Fans are encouraged to join the 2023 WCC Tournament Champion University of Portland women's basketball team for a Selection Sunday Watch Party to celebrate with the Pilots as they learn their March Madness fate! The event will be hosted at the Pilot House on campus with doors opening at 4 p.m. Free appetizers and refreshments will be provided.
A special program introducing the team members and highlighting the program's remarkable run to the conference tournament title will begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. ESPN's Selection Show runs from 5-6 p.m. and the Pilots will learn where they go and who they will be playing at the NCAA Tournament. NCAA First and Second Round games will be played on campus sites March 17-20.
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND WATCH PARTY DETAILS
Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Time(s): 4 PM – Doors Open | 4:30 PM – On-Site Program | 5- 6 PM – Selection Show (ESPN)
Where: Pilot House, University of Portland, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR 97203
What: Meet the UP Women's Basketball Team and hear their stories in advance of the 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket unveiling at 5 p.m.
THE PILOTS ARE FINALLY DANCING!
In 2020, the Portland Pilots saw their first chance at an NCAA Tournament since 1997 taken away after a global pandemic ravaged the world. Three years later, the Pilots are finally going to the big dance.
The 2022-23 season has been one of the best in program history. The Pilots put together a 23-8 record and a 15-3 record in WCC play. It's the highest win total for Portland since that 1996-97 season and their highest conference win total ever. They finished second in the WCC, their highest conference finish since '97 as well. They faced adversity along the way, from an inauspicious start to late-season injuries, but despite that, they earned a bye straight to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament, earning their chance at glory once again.
This past Tuesday's WCC Championship was an instant March classic. The Pilots trailed the nationally-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs by 11 at halftime, with All-WCC First Team player Alex Fowler being held scoreless in the first half. The Pilots looked poised to take their third loss of the year to their Pacific Northwest rivals.
But the Pilots didn't waver. Fowler added 15 points in the second half and notched a double-double to be named tournament MVP. Maisie Burnham scored a team-high 19 points against her hometown team. McKelle Meek scored 12 points and continued to step up for an injured Haylee Andrews, the hero of 2020 and the heart and soul of the Pilots for the last five seasons. Lucy Cochrane collected three blocks in typical fashion. Emme Shearer helped seal the win with a key charge late in the fourth. All of these things and countless more helped the Pilots overcome the deficit and beat the Zags to win their second championship in four years.
On Sunday the team will learn where it will open the NCAA Tournament in what will be their first tournament game in 26 years. The past four years under head coach Michael Meek have seen incredible growth, with three seasons of 20 wins or more, four postseason berths and several honors, both individual and collective. The Pilots have made their name known; now it's time to show the nation how well the Pilots can dance.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Portland Pilots finished the season 23-8 overall and 15-3 in conference play. It's their best record since the 1996-97 season and their highest win total in WCC play ever.
• They finished second in the WCC in the regular season for their highest conference finish since '97 as well.
• Portland's WCC Tournament championship was their second in four seasons and their third in program history.
• Alex Fowler and Maisie Burnham were both named to the All-WCC Tournament team, with Fowler being named the tournament's most outstanding player. Fowler is the only Pilot to ever earn the honor twice.
• Fowler and Burnham were also All-WCC selections in the regular season, with Fowler making the first team and Burnham the second team.
• Fowler became UP's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level and is one of only five players in West Coast Conference to score 2,000 points.
• Emme Shearer also got a nod, earning honorable mention.
• The Pilots led the WCC in assists per game (17), field-goal percentage (46%), steals per game (9.5) and turnovers forced per game (17.35). They were ranked 18th and 19th nationally in field-goal percentage and assists per game.
• The Pilots have seven players that hail from Australia. That is the most in NCAA Division I Basketball.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
• 1994 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to USC – 77-62)
• 1995 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Purdue – 74-59)
• 1996 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to TTU – 61-78)
• 1997 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Michigan State – 75-70 (OT))
• 1999 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Washington – 67-63)
• 2009 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Portland State – 57-51)
• 2010 WBI (1st Round Loss to Washington – 75-44)
• 2020 NCAA Tournament (Canceled due to COVID-19)
• 2021 WBI (Championship Loss to Cleveland State – 67-64)
• 2022 WNIT (2nd Round loss to Oregon State - 74-56)
• 2023 NCAA Tournament (TBD)
