The WCC Preseason poll projects women’s basketball to finish No. 4 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) behind Gonzaga, Washington State and last year’s conference tournament champion, Oregon State.
This season, the Pilots emerge with a new core hoping to continue on last season’s success.
On Nov. 4, the Pilots had a 95-43 victory over the Bearcats. Every Pilot scored a point for the team, led by freshman guard Brynn Smith with 12 points. This is the highest point total by a freshman in their debut game since Emma Shearer scored 14 points in her 2020 debut.
The Pilots had a strong start to their season, even with the departure of their starting five at last season’s end, including guard McKelle Meek, forward Trista Hull, guard Emme Shearer, forward Alexis Mark and guard Maisie Burnham. Shearer, Burnham and Mark each received All-WCC First Team honors.
Last year, Portland ended their historic season with a 71-61 loss against Villanova in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) quarterfinals. They ended their streak with a program record of 17 conference wins and 31 wins overall, the second most wins ever by a WCC team.
Returning players include senior guard Natalie Fraley, junior guard Rhyan Mogel and junior forward Lainey Spear, who will be leading the charge this season. Going forward into this new chapter, they seek a new group of players to be the backbone of the team.
“I think regardless of if we lost five starters or not, we always have girls that are ready to step into a new role,” Spear said.
With a new group of leaders in place, the Pilots don’t foresee a change in results. They aim to keep up their previous season’s success, like their three straight WCC Tournament Championship appearances.
“There's an element of maintaining standard,” Mogel said. “We've had a lot of good success over the last few years.”
Another key player for the team’s core is sophomore guard Dyani Ananiev, who was named to the WCC Preseason Team after becoming the first Pilot since 2021-22 to earn All-WCC Freshman Team honors last year.
Additionally, throughout roster changes, coaching has stayed consistent. This stability builds trust between players and the coaches.
“I think it is really easy to get distracted by outside influences, and kind of a big emphasis for us as a team is to look to the coaches,” Mogel said. “And look to each other and within the team for how we can improve.”
The Pilots may work hard on the court to produce in-game results, but togetherness is a factor that drives them.
“I want to play good for the seniors on our team,” Spear said. “This is their last year. The freshmen want to play good for the upperclassmen, I think we all want to do it for each other.”
For Fraley, Mogel and Spear, who are from the Pacific Northwest, playing in Portland strengthens their connections to the team and fans.
Fraley’s local middle school, Coweeman Middle School, has a tradition of attending at least one women’s basketball game each year.
“It's pretty cool to be able to see [in the crowd] not only the teachers and stuff that I had growing up, but to be that role model for kids that I got to see when I would come to games,” Fraley said.
Portland will stay home to face Montana State on Nov. 7 and Warner Pacific on Nov. 11 before hitting the road for a Nov. 18 matchup against USC.
Audrey Day is a sports reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at daya28@up.edu.
