Portland Pilots (7-13, 1-6 WCC) at Loyola Marymount Lions (6-12, 1-6 WCC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Los Angeles, Calif. (Gersten Pavilion)
TV: ROOT Northwest, Spectrum SportsNet, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, NBC Sports California+
Video: TheW.tv (out of market)
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Stats: GameTracker
Series: LMU leads 51-47 (H: 29-17 A: 16-27 N: 2-7)
Last Meeting: LMU 66, Pilots 60 (Feb. 11, 2017 at LMU)

GAME INFORMATION
The University of Portland Pilots will look for a West Coast Conference road sweep against Loyola Marymout on Saturday. The Pilots posted a 55-49 win at San Diego for their first league win of the season. Saturday's tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Gersten Pavilion.

GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will have regional television coverage up and down the West Coast. Pacific Northwest viewers can catch the action live on ROOT Sports Northwest with Mike Trudell and Caron Butler providing the commentary. All Pilot games will have live radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) beginning 30 minutes prior to tip-off with play-by-play voice Jason Swygard calling the action.

PORTLAND NOTES
• Portland picked up its first WCC win of the season and first true road win of the year with a 55-49 victory at San Diego on Thursday night. Sophomore Josh McSwiggan led the Pilots with 15 points, but the team defensive effort was the difference as the Pilots held San Diego to 36 percent shooting and the 49 points allowed were a season low. The victory snapped a 22-game WCC regular season losing streak for Portland.
• Portland changed its starting lineup and went with three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior on Thursday. Freshmen JoJo Walker, Marcus Shaver Jr., and Tahirou Diabate started together for the first time. Walker, McSwiggan and senior C Philipp Hartwich are the only Pilots to have started all 20 games.
• Portland's two seniors have risen up the UP charts this season. Hartwich broke the school career record for blocked shots earlier this year. He is leading the WCC in blocks per game (2.6) and his 52 swats this year are already second in single-season school history and three shy of the record. He also ranks third in the league in rebounds (9.0).
• D'Marques Tyson is second in UP history for career three-pointers made (222).
• McSwiggan is leading the Pilots in scoring at 12.8 points per game, has reached double figures 15 times thus far and is second in the WCC in three-point percentage (.467).
• Terry Porter's 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 10 nationally by HoopScoop. The class was the highest rated in the WCC and No. 2 nationally among mid-majors. Nine newcomers comprised the class with seven freshmen and two junior college transfers.
• Portland has a diverse roster featuring players from 13 different states/countries. There are four Oregonians, but no other region with more than one player. Internationally, Portland has players from Mali, New Zealand, Germany and England.
• The Pilots signed 6-8 post Josh Phillips (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to a NLI during the early signing period.
• Portland took an August foreign tour to England and went 3-1 on the trip. The Pilots defeated 2017 British Basketball League runner-up Newcastle on a buzzer-beater by Franklin Porter, dropped a buzzer beater to BBL Champions Leicester, and posted two comfortable wins against academy teams.
• Xavier Hallinan returned to the Portland roster over winter break. Hallinan was a walk-on for two years and played significant minutes down the stretch last season, starting the last six games. He will sit out this season, but can practice with the team.

ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• The Lions (6-12, 1-6 WCC) are tied with the Pilots for eighth place in the WCC following an 82-67 loss at BYU on Thursday.
• LMU posted a league win against San Francisco, forced Pacific to overtime and lost by four at San Diego last week.
• Junior transfer G James Batemon leads the Lions in scoring at 17.1 per game, while freshman F Eli Scott averages 13.1 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds.
• LMU leads the WCC in steals (7.3) and offensive rebounds per game (13.1).
• The Lions lead the all-time series over Portland by a 51-47 margin. They are 27-16 in home games and swept last year's two meetings in a pair of close games.
• Head coach Mike Dunlap is in his fourth year at the helm and led LMU to a 15-15 overall record and 8-10 mark in WCC play last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Portland's stifling defense against San Diego limited the Toreros to 36 percent shooting and the 49 points allowed was the lowest for the Pilots since holding Oregon State to 45 points on Dec. 18, 2016. San Diego point guard Isaiah Wright, who erupted for a career-high 30 points at Portland on Jan. 4, was held to a season low three points on Thursday. Portland held just two Division I opponents 70 points or less in non-league play, but the Pilots have held four WCC opponents to 70 or less through seven games.

SUITS AND SNEAKERS
Portland will join with others around the country to participate in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers® Week. The nationwide event will run from Jan. 22-28 and unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer. Coaches will wear sneakers with their game attire as a visible reminder about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing one's cancer risk. Portland will also participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge where fans can pledge a donation for every 3-Point shot the Pilots make in games from Jan. 25-Feb. 24. Visit the PortlandPilots.com/Challenge for more information.

BENCH PROVIDES LIFT
With Portland's starters struggling offensively against Pacific last Saturday, the Pilots good a big boost off the bench as guards D'Marques Tyson (14 points), Marcus Shaver Jr. (12 points) and Malcolm Porter (12 points) gave the team a spark. The trio helped cut an early 10-point deficit to two at the half, capped by a Porter midcourt buzzer beater. The Pilots went back down by 11 early in the second half and the bench again provided a brief surge, before the Tigers pulled away late.

SHAVER JR. CONTINUES SCORING SURGE
Whether its starting or coming off the bench, freshman G Marcus Shaver Jr. has provided Portland with consistent scoring. The Phoenix, Ariz. native has reached double figures in nine of the last 11 games and is tied for the team scoring lead in WCC games with Josh McSwiggan at 10.4 points.

McSWIGGAN OFF TO FAST START
Josh McSwiggan has led the Pilots in scoring nine times this year, reached double figures in 15 of 20 games, and is averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game. The Loughborough, England native had a circuitous route to Portland. After committing to UTEP and sitting out his freshman season, he transferred to Casper College (Wyoming) and had a solid 2016-17 campaign. Portland assistant coach Bob Cantu, who recruited McSwiggan to UTEP, kept in touch and helped garner his commitment to the Pilots. McSwiggan was then able to return to his roots and play in his hometown in front of friends and family when Portland took a foreign tour to England in August.

THREE-POINT THREATS
Portland is third overall in the WCC in three-point percentage (.380) and make 8.3 three-pointers per game. The Pilots have made nine or more triples in 10 games this year. Josh McSwiggan ranks second in the WCC individually in three-point percentage (.467), while D'Marques Tyson is eighth (.435).

HARTWICH SETS RECORD, CONTINUES BREAKOUT SEASON
Senior C Philipp Hartwich broke the school career record for blocked shots on Dec. 19 against Hartford. The Cologne, Germany native swatted three attempts and passed Thomas van der mars (121, 2011-15) for the top spot on the charts. He now has 139 and counting. Hartwich averaged 1.4 points and 3.0 rebounds through his first three years on The Bluff, but is averaging 5.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots this year. He recorded his first three career double-doubles, leads the WCC in blocked shots, and is third in rebounding. His 52 blocked shots this year are already second in single-season school history behind Tim Frost (55, 2000-01).

DIABATE SURGES IN RETURN TO STARTING LINEUP
Freshman F Tahirou Diabate was re-inserted into the starting lineup when the Pilots hosted San Diego on Jan. 4 and scored the team's first six points and matched a season-high with 13 points. He got off to another fast start two nights later with the opening six points at Santa Clara and finished with career highs of 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. He came up big again on Thursday at San Diego with the go-ahead basket with less than two minutes remaining and finishing with 11 points.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Pilots feature one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Portland has 10 underclassmen with eight freshmen and two sophomores. Freshman PG JoJo Walker has started all 20 games this year and freshman G Marcus Shaver Jr. has scored 15 or more points seven times this season.

DIVERSE ROSTER WITH INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Portland has a diverse roster featuring players from 13 different states or countries. There are four native Oregonians, but no other state or territory with more than one player on the roster. Internationally, Portland has players from Mali, New Zealand, Germany and England. States represented include Hawaii, Arizona, California, South Carolina, Ohio, Idaho, Washington and the US territory of Puerto Rico. Freshman Tahirou Diabate is from Mali, but has lived in France, the Canary Islands, and Japan and speaks five languages: Bambara (native), English, French, Spanish and Japanese.

WALKER RESILIENT
Freshman PG JoJo Walker is from Puerto Rico and still has many family and friends that have been impacted by the hurricane season. Walker left Puerto Rico to gain greater basketball exposure and opportunities when he was a freshman in high school and settled in Santa Maria, Calif. What was originally supposed to be a short stint, but he developed such a connection with his host family and friends that he ended up staying all four years at St. Joseph High School. Despite only getting back to Puerto Rico a couple weeks per year, Walker's entire biological family still calls Carolina, Puerto Rico home. His mother, father, and grandfather were able to get off the island and visit JoJo in Portland in early October and were also at the PK80 Tournament, along with his Santa Maria, Calif. host family. The Pilots were able to use the NCAA Natural Disaster Exemption to host an exhibition game against Eastern Washington on Oct. 29 that raised nearly $3,000 for Red Cross efforts benefitting Puerto Rico relief.

TYSON CLIMBING UP CHARTS
Senior G D'Marques Tyson is the leading returning scorer for the Pilots after averaging 8.5 points per game a year ago. Tyson, a three-point specialist, ranks second all-time in three-pointers made at Portland (222). He passed Casey Frandsen (211, 2000-04) after drilling five three-pointers against Sacramento State on Dec. 21 and now trails only Jared Stohl (336, 2007-11). Tyson is also No. 6 in career three-point percentage (.411).

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Sophomore G Franklin Porter and freshman G Malcolm Porter are both coming off of redshirt seasons and in 2017. Franklin transferred to UP after playing one season at Saint Mary's, while Malcolm signed with the Pilots after graduating from Jesuit High School. Both players are also sons of Portland head coach Terry Porter. They are one of 30 brother tandems on the same team this year at the NCAA Division I level.

ENGLAND FOREIGN TOUR IN AUGUST
Portland went on a foreign tour to England in August and finished with a 3-1 record. The Pilots defeated 2017 British Basketball League runner-up Newcastle on a buzzer-beater by Franklin Porter, dropped a buzzer beater to BBL Champions Leicester, and comfortable defeated a pair of academy teams during the trip. In addition to the games and tours in London, the team was able to get 10 extra days of practice on campus. Visit PortlandPilots.com/LondonTour for complete details on the trip.

PILOTS INK ATHLETIC BIG DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland signed Josh Phillips (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS) to a NLI on the first day of the early signing period, head coach Terry Porter announced. Phillips (6-8, 190) will join the Pilots as a freshman in the fall of 2018. Porter and the Portland coaching staff targeted a 2018 post this summer and Phillips caught the staff's attention immediately. He earned All-Sunset League First Team honors and helped Edison post a 23-5 overall record and 9-1 mark in the Sunset League. The team advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section 2017 Boys Basketball Division I-AA Championships. "Josh impressed us with his ability to make multiple effort plays consistently as we evaluated him in the recruiting process," Porter said. "He has good size, length and athleticism, a great motor, and the tremendous desire to defend and rebound. His shot blocking ability will translate right away and he is always doing the little things that helps winning programs. He will bring a unique skillset to our frontline next year."

PILOTS IN THE PROS
A total of 11 former Pilots are currently playing professionally overseas: Alec Wintering (Araberri, Spain), Ray Barreno (Panteras de Aguascalientes, Mexico), Thomas van der Mars (Kalev/Cramo Tallinn, Estonia), Volodymyr Gerun (FC Barcelona B, Spain), Bryce Pressley (Palencia, Spain), Nemanja Mitrovic (Araberri, Spain), Nik Raivio (Legnano, Italy), TJ Campbell (Turk Telekom, Turkey), Luke Sikma (ALBA Berlin, German), Taishi Ito (Toyota Alvark, Japan) and Pooh Jeter (Tianjin Gold Lions, China).

RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 10
Terry Porter put together a nine-player 2017 recruiting class that one publication has been ranked as the No. 10 in the nation. In his first full recruiting cycle, Porter and his staff were recognized by HoopScoop.com to have the top class in the WCC and No. 2 class nationally among mid-major schools.