Portland Pilots (7-6, 0-0 WCC) vs. Washington State Cougars (5-8, 0-0 WCC)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
TV: ESPN+
Radio: PortlandPilots.com
Live Coverage Links: Video | Audio | Stats
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets

Portland Pilots (7-6, 0-0 WCC) vs. Santa Clara Broncos (9-4, 0-0 WCC)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
TV: KUNP-TV / ESPN+
Radio: PortlandPilots.com
Live Coverage Links: Video | Audio | Stats
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets

COMING UP
• The Pilots (7-6) open West Coast Conference action with a pair of home games against the Washington State Cougars (5-8) on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. and then versus the Santa Clara Broncos (9-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.
• Tickets for Portland home games are available at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets. Tuesday's game is a special 5-0-3 promotional game featuring $5 Tickets, $0 Parking and $3 hot dogs by using Promo Code '503' online at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.

GAME COVERAGE
• All Portland WCC games will also be aired on ESPN+. Tuesday's game will be televised live locally on KUNP-TV and simulcast on ESPN+ with Ann Schatz and Jennifer Mountain on the call.
• Pilot radio this season includes all men's and women's basketball home games, as well as select road games, streamed live on PortlandPilots.com with Jason Swygard calling the action.
• Live coverage links for Portland games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

LAST TIME OUT: UC Santa Barbara 79, Pilots 61 (Dec. 17, 2025 — Eugene, Ore.)
• James O'Donnell led the Pilots with 15 points but the Gauchos shot 54 percent overall and made 14 of 29 three-pointers in the game. Cameron Williams joined O'Donnell in double figures for the Pilots with 10 points and added a team-high seven rebounds.
• Portland started strong by scoring the game's first five points on a pair of Williams free throws and three-pointer from Joel Foxwell. UC Santa Barbara responded by drilling three consecutive three-pointers and the teams would have four ties and five lead changes in the opening minutes. The Gauchos closed the first half on a 14-2 run to take a 36-23 lead into the break.
• UCSB continued its hot shooting early in the second half and pushed the margin to as much as 27 points. Portland forced some turnovers and was able to pull within 17 on a Garrett Nuckolls transition layup with 7:38 remaining, but that would be as close as the Pilots would get.
• The Pilots were just 4-for-17 from three-point range in the game, but outscored UCSB 40-30 in the paint and 16-11 in second chance points.

HOME VERSUS ROAD STATS
• Portland has been a different team at home versus on the road with the Pilots going 7-2 in home games and 0-4 on the road this season.
• At home, the team is scoring 89.3 points and allowing 78.3 for a +11.0 scoring margin. In road games the Pilots are scoring 64.5 points and giving up 90.0 for a -25.5 margin.
• Portland is shooting 52.4 percent from the field with 22.9 assists per game at the Chiles Center, while struggling to 43.7 percent from the floor with just 10.8 assists in away games.
• Rebounding is another notable stat with Portland posting a +7.6 rebounding margin at home versus -6.3 in away games.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS
• Freshman PG Joel Foxwell picked up his third WCC Freshman of the Week award on Dec. 15 after his 11-point, 15-assist effort in the win over Kent State. The 15 assists matched the program record established by fellow Aussie Tyler Robertson in a Dec. 10, 2022 home win against New Orleans. It is also tied for third most in a game this year nationally.
• The Melbourne, Australia native now has two double-doubles on the season, while he has dished out 10 or more assists four times. He is the WCC leader in assists per game (7.1), which also ranks eighth nationally and No. 1 among freshmen. Foxwell also leads the Pilots in scoring (13.0) and is No. 2 in points per game among WCC freshmen.
• In addition to Foxwell, freshman F Timo George has been a consistent force for the Pilots. He is the team's No. 2 scorer (12.7), which is third among league freshmen, while his 4.9 rebounds per game are also second among WCC freshmen. He has reached double figures in 10 of 13 games despite playing just 20.4 minutes per game.
• George is two field goals made shy of qualifying to be among the NCAA leaders in FG percentage. His 68.5 percent from the field would rank No. 6 nationally and lead the WCC.
• Portland players have garnered 13 WCC Freshman of the Week honors over the last three seasons, which is nearly one out of every three opportunities and five more then the next closest institution.

WILLIAMS DOING WORK
• Junior F Cameron Williams recorded his third 20-point game of the season in a Dec. 14 win against Kent State. He followed with a season high 11 rebounds at Oregon and added 10 points and seven rebounds at UCSB.
• Williams, a first team JC All-American and national champion with Trinity Valley JC last season, has adjusted well to the Division I level. He is shooting 56 percent from the field and 79 percent at the foul line and grabbing a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game.

O'DONNELL OBLITERATES CAREER HIGH
• Sophomore F James O'Donnell more than doubled his previous career high with 32 points in the win against Lewis & Clark on Dec. 5. His prior high was 15 points.
• O'Donnell also collected his first double-double with 10 rebounds in the contest.
• The transfer from San Francisco is now averaging 11.1 points and is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 63.8 percent from the field.

BALLEW IS BALLIN
• Sophomore G Mikah Ballew moved into the starting lineup for the last six games is averaging 11.5 points this season, including nine double figure games. Ballew's 25 three-pointers made are tops on the roster.
• He scored a career high 20 points in the opener vs. Willamette, added 15 points against Arkansas Pine Bluff and made clutch plays late in a narrow 67-63 win against UC Davis.
• He was a key contributor last season off the bench for Portland and the most experienced Pilot returner in terms of minutes played and scoring.

ABOUT THE RETURNERS
• Portland returns six players from last year's roster, three of which redshirted.
• Mikah Ballew averaged 4.9 points as a freshman in 31 games. Senior C Jermaine Ballisager Webb started eight games, appeared in 29 and averaged 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field.
• RS-sophomore G Kelson Gebbers played 19 games and averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
• Carlin Briggs, NaVaughn Long and Preston Lee each utilized their redshirt season. Briggs is returning from a knee injury and working his way back into playing shape. Long made his debut against Willamette and recorded two rebounds with a pair of assists. Lee also debuted against the Bearcats and scored five points with a steal.

BUILDING A WINNING ROSTER
• The Portland coaching staff focused on building the 2025-26 roster with experienced players from winning programs and Portland's five transfers fit the bill.
• Junior transfers Garrett Nuckolls and Cameron Williams were the top two scorers for Trinity Valley JC, which won the JUCO Division I national title last year.
• Riley Parker was a starter and team captain for St. Francis, which won the Northeast Conference Tournament to reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
• Senior F Matúš Hronský spent three years with Duquesne and played in two NCAA Tournament games in 2024, while sophomore C James O'Donnell was a key contributor for San Francisco, who won 25 games and played in the NIT.
• Additionally, Portland's three true freshmen all played for high level clubs or have national team experience: Timo George prepped at IMG Academy in Florida, Joel Foxwell played with pros in the Australian NBL and NBL1, while Dante Censori-Hercules competed at Hodan Prep, which has multiple alums playing in the NBA.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
• Portland's current roster features players from seven different countries including nine international student-athletes.
• The Australian pipeline continues to flow with four Pilots hailing from Down Under: Riley Parker, James O'Donnell, Carlin Briggs and Joel Foxwell.
• Throughout his five-year tenure with the Pilots, Legans has had nine different Aussies on the roster and 21 total international players from 12 different countries.

STAFF UPDATE
• Portland added two new assistant coaches to staff this offseason in Mark Berokoff and Anthony Separovich, while Decclan Mclean was promoted to an assistant coach after serving two years as a graduate assistant.
• Berokoff brings vast experience to the bench with more than 400 career wins along with multiple state and national championships as a head coach. Berokoff most recently served four seasons as head coach at NAIA Oklahoma City University.  He led Randall University to three national titles and five national semifinals appearances in nine years (2012-21) at the National Christian College Athletic Association Division II level while serving as both head coach and athletic director.
• Separovich and Mclean are Australians that have helped solidified a strong pipeline for the Pilots Down Under. Separovich served as the AUSA Hoops Program and Recruiting Director from 2022-25. He was instrumental in recruiting, mentoring and guiding boys and girls players from Australia to earn college scholarships in the U.S. More than 500 student-athletes represented AUSA in AAU Tournaments across the U.S. in 2025. He helped place more than 100 student-athletes at U.S. colleges over the past three years, including a record 50 in 2024.

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY
• Four different players have been regular representatives on their home country's national teams either at the youth or senior level.
• Jermaine Ballisager Webb (Denmark) played on youth national teams from U15 on and represented the Senior National Team this Summer at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds over four games as Denmark secured a qualifying spot.
• Timo George (Netherlands) helped the Netherlands U20 National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 FIBA EuroBasket where he averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He also represented the Netherlands at the U18 European Championships in 2023.
• Matúš Hronský (Slovakia) represented Slovakia at the 2021 U20 European Championships where he averaged 15.8 points in five games. Hronský also played for Slovakia's Senior National Team at the 2021 World Cup where he scored eight points in four games.
• Dante Censori-Hercules (Canada) also trained this Summer with the U-19 National Team.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
• The Cougars (5-8) open league play on a two-game win streak after defeating Eastern Washington (78-63) and Mercer (84-78). Other D-I wins came against Saint Thomas and Southern Utah, while losses came to Idaho, Davidson, Washington, Arizona State, Seton Hall, Bradley, Nevada and USC.
• Freshman G Ace Glass averages a team-best 15.9 points, while Tomas Thrastarson and Eemeli Yalaho each average 10.0 per game.
• Head coach David Riley is in his second season at the helm. Riley was previously the head coach at Eastern Washington, where he also served as an assistant to Shantay Legans.

PORTLAND-WASHINGTON STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series: WSU leads 14-2
H / A / N: 3-2 / 0-9 / 0-2
Streak: Portland L8
Last 10 / 5: 1-9 / 0-5
Last: Cougars 92, Pilots 70 (Jan. 18, 2025 at WSU)

ABOUT SANTA CLARA
• The Broncos (9-4) have lost three of the last four games after dropping an 80-78 decision to Loyola Chicago. Other losses came against Saint Louis, New Mexico and Arizona State. Division I wins have come against McNeese, Xavier, Nevada, Idaho State, Louisiana, Minnesota, Utah Tech and North Texas.
• Christian Hammond leads a balanced attack at 17.3 points per game. Elijah Maji adds 14.4 per contest, while nine Broncos average 5.3 or more points per game.
• Head coach Herb Sendek is in his 10th season at the helm.

PORTLAND-SANTA CLARA SERIES HISTORY
Series: SCU leads 75-34
H / A / N: 22-29 / 10-39 / 2-7
Streak: Portland L1
Last 10 / 5: 1-9 / 1-4
Last: Santa Clara 97, Pilots 50 (Feb. 6, 2025 at UP)

WE'RE RIVERBOAT PILOTS, NOT AIRPLANE PILOTS!
• Though a 1935 student contest resulted in the nickname "Chinooks" (after the Native American tribe that inhabited the area, and the largest of the salmon species in the Willamette River), the "Pilots" was chosen by presidential fiat. From that day forward, The Bluff had a new mascot, and he was Wally Pilot.
• When the University changed its name from Columbia University (its earliest sports teams were known as the Cliff dwellers or the Columbias), to the University of Portland in 1935, the name and University had already begun to adapt a more "nautical motif," suitable for a campus site overlooking the Willamette River. At the same time, the Pilot athletic teams became associated with Wally (a stylized riverboat pilot), and the pilot's wheel became the logical logo.
  Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.