Pilots struggle on Senior night, look toward WCC

By PJ Marcello, Staff Writer -- marcello13@up.edu

It was the last game at the Chiles Center for four women's basketball players, and while the night ended with a loss, it provided good memories and made the team ambitious to finish the season strong.

The Pilots fell short in a close game against No. 2 in the WCC, St. Mary's with a final score of 62-52. Free throws made the game appear more lopsided than it was as St. Mary's hit 10 more free throws than the Pilots did, many of which came in the closing minutes of the game.

The four graduating seniors are looking forward to the WCC tournament in Vegas but will miss playing for UP.

"My time here was cool, it's been the best time of my life," senior forward Lauren Angel said. "I have improved both as a player and a person here."

Senior Jessica Clemens echoed her teammate's love for Portland basketball.

"I appreciated being able to be close with my teammates and close with a community," Clemens said. "I'm going to miss them for sure."

Senior Tara Cronin made her mark on her final game at home by leading the team in threes for the game with three and scoring 13 points.

After the game, coach Jim Sollars sung her praises for her career as a Pilot.

"I don't think we could have a better student-athlete than Tara Cronin," Sollars said. "She is excellent in the classroom as well as on the court and has been a great leader for this team."

The seniors and the team know that they still have work to do on this season and are fixed on making a run at the WCC title. With the fourth seed in the WCC clinched, the Pilots will face fifth seed Santa Clara in the tournament on Saturday.

"It's been a good long time here in Portland. Tonight was rough but we have to look ahead to the tournament now and hopefully get some revenge on Santa Clara," Cronin said.

The Pilots are excited for their opportunity to upset some teams in the tournament and are optimistic about their chances this year with a squad that is hungry for a win.

"We're going to do the best we can," senior Egle Karolyte said. "We've struggled in the past in the tournament but I think we'll do better this year."