Feb. 9, 2006
About Portland
The Pilots (8-15, 2-7 WCC) host the No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs at a sold out Chiles Center on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised in the Portland-metro area on KPDX-TV (UPN 49) with Bob Akamian and Bill Krueger calling the action.
Portland has lost five consecutive games after dropping a pair of home contests to Saint Mary's and Santa Clara last weekend. Senior guard Darren Cooper returned to the lineup on Saturday against Saint Mary's after missing the previous two games because of turf toe. He scored a team-high 20 points, but the Gaels shot 54 percent in the second half and prevailed with a 66-52 victory. Sophomore forward Marcus Lewis recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Pilots. Cooper again led the way with 20 points against SCU on Monday, but the Broncos shot a blistering 65 percent from the field en route to an 80-56 win. Portland senior Pooh Jeter was held to single-digit scoring in both games after reaching double figures in 20 of the first 21 games this year.
The senior backcourt of Jeter, Cooper and Donald Wilson has been the catalyst all season for the Pilots. Jeter, voted a top five returning player by the WCC coaches, leads the team with an 17.3 scoring average, while his 20.0 average in WCC contests is second only to Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (29.2). Cooper adds 13.7 points per game to make the duo the highest guard scoring combination in the WCC (31.0). Wilson is averaging 9.3 points and 5.4 boards in league play and became the 29th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season, joining Jeter as the first 1,000-point teammates since the 1979-80 season. Wilson and Jeter also became the second-highest scoring teammates in UP history on Monday, trailing only Hall of Famers Darwin Cook and Rick Raivio (1977-80). Jeter has 1,569 career points and is 110 points away from being No. 2 on the Pilots' career scoring list.
Portland has not defeated a ranked opponent since a 68-63 victory over No. 19 Oregon State on Dec. 11, 1981 at Memorial Coliseum. The Pilots have never defeated a top 10 team.
On Dec. 22, the Pilots claimed an 80-72 victory over the Oregon Ducks. The win gave Portland a season sweep of the in-state Division I rivals for the first time since the 1956-57 season. The Pilots had previously beaten Portland State (70-52) and Oregon State (76-62).
The Pilots were picked to finish third in the WCC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Head Coach Michael Holton earned his 50th career win at Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, 2006. In his fifth year at the helm, Holton posts a 51-88 (.367) overall record.
Portland returns its top five scorers and four starters from a 2004-05 team which finished 15-15 overall and 4-10 in the WCC. It marked the most wins since the 1995-96 season.
About No. 5 Gonzaga
The Bulldogs (19-3, 9-0 WCC) survived a scare on Monday with a come-from-behind, 62-61 victory over Saint Mary's in Spokane, extending the nation's longest home winning streak to 35 games. Sean Mallon's free throw with 0.3 seconds remaining clinched the victory and extended GU's winning streak to 10 games. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 5 in both the AP and Coaches' Poll and have won 17 straight games against WCC competition. Junior forward Adam Morrison leads the nation in scoring at 28.4 points per game, while senior center J.P. Batista is second in WCC scoring at 19.3 per game.
Mark Few is in the midst of his seventh season as head coach of the Bulldogs. He has led Gonzaga to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a 178-40 (.817) overall record. Few's 159 victories through six seasons tie him with Roy Williams (Kansas) for the most victories by a NCAA Division I sixth-year head coach.
Portland-Gonzaga Series Notes
All-Time: GU leads 78-64
All-time WCC: GU leads 40-14
At UP: UP leads 34-28
At GU: GU leads 38-21
At Unknown Location (pre-1950): GU leads 9-7
At Neutral: GU leads 3-2
Holton vs. GU: 1-8
Few vs. UP: 12-1
Last Meeting: GU 81, UP 64 (1/28/05 at Gonzaga)
Current Streak: GU - 5 wins
Coming Up
Following Portland's game with Gonzaga on Monday, the Pilots will travel to Los Angeles for games against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. The Pilots and Waves tip-off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, while UP and the Lions meet on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Both games can be heard on 1550 KKAD-AM or .
Lewis Suspended Indefinitely
Portland sophomore forward Marcus Lewis has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, head coach Michael Holton announced on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Game Features WCC's Top Scorers
Saturday's game between Portland and Gonzaga will feature the top two scorers in WCC games. Gonzaga junior forward Adam Morrison leads the way at 29.2 points through nine WCC contests, while Portland senior guard Pooh Jeter is second at 20.0 per game.
Cooper Returning to Form
Senior guard Darren Cooper returned to action last weekend after missing the previous two contests because of turf toe on his right foot. Cooper, the Pilots' second leading scorer at 13.7 points per game, led Portland in both games with 20 points. He was a combined 14 of 27 from the floor, 7 of 10 from the three-point line and 5 of 6 at the free throw line against Saint Mary's and Santa Clara.
Cooper has battled illness and injury all season, playing through a respiratory infection in the opening weeks of the season then the turf toe issues over the last month. Despite the setbacks, Cooper is second in the conference in three-point percentage (.469), third in three-pointers made (2.2), 11th in free throw percentage (.765), 13th in scoring and 15th in field goal percentage (.463).
Streaks of Note
Gonzaga has rattled off 17 straight West Coast Conference wins entering Monday night's game...the Bulldogs have won the last five meetings over the Pilots...Gonzaga's 35-game home winning streak is the longest in the nation...Portland was the last team to beat GU on their home court, a 72-68 shocker on Feb. 19, 2003.
Wilson-Jeter Duo Reaches Milestone
Seniors Pooh Jeter and Donald Wilson became the second highest teammate scoring tandem in UP history behind UP Hall of Famers Darwin Cook and Rick Raivio after combining for 18 points on Monday, Feb. 6 against Santa Clara.
2,500-Point Teammates in UP History
3,346 Darwin Cook-1,678/Rick Raivio-1,668 1977-80
2,692 Pooh Jeter-1,569/Donald Wilson-1,123 2003-06
2,691 Darwin Cook-1,678/Reggie Logan-1,013 1977-80
2,681 Rick Raivio-1,668/Reggie Logan-1,013 1977-80
2,675 Jose Slaughter-1,940/Moby Oliver-735 1979-82
Injury Report
* Chris Jackson (right knee) - day-to-day