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Florence Dallow shakes the hand of the Tiffany Barbosa before their contest against Portland State.

Women's Basketball

Pilots Begin WCC Play on the Road Against Saint Mary's, San Francisco

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots open West Coast Conference Play next week with a pair of road contests against the Saint Mary's Gaels and the San Francisco Dons. They play the Gaels on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. and the Dons on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
                                            
OPPONENT INFORMATION
Opponent: Saint Mary's Gaels (9-4, 0-0 WCC)
Day: Sunday
Date: Dec. 28, 2025
Time: 2 PM
Place: Moraga, Calif.
Arena: UCU Pavilion
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. SMC
Overall: 32-48 •  Last 5/10: 4-1/9-1
H: 19-19 •  A: 12-26 • N: 1-3
Last: POR 71, @SMC 69 (2/13/25)
 
Opponent: San Francisco Dons (7-4, 0-0 WCC)
Day: Tuesday
Date: Dec. 30, 2025
Time: 6 PM
Place: San Francisco, Calif.
Arena: War Memorial Gym
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. USF
Overall: 41-39 • Last 5/10: 4-1/7-3
H: 23-13 •  A: 18-21  • N: 0-5
Last: @POR 71, PSU 46 (2024-25)
 
PEEK INTO THE PORT
  • The Portland Pilots are 6-6 entering the first week of conference play, most recently routing the Portland State Vikings 98-53 at the Viking Pavilion.
  • Portland's 98 points in the contest were the most for Portland in a game against a Division I opponent this year and the most in regulation against a Division I opponent since 2009, when they scored the same amount against Sacramento State.
  • This is the second time since the 2021-22 season that the Pilots have scored at least 90 points three times in a single season.
  • The Pilots scored 35 points in the opening quarter on 86.7% shooting, both season bests against Division I opponents.
  • Five Pilots scored in double digits, led by 17 points and four steals from Dyani Ananiev. Ananiev's total was a season high and also matched the most points scored by a Pilot this season.
  • With four steals, Ananiev reached 35 steals on the year, the most by a Pilot through their first 11 games in at least the 2000s.
  • Tiffany Barbosa and Julia Dalan both either matched or set career highs, with Barbosa reaching 14 points and Dalan 13 points. It's the first time in Barbosa's career that she's scored in double digits.
  • Florence Dallow and Lainey Spear rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points each. Spear and Dallow both had career highs in assists as well with five and four respectively.
  • The Pilots had 29 assists in the contest, the most against a Division I team in program history.
  • Portland currently leads the WCC in several categories, including bench points per game (30.3), assists per game (18.4), steals per game (11.5) and turnovers forced per game (1.42). Nationally, they're 21st in bench points, 25th in assists, 38th in steals and 46th in turnovers forced.
  • Portland is also 11th in the nation and second in the conference in blocks per game (6.3).
  • Julia Dalan is one of the top shot blockers in the nation as a freshman, with 40 blocks on the season at 3.3 per game. She ranks second nationally in total blocks and first in blocks per game.
  • Dalan has multiple blocks in 10 of 12 games played this year and has the most blocks by a Pilot freshman since Rachel Warren in the 2005-06 season (42).
  • Ananiev also leads the way defensively, with her 3.2 steals per game and 35 total steals both ranking first in the conference. Ananiev ranks 26th and 32nd nationally in the respective categories.
  • Ananiev's the only Pilot currently averaging more than 10 points per game, sitting at 10.2. Eight different Pilots, however, are scoring at least five points per game.
  • Rhyan Mogel is fourth in the conference in both total assists (48) and assists per game (4.4) while also ranking second in assist/turnover ratio (2.0).
  • The Pilots were picked to finish fourth in the WCC this season, with Ananiev named to the All-WCC Preseason Team.
  • Ananiev played in just 10 games last season, averaging 7.4 points per contest along with 1.8 steals. She was a 2023-24 All-WCC Freshman Team selection.
  • The Pilots return eight players from last year and add seven newcomers.
  • Of the eight returners, none started a game last year. Rhyan Mogel and Lainey Spear are the only two players to have played in every game, with Mogel's 20.6 minutes leading all returning players.
  • Florence Dallow, Natalie Fraley, Tiffany Barbosa, Ella Zimmerman and Caitlin Monahan also all return.
A LOOK BACK AT HISTORY
  • The Pilots had a historic season in 2024-25, finishing 31-5 overall and 17-3 in WCC play to win a share of the 2024-25 WCC Regular Season Title. It's their fourth title, either tournament or regular season, in six seasons.
  • Their 31 wins were a program record and their 17 wins in WCC play were also a new high for the program.
  • Last year, they made the WCC Championships final for the fourth time under head coach Michael Meek and also qualified for the WBIT for the first time in program history.
  • In the WBIT, they beat the Stanford Cardinal and the Seton Hall Pirates on the road to advance to the quarterfinals before falling to Villanova Wildcats in that round. The wins were the first ever road playoff wins for the Pilots, the first win ever over Stanford and the first ever over a Big East squad.
  • Portland led the way in numerous statistical categories last season, leading the conference in points per game (75.7), scoring margin (12.4), steals per game (10.3), turnover margin (4.56), free throws made (16.44), free throw percentage (16.44), free throw attempts (21.08), assists per game (17.3) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.16).
  • Nationally, they were fifth in free throws made per game, 16th in free throw percentage, 21st in assists per game and free throw attempts, 34th in assist-to-turnover ratio and steals per game and 35th in points per game and turnovers forced per game (19.47).
  • The Pilots set numerous program records at the Division I level, with the most points (2,726), points per game (75.7), field goals made (946), free throws made (592), free throw percentage (.780), rebounds (1,288), defensive rebounds (844), offensive rebounds (444) and assists (620).
MEEK AT THE HELM
  • Michael Meek is in his seventh season as head coach of the Portland Pilots.
  • Meek has been dominant through six seasons, winning WCC Tournament titles in 2020, 2023 and 2024 and the regular season title in the 2024-25 season.
  • Meek has won at least 20 games in five of his six full seasons as head coach of the Pilots, including a program record 31 wins overall and 17 WCC wins in the 2024-25 seasons.
  • Meek is 366-103 in his career dating back to his time at George Fox. He is 136-68 in his time with Portland.
  • Meek ranks eighth among all active coaches in NCAA Division I with at least five seasons of experience in winning percentage at .780.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
  • The Saint Mary's Gaels are 9-4 overall, riding a four-game winning streak with a recent victory over the New Mexico State Aggies.
  • Last year, they went 14-17 overall and 10-10 in the WCC. They finished sixth in the conference.
  • The Pilots have taken nine of the last 10 contests against the Gaels, including both games last season.
  • The Gaels were picked to repeat at seventh place in the annual WCC Preseason Poll.
  • Addi Wedin is the leading scorer for the Gaels at 8.8 points per game.
  • Jeff Cammon is in his third year in charge of the Gaels. He is 36-39 during that span and is 120-129 for the entirety of his nine-year head coaching career.
  • The San Francisco Dons are 7-4 overall with a win most recently over the Sacramento State Hornets.
  • Last year, they were 15-16 overall and 11-9 in WCC play to take fifth in the conference.
  • Portland has also taken four of the last five games against the Dons, including both contests last season.
  • This year, the Dons were picked to finish sixth once again in the WCC in the annual preseason coaches poll.
  • Candy Edokpaigbe leads the Dons in scoring at 16.7 points per contest.
  • Molly Goodenbour is in her 10th season with the Dons, posting a 141-147 record during that time. She is 314-1278 for her 20-year head coaching career. 
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