Portland Pilots Women’s Basketball will host the Lamar Lady Cardinals in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) at the Chiles Center, with tipoff scheduled for Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m.
The matchup marks another postseason appearance for Portland, which is participating in its 14th postseason tournament in program history. The Pilots have previously qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times, the WNIT four times, the Women’s Basketball Invitational twice, and the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament once. Under head coach Michael Meek, now in his seventh season, Portland has earned a postseason bid each year and all six of its playoff wins have come during his tenure.
In their previous game, Portland secured a narrow victory over Sam Houston Bearkats with a score of 62-59. The contest was marked by defensive intensity as both teams combined for 54 turnovers. Dyani Ananiev led with 18 points and a career-high six blocks, while Lainey Spear contributed 14 points and nine rebounds. Brynn Smith added ten points off the bench.
Statistically, Portland leads its conference in blocks per game (5.6), turnovers forced per game (20.6), and steals per game (11.1). Nationally, they rank among the top teams in these categories as well. Julia Dalan stands out with her shot-blocking ability; her total of 69 blocks this season is a new record for a Pilot true freshman.
The team also saw several players receive postseason honors following the regular season. Ananiev made the All-West Coast Conference Second Team for the second time in her career; Dallow received honorable mention; Dalan was named to the freshman team; and Nicole Anderson earned WCC All-Academic First Team honors.
Looking back at last season, Portland finished with a program-best record of 31-5 overall and shared the West Coast Conference Regular Season Title after going 17-3 in league play. They advanced to the quarterfinals of last year’s WBIT after earning their first-ever road playoff wins against Stanford Cardinal and Seton Hall Pirates.
Lamar enters Sunday’s contest with a record of 20-10 overall and finished second in their conference this year. Kamryn Wilson leads Lamar with an average of 11.1 points per game while Aqua Franklin serves as head coach in her seventh season.
Tickets for Sunday’s game are available through PortlandPilots.com.
