The Portland Pilots men’s basketball team will host the San Diego Toreros on Saturday, February 28, at 1 p.m. in the Chiles Center. The game marks the end of the regular season for both teams and will also serve as Senior Day for the Pilots. The event is part of a doubleheader, with the University of Portland women’s team playing Gonzaga later that evening.
Saturday’s matchup can be viewed live on ESPN+, with Bryan Sleik and Jennifer Mountain providing commentary. Radio coverage will be available through PortlandPilots.com, where Jason Swygard will call the action.
In their most recent game, Portland lost to No. 9 Gonzaga by a score of 89-48 in Spokane. The Pilots were without starting forward Cameron Williams due to injury. Joel Foxwell led Portland with 12 points, while teammates Garrett Nuckolls, James O’Donnell, and Matus Hronsky contributed additional scoring efforts.
Earlier this month, Portland achieved a significant milestone by defeating No. 6 Gonzaga—its highest-ranked win in program history according to the AP Poll. This victory was also its first against a Top 10 opponent since 1968 and ended long losing streaks against ranked teams and Gonzaga specifically.
Freshman point guard Joel Foxwell has set several school records this season, including single-game and single-season scoring marks for freshmen as well as assists in a season. He currently leads the team in both scoring (16 points per game) and assists (6.5 per game), ranking among national leaders in those categories for freshmen.
Foxwell commented on his performance: “With his 35 points and eight assists last Wednesday against Pepperdine, he set three new school records.” He has earned seven WCC Freshman of the Week awards so far this year.
Another freshman contributor is Timo George from the Netherlands, who has been second on the team in scoring before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him midseason.
Senior center Jermaine Ballisager Webb has started twelve consecutive games for Portland and provided key performances throughout conference play.
The Pilots have faced multiple injuries this season affecting players such as Riley Parker, Timo George, Preston Lee, Carlin Briggs, and Cameron Williams. Head coach Shantay Legans also sustained an Achilles injury during practice but remains active with the team.
Portland’s roster features international diversity with student-athletes from seven countries; four current players are from Australia—a pipeline strengthened during Legans’ tenure as head coach.
“Shantay Legans’ teams have consistently performed well late in the season throughout his head coaching career,” according to information provided by university staff.
Several Pilots have represented their home countries at various levels of international competition: Jermaine Ballisager Webb played for Denmark’s senior national team; Timo George competed with Netherlands youth squads; Matúš Hronský represented Slovakia; Dante Censori-Hercules trained with Canada’s U-19 National Team.
This year’s roster was built around experienced transfers from successful programs alongside high-level freshmen recruits who bring club or national team experience to Portland.
San Diego enters Saturday’s contest having lost three straight games but holds notable wins over Washington State and UC San Diego this season. Former Pilot Juanse Gorosito now plays for San Diego under head coach Steve Lavin.
Historically, San Diego leads its series against Portland 64-37 after winning their previous meeting earlier this month by a score of 71-58.
