By David Thompson
After being picked to finish seventh in the WCC preseason poll, the University of Portland women's basketball team has once again proven doubters wrong by winning their fourth and fifth straight games over the weekend.
The Pilots first served up a 38 point beat-down over San Francisco Thursday night, then followed up with a 12-point victory over the Gaels of Saint Mary's College Saturday afternoon.
"We're at a point in the season where we just need to win them all," Head Coach Jim Sollars said. "We're competing for tournament spots which are very important."
The spots Sollars refers to are the first two seeds in the conference. The top two teams get automatic byes to the semifinals, an advantage that Sollars says is huge.
Portland, which is currently second in the WCC, completely dominated San Francisco in front of the Chiles Center crowd. The Pilots jumped out to a 20 point lead behind eight points from sophomore Lauren Angel and a stout defense that only allowed three points in the first 12 minutes. Angel and senior Jessica Clemens finished the game with a team high 17 points.
All 13 members on the Portland roster got into the action Thursday as each player scored during the rout of the Dons.
The easy win over San Francisco allowed the Pilots to be at full strength for the physical battle with Saint Mary's that took place Saturday afternoon.
"Saint Mary's is always tough," Sollars said. "They play a physical, scrappy game that is not easy to play against."
The Pilots again took control early and led by as many as 17 in the first half. The Gaels clawed their way back in the second half and cut the deficit to four with a five point possession that included two free-throws from a technical foul called on Sollars. The Pilots then responded by allowing only two points the rest of the way to secure their 15th win of the season.
The two wins put the Pilots at 15-10 overall and 8-2 in the league. The eight WCC wins secure their first winning season in conference play since 2004 while the 15 wins overall matches the win total from last season.
The sweep of Saint Mary's and San Francisco sets up a huge weekend for the women's team who head to Southern California to face the third and fourth ranked teams in the WCC.
"We have a huge week coming up with games at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine," Sollars said.
Sollars says that controlling the ball and rebounding could be the factors in the next two games.
'"We need to limit turnovers, especially against Pepperdine. They play a hectic and wild style. They press all game and controlling the ball will be big," Sollars said.
While most teams may have trouble winning away from the friendly confines of their home court, Portland has succeeded greatly on the road. The Pilots boast a perfect 5-0 record while visiting WCC opponents. "With five seniors on the team it is only business when we hit the road," Sollars said.
One of those road wins was a three-point win in Spokane against league leading Gonzaga. "A win like that gives a team a great deal of confidence," Sollars said. "We know that we can beat any team in this league."
The success that Portland has had on the court is evident according to Sollars. "The biggest gap between winning and losing is having fun, and right now we're having fun."
