Women’s Basketball and Men’s Basketball were the only UP teams to compete over winter break. The women’s team played five games while the men’s team played six, and both teams began their WCC conference play. A few games were postponed due to COVID-19 but the basketball teams were still able to continue playing.
Women’s Basketball
On Dec. 12 the Pilots took on their hometown rivals the Portland State Vikings. They won 71 to 54. Forward Alex Fowler put up 26 points and forward Lucy Cochrane put up 14.
Then on Dec. 13, the Pilots beat Stephen F. Austin State University 70-59 at home. Fowler had 22 points and guard Haylee Andrews put up 20.
On Dec. 20 the Pilots traveled to Fresno State where they won 67-50. Fowler had the lead in points — making 17. Andrews followed again with 11 points.
The Pilots were set to play Loyola Marymount on Dec. 30 and BYU on January 1, but both games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols in the WCC.
The Pilot’s next game on Jan. 6 was against Gonzaga and opened up conference play for the year. The Pilots picked up their first conference loss and 3rd regular season loss 65-76. Guard Emme Shearer and Fowler both put up 17 points each against the Bulldogs.
The Pilot’s next game against St. Mary's, set for Jan. 8, was also postponed.
On Jan. 13 the Pilots picked up their first conference win in a hard-fought game against San Fransisco University. Alex Fowler came through with 18 points for the Pilots and Shearer followed with 16 points. The Pilots came from behind in the 4th quarter to pull off their win.
The Pilots game set for January 15 against Pacific University was postponed, so the Pilots look to take on Gonzaga on Jan. 20.
Men’s Basketball
The Pilots faced Cal Poly at home on Dec. 13 and lost 77-78. Forward Kristian Sjolund picked up 20 points and guard/forward Tyler Robertson earned 16 points.
The Pilots then hit the road to take on the University of Oregon in Eugene on Dec. 15. They lost 71-96. Guard Chris Austin earned 19 points for the Pilots and Sjolund put up 14.
The Pilots returned home on Dec. 17 to take on San Jose State, losing 78-90. Guard Mike Meadows earned 16 points and forward Moses Wood made 14 points.
Mike Meadows dribbling the ball between the legs during a game on Nov. 1.
On Dec. 19 the Pilots traveled to Montana to take on Montana State. There they lost 59-61, but Austin pulled together 19 points and Tyler Robertson made 16 points.
The Pilots traveled to California to take on UC Davis on Dec. 22, where they won 65-60. Moses Wood made 18 points for the Pilots and Robertson made 13.
Three games scheduled for the Pilots against BYU, Loyola Marymount, and Santa Clara were postponed due to WCC COVID-19 policy.
On Jan. 13 the Pilot’s kicked off WCC conference play against San Diego State. They fought hard but lost in overtime. Meadows made 16 points for the Pilots and forward Chika Nduka put up 15 points.
The Pilots played against Pepperdine on Jan. 15 away. They collected their first WCC win 82-63. Wood and Austin were tied with the most points for the Pilots, each putting up 22. Nduka followed with 14 points.
The Pilots hit the road on Jan. 17 to play Loyola Marymount, they lost 58-70. Chris Austin, Nduka and Meadows all scored 16 points for the Pilots.
Portland is now 1-2 in conference play and they look to play BYU on January 22.
Wilder Isom is a Sports Reporter for the Beacon. She can be reached at isomw24@up.edu.
