PORTLAND PILOTS (31-4, 17-3 WCC)
WBIT Quarterfinals
 
Villanova Wildcats
(20-14, 11-7 Big East)
Day: Sunday
Date: March 27, 2025
Place: Villanova, Penn.
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Gym: Finneran Pavilion
Online Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com


POR vs. NOVA
Overall: 0-1 •  Last 5/10: 0-1/0-1
H: 0-1 •  A: 0-0 • N: 0-0
Last: @POR 42, NOVA 64 (11/10/2023)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots are in Pennsylvania for the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, taking on the 4-seed Villanova Wildcats. The two teams play on Thursday, March 27 at 4 p.m. PST.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Pilots advanced to the quarterfinals after a thrilling 61-55 win over the 3-seed Seton Hall Pirates in New Jersey.
• Portland ended the game on a 15-1 run to sink the Pirates and earn their 31st win of the year.
• With 31 wins on the year, the Portland Pilots broke the program record for wins in a season.
• Emme Shearer was the leading scorer once again for Portland with 15 points. Trista Hull added 14 points while Alexis Mark scored 12.
• The win is Portland's first ever over a Big East team.
• This is the fifth postseason win ever for the Pilots and the second in the WBIT.
 
THIS SEASON FOR PORTLAND
• The Pilots won a share of the WCC Regular Season Title with an overtime win over the Pacific Tigers on March 1. It's the first regular season title for the Pilots since the 1996-97 season.
• The Pilots earned the title after what was an incredible regular season. The Pilots currently sit with a 31-4 record overall and a 17-3 record in WCC play. Their 17 wins in WCC play are the most they've ever had in conference play.
• This is the fourth straight 20-win season for the Pilots and the fifth in the last six years. They are one of seven teams in the nation to have won at least 31 games this year.
• Portland won 21 games by double-digits, 20 of those against Division I opponents. They are one of just 27 teams to have won that many games by 10 points or more.
• Three Pilots earned All-WCC First Team honors: Maisie Burnham, Alexis Mark and Emme Shearer. It's the first time the Pilots have had three players make the All-WCC First Team since the 1996-97 season.
• Burnham, a first-time All-WCC First Team pick, is averaging 16.7 points on 45.2% shooting this season, ranking third in the conference in points per game and second in total points (584).
• Burnham has 13 games where she's scored at least 20 points this season, second in the conference, and also leads conference in made free throws (173) while ranking 13th nationally. That's the third highest free throw total ever posted by a Pilot.
• Mark was one of the most versatile players in the WCC, averaging currently 11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and just under two steals per contest. She's fourth in total rebounds in the conference (251) and total steals (69), fifth in steals per game (1.97), sixth in rebounds per game and eighth in total assists (121).
• Mark is one of three players in the country to have at least 400 points, 225 rebounds, 100 assists and 65 steals on the year against Division I opponents.
• Shearer is averaging 16.7 points per game, good for third in the conference, and ranked second in total points at 584. Shearer is also second in total field goals (198) and free throw percentage (88.0%), third in steals (70) and total free throws made (139) and fourth steals per game (2.0).
• Shearer is fifth all-time for the Pilots in career points (1,671) and is also the career leader in games played (157) and games started (134). No player in NCAA history from New Zealand has played more games than Shearer.
• Shearer's fourth all-time for Portland in steals (288), third in minutes (3,773), sixth in field goals (609) and seventh in three-pointers made (152).
• Wrapping up the awards, Burnham was named to the WCC All-Academic First Team for the second year in a row along with McKelle Meek, who makes her third all-academic team.
• Meek is the first Pilot to make three WCC All-Academic Teams since Maddie Muhlheim in 2021-22. Meek was excellent on the court as well, ranking third in the conference in total assists (147), fourth in assists per game (4.2) and first overall in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.09). Meek's assist-to-turnover ratio is sixth nationally as well.
• Trista Hull's dominance defending the paint has her leading the conference in total blocks (63) and in blocks per game (1.8).
• Shearer ranks 18th among active NCAA Division I players in total steals (288) and tied for 20th in games played (157).
• Burnham and Mark are two of just seven players in the WCC to have multiple 20-point, 10-rebound games this year.
• Mark is also one of just five players in the WCC with at least seven double-doubles on the season.
• Portland currently leads the WCC in winning percentage (.886), field-goal percentage (43.8%), turnover margin (4.89), turnovers forced per game (19.66), steals per game (10.5) scoring offense (76.1), scoring margin (13.0), assists per game (17.4), assist/turnover ratio (1.18), free-throw percentage (77.8%) and free throws made per game (16.46).
• Nationally, they rank seventh in free throws made, eighth in winning percentage, 17th in free throw percentage, 22nd in assists per game, 30th in assist/turnover ratio, 31st in points per game and turnover margin, 33rd in steals per game, 34th in turnovers forced per game and 38th in scoring margin.
• The Pilots are the only team in NCAA Division I history to have won 29 games before the NCAA tournament and not made the Tournament.
 
LAST SEASON FOR PORTLAND
• For the second year in a row, the third time in the last five seasons and the fourth time in program history, the Portland Pilots were crowned the champions of the WCC Tournament in 2024.
• They put together an incredible 67-66 win over the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game for their third win over the Zags in the WCC Tournament in the last five seasons.
• They are the first non-Gonzaga WCC school to win back-to-back tournament championships since Pepperdine in 2003.
• The championship game was the culmination of an impressive tournament run that also saw the Pilots rout the LMU Lions in the quarterfinals and come back from trailing by as much as 16 points against the Santa Clara Broncos in the semifinals.
• Kennedy Dickie was the named the tournament MVP after averaging 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds with a double-double in the semifinals. Maisie Burnham also made her second All-WCC Tournament Team.
• Three Pilots earned All-WCC honors last season, with Emme Shearer making the All-WCC First Team, Maisie Burnham making the second team and Dyani Ananiev making the freshman team.
• Shearer makes it five years in a row the Pilots have had at least one player make the first team. The last time the Pilots had a stretch like that was between the 2006-07 season and the 2010-11 season. Shearer averaged a team-high 12.1 points per game and also led the WCC in total steals (76) and steals per game (2.2).
• She was the first Pilot to record at least 70 steals in a season since Kate Andersen in the 2019-20 season.
• Burnham averaged 11.9 points per game for the Pilots and was in the top 20 in the conference in both steals per game (1.4) and points per game. It was the second year in a row Burnham has made the All-WCC Second Team.
• Ananiev was the first Pilot since Shearer in 2020-21 to make the All-WCC Freshman Team. She averaged 8.2 points and 1.45 steals per game, the highest scoring average for a Pilot freshman since Alex Fowler in the 2019-20 season.
• Ananiev is one of two players in the WCC to rank in the top 12 in both steals and blocks per game, and she also knocked down a team-high 50 3-pointers.
• McKelle Meek also made the WCC All-Academic First Team for the second year in a row.
 
LAST SEASON TIDBITS
• The Pilots led the WCC in several categories last season, including blocks per game (5.6), steals per game (11.0), turnovers forced per game (19.7), and bench points per game (21.9).
• Nationally, the Pilots ranked ninth in blocks per game, 17th in steals per game and 28th in turnovers forced per game. They ranked 37th overall in assists per game as well at 16.3 per contest.
• The Pilots have won at least 20 games in four of the last five seasons under head coach Michael Meek. It's the first time at the Division I level that they've posted at least four seasons with 20 wins or more in five years (they did so once at the NAIA level).
• The Pilots have won at least 20 games three years in a row for the first time since a stretch between 1994 and 1997.
 
THE RETURNERS
• The Pilots returned all players who were eligible to return from last year's squad, with 11 official returnees. The Pilots also return three of their five starters: Shearer, Burnham and Meek.
• Along with the accomplishments of Burnham and Shearer, Meek played in all 34 games for the Pilots with 33 starts, leading the Pilots in assists with 119 while averaging a team-high 3.5 assists per game. Those assist numbers ranked seventh and eighth in the WCC respectively.
• Other returners for the Pilots include Ananiev, Lainey Spear, Rhyan Mogel, Natalie Fraley, Florence Dallow, Melika Samia and Emma Strelein.
• Spear and Mogel were part of the standout freshman class from last year along with Ananiev. Spear played in 30 games for Portland in her first year, averaging 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds off the bench, playing primarily in the frontcourt.
• Spear's mother, Kristin Spear (nee Hepton) is a former Pilot herself, having scored over 1,000 points for her career here and making the All-WCC First Team three times.
• Mogel, meanwhile, played in all 34 games last year off the bench, averaging 2.6 points per contest. Her 37 steals were the second most by any Pilot off the bench.
• Spear and Mogel are both local products, with Spear leading the Beaverton High School Beavers and Mogel Clackamas High School.
• Fraley transferred to Portland last season after spending a year at Utah State. Playing in 33 games, she averaged 2.9 points per game and 1.6 rebounds.
• Dallow earned her first minutes for the Pilots after redshirting her freshman year. She  played in 21 games, average 3.9 points per game for Portland before suffering an injury late in the season.
• Samia was out last season with a knee injury. Eddy played in three games before suffering a knee injury herself.
• Eddy is a local product having gone to Saint Mary's Academy and is the granddaughter of legendary NBA coach Rick Adleman.
• Strelein played in 13 games last season for Portland.
 
THE NEWBIES
• Along with the returners, the Pilots add five newcomers, with two transfers and three freshmen.
• The transfers for the Pilots are Trista Hull, a forward/center from Boise State, and Alexis Mark, an in-conference transfer from LMU.
• Hull, a Yakima native, spent three years with the Broncos and averaged 4.2 points and 5.6 rebounds last season in 32 games. She was second on the team in rebounds per game and total blocks as well (42).
• Mark, meanwhile, earned All-WCC Honorable Mention last season with the Lions, averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. That rebounding average ranked fifth in the WCC.
• Three freshmen join the Pilots this year: Ella Zimmerman, Tiffany Barbosa and Caitlin Monahan.
• From Redondo Beach, Zimmerman was a dominant force inside for Redondo Union High School. She earned several honors during her high school career, last year being an All-CIF Division I selection.
• Zimmerman was also the Daily Breeze All-Area Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season and the 2022-23 Basketball Bay League MVP that same year.
• Barbosa is an international prospect hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. The lengthy guard has experience with the Swedish national team, playing most recently with the U-20 squad.
• Barbosa's Sweden squads have won the Nordic Championships each of the last four years. She earned All-Star honors in the most recent Nordic Championships.
• Monahan is a PNW native from Mercer Island up in Washington. Monahan She was a three-time All-Kingco selection at the 3A level.
• Monahan's grandfather, Terry Monahan, is also a men's basketball alumni for the Pilots.
 
THE COACHES
• The Pilots are under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Michael Meek. Meek ranks eighth in career winning percentage (359-96, .789) among active NCAA DI coaches. 
• 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.
• Sixth-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.
• Assistant Coach Jerod Gibson joins the staff after serving as head coach for Linn-Benton Community College the last five years, posting a 72-49 record as their coach.
• Rounding out the staff is director of operations Kianna Hamilton and graduate assistant Nicolas Ducuara. Hamilton played last year for the Pilots in 27 games, averaging 4.8 points and compiling 32 steals.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Villanova Wildcats are 20-14 on the season and finished 11-7 in Big East play. They beat Boston College in the first round and St. Joe's in the second round to make the quarterfinals.
• Last year, the Wildcats went 22-13 and 11-7 in conference play, losing in the championship game of the WBIT to Illinois.
• The Pilots and Wildcats played last year in Portland, with the Pilots falling 64-42.
• Denise Dillon is in her fifth season with the Wildcats.

PRESEASON HONORS
• The Portland Pilots were picked to finish third in the WCC in the annual coaches preseason poll. It's the third year in a row they've been picked to finish in at least the top three.
• Two Pilots were also picked to the 2024-25 All-WCC Preseason Team: Emme Shearer and Maisie Burnham. It's the second year in a row both Pilots have made the preseason team.

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