University of Portland Athletics : Pilots Navigate South for WCC Games at Pepperdine and LMU

PORTLAND PILOTS (5-16, 1-9 WCC)
WEEK 12: at Pepperdine / Loyola Marymount
Pepperdine Waves (7-13, 3-7 WCC)
Day:
Thursday
Date: Feb. 1, 2018
Place: Malibu, Calif.
Time: 7:00 PM
Gym: Firestone Fieldhouse
Live Video:TheW.tv
Live Stats:PepperdineSports.com
POR vs. PEPP
Overall: 28-36 • Last 5/10: 3-2/8-2
H: 18-12 • A: 9-22 • N: 1-2
Last: @POR 75, PEPP 55 (1/26/17)
Loyola Marymount Lions (14-7, 6-4 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Feb. 3, 2018
Place: Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 2:00 PM
Gym: Gersten Pavilion
Live Video:TheW.tv
Live Stats:LMULions.com
POR vs. LMU
Overall: 32-32 • Last 5/10: 1-4/3-7
H: 20-11 • A: 12-18 • N: 0-3
Last: LMU 63, @POR 60 (1/20/18)
THIS WEEK • The Pilots head to Southern California for a pair of West Coast Conference games this week, first facing the Pepperdine Waves on Thursday night before matching up with the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday afternoon. • Tip-off with the Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu is set for 7 p.m., while the game with the Lions at Gersten Pavilion in L.A. will begin at 2 p.m. • Both games will be streamed live at TheW.tv.
LAST WEEK • The Pilots rebounded from a loss at Gonzaga on Thursday night to defeat the Saint Mary's Gaels 68-65 at the Chiles Center on Saturday. • It's the first win over Saint Mary's since 2010, a string of 17 straight losses. • The Pilots led for most of the game before the Gaels surged ahead by five in the fourth quarter; but clutch buckets from Julie Spencer and Darian Slaga helped the Pilots re-claim the lead before the Pilots made enough free throws down the stretch to seal the win. • Spencer finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the year.
ABOUT THE PILOTS • Portland's win against Saint Mary's was the first over the Gaels since 2010, a string of 17 straight losses. • The 101 points scored by the Pilots against Saint Francis on Dec. 20 mark the first time the Pilots reached the century mark since 1997 when they scored 104 against Idaho. • The 106-101 loss to the Red Flash was also the first game to go to double overtime for the Pilots since a 78-73 win at Pepperdine in 2011. • Darian Slaga's career-best 27 points, which came on 10-for-14 shooting, against Saint Francis are the most scored by a Pilot since Cassandra Brown poured in 30 at Pepperdine on Jan. 17, 2015. • Portland's game vs. Weber State on Dec. 17 was the 100th in the career for head coach Cheryl Sorenson, who is in her fourth year at the helm of the Pilots. • Portland opened the campaign at 3-0, which was start to a season since the 2010-11 squad opened 4-0. • The Pilots are third in the WCC in free throw percentage (70.5), they rank fourth in offensive rebounds (14.1), and are fifth in overall rebounds (38.7). • On Portland's all-time single season charts, the 14.1 offensive rebounds averaged by the Pilots rank number one. • The 12 field goals Julie Spencer hit at Cal State Fullerton are the second most in a game by a WCC player this season. • Spencer has four double-doubles this season, including 16 points and 14 rebounds during a win over Saint Mary's last Saturday. • Spencer was Portland's top returning scorer and rebounder from last season after averaged career bests of 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest as a sophomore; her 18 boards during a game vs. Pacific (12/29/16) were the most boards by a Pilot since 2013. • Junior guard Darian Slaga missed a handful of games earlier this season with an injury, but she returned on Nov. 28 to hit three three-pointers and score 15 points off the bench against Portland State; Slaga is second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and she poured in a career-best 27 points against Saint Francis. • Slaga currently ranks third all-time at UP in career free throw percentage (.818). • Redshirt-senior Rachelle Owens, who only appeared in one game last year before an injury cut her season short, scored a career-high 14 points at San Francisco (12/30); she handed out a career-best seven assists vs. Utah Valley earlier this season. • The Pilots are a young squad with seven newcomers, which features six true freshmen and a junior transfer. • 2017-18 marks the fourth year for head coach Cheryl Sorenson, who was previously an assistant for the Pilots; she assumed the reins of the program after long-time head coach Jim Sollars retired following the 2013-14 season. • Sorenson, who starred collegiately at the Washington, was a high school All-American at nearby Clackamas High School. • Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS • The Pepperdine Waves are coming off a pair of losses on the road to LMU and Santa Clara. • The Waves are putting up 67.6 points per game, while allowing 71.4; they're tops in the WCC in three-point percentage (.335) • Junior forward Yasmine Robinson-Bacote is the only Wave scoring in double figures (17.4 ppg); she's fourth in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding (7.8 rpg). • Three-time WNBA all-star and two-time Olympic gold medalist DeLisha Milton-Jones is in her first year as Pepperdine head coach. • The LMU Lions have won three straight, which followed a four-game losing streak. • The Lions are averaging 69.2 points per game and allowing 64.1. • Junior guard Cheyanne Wallace (15.7 ppg) leads the team in scoring, while junior forward Bree Alford (9.0 rpg) is second in the WCC in rebounds. • Gabby Green (3.0 spg) is tops in the WCC in steals and Makenzie Cast (2.2) is second in three's. • Charity Elliott is in her sixth year as head coach at LMU.