least 18 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals a game this year.
• She was also named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
• Lucy Cochrane also leads the WCC in total blocks with 31.
• 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. 
• Program-wise, Cochrane currently sits at fifth all-time in career blocks and fourth among those who only played NCAA Division I at 145.
• Fowler sits at 2,003 career points, which is first among Pilots who only played Division I (second all-time). She is fifth among all WCC players.
• Fowler is 14th among all NCAA Division I players in career points and eighth in field goals made (784). Her field goals made total is first among Pilots who only played Division I.
• 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 with at least 1,500 points, 550 assists, 500 rebounds and 150 steals.
• She ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I players in total assists at 593.
• 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 593, just 46 shy of breaking Kathy Adleman's record. Her 5.2 assist average is also second all-time and she is fifth among Pilots who only played Division I basketball at 1,547 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, a redshirt, 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 15th in career winning percentage (303-76, .799) among active NCAA coaches with 10-plus years of experience (not all at DI level).
• He held 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 OPPONENT
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs are ranked 23rd in the nation and are tied for first with the Pilots in the WCC at 22-3 overall and 12-1 in WCC play.
• They currently lead the nation in three-point percentage (41.8%).
• Lisa Fortier is in her ninth year as head coach of the Zags.

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