Portland Pilots (12-18, 5-12 WCC) vs. San Diego Toreros (11-19, 5-12 WCC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
TV: ESPN+
Live Coverage Links: Video |Audio | Stats
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets

THIS WEEK
• The Pilots conclude the regular season against the San Diego Toreros on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Chiles Center. It will be Senior Day as well as a doubleheader with the UP women hosting Gonzaga at 5 p.m.

GAME COVERAGE
• All WCC games are aired live on ESPN+. Bryan Sleik and Jennifer Mountain will be on the call Saturday.
• 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: #9 Gonzaga 89, Pilots 48 (Feb. 25, 2026— Spokane, Wash.)
• Portland trailed by 15 at the half but ran out of gas in an 89-48 loss to No. 9 Gonzaga. The Pilots were playing without starting forward Cameron Williams.
• Joel Foxwell had a team-high 12 points. Garrett Nuckolls added nine points and James O'Donnell and Matus Hronsky added eight apiece.
• Graham Ike led four Bulldogs in double figures with 19 points.
• The Bulldogs shot 52 percent overall and knocked down 14 three-pointers compared to 35 percent for the Pilots who went 4-for-20 from beyond the arc. Gonzgaa also forced 22 Pilot turnovers which led to a 26-6 margin in points off of takeaways.
• The teams were tied four times and exchanged lead five times early before the Bulldogs used a 16-0 run to go up 28-15. Portland committed 15 turnovers in the period as Gonzaga carried a 36-21 lead into the break.
• Portland scored the first points of the second half on a James O'Donnell layup before the Bulldogs created separation.

A WIN FOR THE AGES
• Portland's upset of No. 6 Gonzaga on Feb. 4 was the highest ranked win in program history (AP Poll), the first against a Top 10 team since 1968 and first win against a ranked opponent dating back to January 9, 2014 when the Pilots defeated No. 22 Gonzaga 82-73 in Portland. It snapped a 24-game losing streak to ranked opponents and 20-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
• Portland defeated No. 8-ranked Oklahoma City (74-63) for the program's only other Top 10 win at the Division I level. The Pilots are 2-34 all-time against Top 10 teams and 0-10 against teams ranked No. 1.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS
• Freshman PG Joel Foxwell has had a record-breaking campaign this season. With his 35 points and eight assists last Wednesday against Pepperdine, he set three new school records. The 35 points broke the UP freshman single-game record previously held by Reggie Logan (32 vs. Pacific, 11/26/76). He also eclipsed Austin Rapp's freshman single season scoring record (428) from last year and now sits at 476 points overall. His 196 total assists also surpassed Alec Wintering's UP single season record of 187, set in 2015-16.
• Foxwell garnered his seventh WCC Freshman of the Week award after averaging 27.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals in games against Pepperdine and Seattle U.
• Foxwell is leading the team in scoring (16.0) and assists (6.5). He is No. 7 nationally in total assists (196), No. 15 in assists per game – No. 1 among freshmen –  and one of two players nationally averaging at least 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists (Quinn Denker, Northern Colorado).
• Foxwell, Jeremiah Fears (Michigan St.) and Josiah Davis (CSUN) are the only players with multiple 15-assist games, while he is one of six players with a 20-point, 15-assist game (vs. Santa Clara).
• His 15 assists versus Santa Clara on Dec. 30 matched a career high as well as the program record for assists in a game set by Tyler Robertson in a Dec. 10, 2022 home win against New Orleans. He has eleven 20-point games, four double-doubles and has dished out 10 or more assists six times.
• Freshman F Timo George had been a consistent force for the Pilots as the team's No. 2 scorer (12.5), which is third among league freshmen, while his 4.9 rebounds per game are also second among WCC freshmen. He reached double figures in 11 of 15 games despite playing just 19.9 minutes per game.
• George was two field goals made shy of NCAA qualification in FG percentage. His 69.5 percent from the field would rank No. 2 nationally and lead the WCC. He was 7-for-7 from the field with 14 points and four rebounds at halftime vs. Santa Clara on Dec. 30 before suffering a shoulder injury and has not played since.
• Dante Censori-Hercules has started the last nine games, scored last second game-winner vs. Seattle U and had a season high 12 points at San Diego.

BALLISAGER WEBB PROVIDING BOOST
• Senior C Jermaine Ballisager Webb is averaging 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds and has started the last 12 games. He had a career high 18 points versus Oregon State, erupted for 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the upset of Gonzaga and finished with 16 points and five boards against Pepperdine last Wednesday.

INJURY AND ILLNESS IMPACT
• Portland has dealt with numerous injuries and illness. Riley Parker (foot), Timo George (shoulder) and Preston Lee (shoulder) are out for the season, while Carlin Briggs (knee) is still out recovering from offseason surgery.
• UP was down to eight scholarship players last month and activated grad assistant Sam Noland, who previously played at Pacific Lutheran before joining the staff. He has played in all nine games since.
• Cameron Williams (concussion) was the latest add to the report and missed the last two games.
• Head coach Shantay Legans was added to the injury list with a torn Achilles suffered on Jan. 26 when he was filling in at practice for the shorthanded squad.

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.

LEGANS' LATE SEASON SUCCESS
• Shantay Legans' teams have consistently performed well late in the season throughout his head coaching career. His overall record February 1 or later during his nine seasons is 63-37 (.630).

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO (11-19, 5-12 WCC)
• The Toreros dropped an overtime loss at Oregon State (92-82) on Wednesday and have lost three straight. San Diego has notable wins against Washington State, Pacific and UC San Diego.
• Former Pilot Juanse Gorosito is scoring 10.5 points per game, while Toneari Lane is contributing 11.5 per game.
• San Diego is averaging 9.3 three-pointers made per game.
• Head coach Steve Lavin is concluding his fourth year at the helm.

PORTLAND-SAN DIEGO SERIES DETAILS
Series: USD leads 64-37
H / A / N: 19-28 / 13-33 / 5-3
Streak: L2
Last Meeting: San Diego 71, Pilots 58 (Feb. 11, 2026 at San Diego)

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.
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