The Portland Pilots women’s basketball team is advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference (WCC) Women’s Basketball Championships, where they will face the fourth-seeded Oregon State Beavers. The game is scheduled for Sunday, March 8 at 11:30 a.m. at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with additional audio coverage available through PortlandPilots.com.
The Pilots enter this matchup following a win over Washington State Cougars, securing a 72-62 victory in the third round. During that game, Rhyan Mogel scored 19 points, just one point shy of her career high, while Lainey Spear contributed 16 points. Dyani Ananiev led the defensive effort with three steals and three blocks, and Nicole Anderson made two three-pointers to bring her season total to 58—eighth most in program history.
Under head coach Michael Meek, now in his seventh season, the Pilots have experienced significant success in WCC tournaments. “In 2020, Meek’s first season, he led the Pilots to their first WCC Tournament championship since 1994 and just their second in program history. Alex Fowler was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player that season.” The team also won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 by defeating Gonzaga in both finals.
Portland has established itself as a strong defensive team this season, leading the conference in blocks per game (5.5), turnovers forced per game (20.7), and steals per game (11.1). Nationally, they rank among the top teams for these statistics as well as assists per game and bench points per game.
Individual players have earned postseason recognition for their performances during the regular season. “For the year All-West Coast Conference honors, Ananiev made the All-WCC Second Team, Dallow earned honorable mention and Dalan made the freshman team.” Nicole Anderson received WCC All-Academic First Team honors.
Last season was historic for Portland as they finished with a record of 31-5 overall and shared the WCC Regular Season Title after going 17-3 in conference play. They reached several program milestones including new records for wins and statistical achievements across various categories.
Oregon State enters Sunday’s quarterfinals with a record of 21-10 overall and finished fourth in WCC play at 13-5. The teams split their regular-season meetings; Portland won at home but lost on the road to Oregon State. Last year, Oregon State defeated Portland in the WCC Tournament final before falling to North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.
Beavers head coach Scott Rueck is completing his sixteenth year with Oregon State and has guided them to nine NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure.
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