2017-2018 Schedule

by StudentPilot Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:57 pm

Here's the link to the women's schedule for the 2017-18 season: http://portlandpilots.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=1340&path=wbball

Thankfully only one Pac-12 school this year, Washington. Last season the women were beaten up pretty early in the season by four Pac-12 schools.

Home attendance at the women's games has been pretty sparse in recent years, so even though five of the home games will be played while the UP students are on Christmas break, there should be plenty of opportunities for screaming grammar and middle-school kids to attend for free during the break. tongue

by DoubleDipper Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:22 pm

The coaches have spoken/voted, and today in Las Vegas the Pilots were picked to finished 10th again this year.
1. Gonzaga
2. Saint Mary's
3. BYU
4. San Diego
5. Loyola Marymount
6. Santa Clara
7. San Francisco
8. Pacific
9. Pepperdine
10. Portland

Next month Coach Sorenson begins her 4th year at the helm, and this season she's added 7 newcomers to the team to help her finish somewhere besides 10th place during her tenure to this point....but none of those 7 or the other 7 returning players were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.

This is the Pilots WCC record over the last three years:

2014-15 2-16
2015-16 1-17
2016-17 4-14
Of note, 4 of the 7 UP WCC victories over those 3 season have come against Pepperdine, the team picked to finish 9th this season.

Many long-time supporters/fans of UP WBB have fallen by the wayside over the last few years....it would be nice to see the program turn around and return to the heady days of the 90's, soon!

by DoubleDipper Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:41 pm

Hard to say how well this team will progress over the course of the season, but after watching some of their one point win over Western Oregon tonight, I can say the freshman and one transfer are already adding much to any success they might have this season.

Young, but fun would be a could way to describe this year's team. They're scrappy and turnover prone, but their team chemistry and effort is not lacking!

So many fans have turned their backs on the team in recent years....and I for one, am ready to get excited about Pilot WBB again.

by ExpatPilot Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:50 am

Given the last few years results, I am one of those folks who sort of gave up on this team. I think this year will be a bit of a make or break year. They have to show some improvement.

by wrv Sun Nov 05, 2017 7:11 am

DoubleDipper wrote:Hard to say how well this team will progress over the course of the season, but after watching some of their one point win over Western Oregon tonight, I can say the freshman and one transfer are already adding much to any success they might have this season.

Young, but fun would be a could way to describe this year's team. They're scrappy and turnover prone, but their team chemistry and effort is not lacking!

So many fans have turned their backs on the team in recent years....and I for one, am ready to get excited about Pilot WBB again.

I will take in some games. Let's hope this team will be better than last year and move in a positive direction.

by DoubleDipper Fri Nov 10, 2017 11:45 am

Last season the Pilots started out with three straight games on the road, @ UC Davis, @ Nevada, and @ Oregon State, all losses, but this year their schedule is lot more reasonable.

Starting tonight @ 7pm the Pilots will be at home for three straight, Hawaii, Willamette on Sunday night @ 7, and Utah Valley on Tuesday @ 5pm (preceding the men's game against Walla Walla U. @ 7:30pm).

Hard to say what their odds of winning these games are, but I know they'll give a better showing than last year. It would appear on paper that UP is pretty evenly matched with all three schools, but what's on paper often doesn't translate into the final score, especially as these three games are the first for all three teams.

I'll just go out on a limb and say UP will win all three, not because I know much about any of the team's ability on the court, but because these wonderful young Pilots and their head coach deserve something positive to happen to start out their season.

by **PilotNut** Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:49 pm

Pilots beat Hawaii 76-47!

by Sound Voltex Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:53 pm

Decided to tune in to the season opener because Hawaii. Given Hawaii's general track record in recent years (top to middle of pack) and the fact they lost nobody to graduation (but lost a few to injury and one leaving the team for "personal" reasons a few days ago), I though it was going to be close or a blowout loss.

Started out dry for both teams at first, but then Portland hit the pedal and didn't look back. Given it's only the first game, but a very positively convincing start, outperforming or matching Hawaii in pretty much everything and having multiple players in double digit points.

Not surprisingly, the hometown fanbase here was not very happy.

https://247sports.com/college/hawaii/Board/102452/Contents/Tago-28-pts-Wahine-L-47-76--110263851

http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/11/10/sports/sports-breaking/wahine-blown-out-on-the-road-in-opener/

by DoubleDipper Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:06 pm

PilotNut wrote:Pilots beat Hawaii 76-47!

It was the best 4 quarters of basketball I can recall from the Pilot women.

Constant ball movement and everyone in constant motion tonight as the team was just that, a TEAM! One of the worries with having 7 new players on the squad is cohesiveness, but tonight it appeared this team had played together for quite some time.

Balanced and accurate scoring, unselfish play, and aggressiveness were hallmarks of this win.

I'm not going to get my hopes up too high after just one game, but after the Pilots' performance tonight, it's tough not to.

by ExpatPilot Sat Nov 11, 2017 6:25 am

I, too, tuned in for the game after catching the SCAR women's home opener. I was pleased with our margin of victory, because I felt that for the last three years, our wins would always be nail-bitingly close. I'm not going to read too much into this one game, but I agree that the ball movement looked great. The team looked very in control the whole time. Another good sign is that the Pilots spread the wealth with our leading scorer having 15 points and several other Pilots in double figures.

Only two knocks:

1) Shot selection under the basket by our bigs wasn't the most inspiring. Several shots hit the bottom of the stanchion or backboard instead of having a chance, BUT those almost always drew fouls. When you look at our shooting percentages, they are pretty good! So, maybe that isn't too much of a worry.

2) A few of the players would shoot on the go, instead of planting their feet and squaring their shoulders. I'm no coach, but that just looked a little funky to me. But, if they make those shots, then I have no reason to be concerned!

Overall, 76 points in a basketball game is a good performance. Holding our opponent to 47 is also a good sign for the defense. We are 1-0, so the sky is the limit, right?

Seems SoundVoltex and I share a common habit of wanting to check in with our opponents message boards. Always easier to do when you get the good result!

by Sound Voltex Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:59 am

It was a paint-by-numbers night for the Hawaii women’s basketball team, which came up on the short end of points in the paint in Friday’s season opener at Portland. The Rainbow Wahine were outscored 34-4 on shots inside the key, falling to the Pilots 76-47 at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore.

Sophomore guard Julissa Tago had a career night with 28 points but got little help for Hawaii (0-1), which finishes its two-game road trip at Seattle University on Sunday. Senior guard Sarah Toeaina added seven points — all in the second half — and added a team-high six rebounds for the Wahine, who lost the rebound battle 41-26, including 27-17 on the defensive boards.

“We’re a young team and we played very choppy tonight, struggled with our tempo on offense,” Wahine coach Laura Beeman said in a telephone call. “We’ll get to work (Saturday) and the good thing is we know the problems we have are fixable.

“We came out incredibly cold (3-for-15 in the first quarter) and they came out hot (8-for-14). Part of it was their defense, but part of it was we could not hit the open shot. It was somewhat of a physical game and we have to learn to play more physical.”

Beeman pointed to the disparities in second-chance points (16-6 edge by Portland) and bench points (48-9 Portland advantage) as keys to the loss. The Pilots also took advantage of their trips to the foul line, hitting 13 of 15 to the Wahine’s seven of 12.

Portland (1-0) had six players in double-figure scoring, led by junior forward Julie Spencer’s 15. Four of the Pilots came off the bench to notch double digits, including freshman guard Maddie Muhlheim, who finished with 11. Her two 3-pointers helped the hosts to a 43-23 halftime lead.

Tago surpassed her career high in the first half, scoring 18 of Hawaii’s 23 points as the Wahine trailed by 20 at intermission. Although the rebound totals were close in the first half — Portland held a 16-14 edge — 13 of the Pilots’ boards were on the defensive end, establishing a trend for the rest of the night: limiting Hawaii’s second-chance attempts.

Portland also got plenty of help off the bench, with 23 of its first-half points coming from non-starters, including 9 from Muhlheim. The Pilots were money inside the paint early, outscoring the Wahine 14-0.

The only time Hawaii scored consecutive baskets in the first half was when Tago hit back-to-back 3-pointers within a 41-second span to pull the Wahine to 37-23 with 1:19 left in the second quarter.

Toeaina, who averaged 13.5 points last season, was scoreless until late in the third. She scored back-to-back layups to bring Hawaii within 58-36 with 25 seconds to go in the third.

That was the closest the Wahine would come the rest of the way, with the Pilots’ largest lead (32) coming with 69 seconds to go. Junior forward Leah Salanoa answered with her second 3-pointer to cap the scoring for Hawaii.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/11/11/sports/wahine-offense-struggles-in-season-opener-against-portland/ (full article is behind a paywall)

by DoubleDipper Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:11 pm

I meant to stay for the first half only, but this team is too fun to watch to leave halfway through the game.

The Pilots are now 2-0 after a 72-52 over D3 Willamette U. this evening. It's always hard to judge how good (or bad) a team is against a less athletic and certainly less tall team, but nevertheless this was a good test and good chance for the new and returning players to work together.

Next up (and last chance to see the Pilots until they return home against PSU on November 28) are the D1 Utah Valley Wolverines at 5pm in the Chiles Center on Tuesday prior to the MBB game against Walla Walla U. at 7:30. Utah Valley is 0-1 after losing at Weber State on Friday.

by wrv Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:03 am

In determining whether the women's team is unwatchable you might consider that after we beat Hawaii, Hawaii promptly went up the road and beat Seattle U by fifteen points on their home court.

http://www.goseattleu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=211685130&DB_OEM_ID=18200

Hmmn?

by Geezaldinho Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:45 am

wrv wrote:In determining whether the women's team is unwatchable you might consider that after we beat Hawaii, Hawaii promptly went up the road and beat Seattle U by fifteen points on their home court.

http://www.goseattleu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=211685130&DB_OEM_ID=18200

Hmmn?

Yikes.

That game sounds like the very definition of unwatchable.

The first half was a slog for both sides, as the teams combined to miss 48 field goal attempts in the first 20 minutes. Hawaii (1-1) grabbed a 4-0 lead until Montgomery scored at the 6:26 mark to get SU (0-2) on the board. A Kallin Spiller putback made it 4-all with 4:54 left in the period.

by wrv Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:00 am

Apparently slogs are relative, and ours is currently better than Seattle's or Hawaii's. It is too early to hope they will be competitive against WCC opponents, but maybe . . .

by DoubleDipper Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:19 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:I'll just go out on a limb and say UP will win all three, not because I know much about any of the team's ability on the court, but because these wonderful young Pilots and their head coach deserve something positive to happen to start out their season.

Anyone who showed up early for the men's game saw the only exciting game in the Chiles Center tonight when the women went to 3-0 on the season after beating Utah Valley 71-64 in OT.

The Utah Valley coach has 22 years of experience there, and she had her kids a lot more ready to go at the beginning of the game then the UP staff did, but at the half, down by 10, Coach Sorenson made the adjustments needed to neutralize Utah Valley's scrappy zone defense and defend the ball with a zone defense of their own. (The Pilots scored 46 of their 71 points in the second half and OT.)

I've been watching UP women's basketball for over 25 years, and this game tonight ranks right up there as one of the more exciting games that resulted in a victory. What made it special for the players, who gained a ton of confidence tonight, was the noise from the many fans that began showing up in the second half....it really sparked them to the come-from-behind win.

Two freshman starters, and one senior off the bench who can't even practice as she recovers from knee surgery, played significant roles tonight in the Pilots comeback. Sure the season will get tougher, and the women are expected to come in 10th in the WCC, but for now all the players and we the fans should be excited about the way the season began....

by ExpatPilot Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:52 am

I did catch the end of this game as I was falling asleep. The girls really showed some guts by making a game of it at the end and then grinding out a victory in OT. Regardless of what happens in the next game or for the rest of the season, that was an important moment of growth and opportunity to learn for this team. I am glad they faced some adversity and overcame it!

by wrv Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:58 am

Maddie Mulheim, freshman, was clutch with her threes in the closing minutes of the game. Josie Matz, freshman, was fouled in the waining minutes and promptly missed two free throws so they fouled her again when they needed to, then she promptly sinks both free throws, when it counted. Nice steal earlier in the game based on the highlights. Spencer was strong on the boards and with her jumpers inside the key.

Enjoyable to watch the Pilots overcome a deficit.

Saw some emotion from our coach.

Go Pilots.

by StudentPilot Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:17 pm

wrv wrote:Saw some emotion from our coach.

I only got to see the second half, but most of the emotion I saw from Coach Sorenson was directed toward the "referees."

This was only the second WBB game I've watched, the other being against Hawaii last week, but the officiating in last night's game was uneven at best, and totally absurd at worst. (The refs in the Hawaii game were 100% better!)

One referee in particular, who I'm told was being evaluated to officiate at the Big 5 level, was really off her game and was making way too many calls that were not her calls to make....usually a foul call that she was not in position to actually see. There was a lot of discussion between the refs during the timeouts, but she must have been the lead official, because her ridiculous calls did not stop until the game was over.

On one occasion it was obvious to everyone that Utah Valley did not get the ball off before the shot clock expired and the caroming ball was eventually grabbed by the Wolverines at a critical juncture in the Pilots comeback bid. As it turned out, the ball eventually went back to UP on a rebound, but precious seconds went off the game clock in the meantime.

Sure hope UP can tell the WCC what officials they cannot send to the Chiles Center. Rolling Eyes

by PilotDrummer Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:23 am

StudentPilot wrote:Sure hope UP can tell the WCC what officials they cannot send to the Chiles Center.

My running joke for...16 years now: WCC=Worst Calls Conference. Particularly when GU traveled well ~10 years ago and were always incensed that they "didn't get calls."

by StudentPilot Thu Nov 16, 2017 10:34 am

In comparison (well, there really was none), the officials that called the Men's game vs. Walla Walla U. were excellent....a very good team.

I was told the lead official, Greg Nixon, had just returned from officiating the UCLA vs. Georgia Tech game in Shanghai.

by wrv Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:30 pm

Kind of depressing to see how far the Pilots are from competing with upper echelon teams. OSU did not need overtime to beat UVU as they pummeled them by 57 points.

http://gouvu.com/news/2017/11/16/womens-basketball-no-18-oregon-state-storms-past-uvu-98-41.aspx?path=wbball

by DoubleDipper Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:13 pm

wrv wrote:Kind of depressing to see how far the Pilots are from competing with upper echelon teams. OSU did not need overtime to beat UVU as they pummeled them by 57 points.

There was a time the Pilots could compete with UO and OSU, but it's probably been 12 or 13 years ago....and those weren't even the Pilots best teams.

I think UP beat OSU back to back one year and a ranked UO team the next in the early 2000s, but still did not have great success in the WCC in those years going something like 5-9 in the 8 team league.

The best years in D1 were the early/mid-90s (undefeated one year) when now UO Coach Kelly Graves was an assistant, but the Pilots still were not able to compete with the bigger schools.

For now it's probably best to just enjoy the few exciting wins the Pilots can achieve and not be depressed at how far the other programs have advanced with increased funding, increased emphasis, and elite (and highly paid) coaches.

(Kelly Graves originally signed with UO for $3 million over 6 years plus a car, a home, a country club membership, free tuition for his boys, and some other outside income from merchandising, but I've known Kelly since he was a college junior at U. of New Mexico, and I don't begrudge a nickel he makes...he's just a great guy who knows how to recruit, coach, and win.)

by Geezaldinho Fri Nov 17, 2017 11:34 pm

StudentPilot wrote:In comparison (well, there really was none), the officials that called the Men's game vs. Walla Walla U. were excellent....a very good team.

I was told the lead official, Greg Nixon, had just returned from officiating the UCLA vs. Georgia Tech game in Shanghai.

Ask the Walla Walla coach why they never went to the line until the score was 80-40 with four minutes left.

The only free throw.

by StudentPilot Tue Nov 28, 2017 5:21 pm

Cross-town rivalry game tonight vs. PSU in the Chile's Center....if you can't be there, it's on NBC Sports NW; Comcast 37.

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