Game 1:
LMU Lions (7-12, 2-7 WCC) at
Portland Pilots (14-4, 4-2 WCC)
Feb. 5, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. PST | Portland, Oreg. | Chiles Center
Stream: WCC Network
Last Meeting: LMU 74, Portland 56 [3/5/21 at WCC Tournament Round 2]
Game 2:
LMU Lions (7-12, 2-7 WCC) at
Portland Pilots (14-4, 4-2 WCC)
Feb. 7, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. PST | Portland, Oreg. | Chiles Center
Stream: WCC Network
Last Meeting: LMU 74, Portland 56 [3/5/21 at WCC Tournament Round 2]
It is no surprise that Coach
Aarika Hughes has a passion for basketball and has been around the game for quite some time. Coach Hughes grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, where she attended Southridge High School, winning back-to-back state championships.
In fact, Michael Meek, Head Coach at the University of Portland, is no stranger to her story. To be clearer, he led Coach Hughes and her high school to two final four appearances and those back-to-back state championships mentioned earlier.
Coach Hughes was a part of a special group of girls who played basketball together since they were 10-11 years old. With Southridge High School being fairly new when they became freshman, Coach Meek already knew years ahead those girls were special and would accomplish a lot once they got to the high school level.
Coach Hughes was just one of five players to get Division I scholarships at Power-Five programs from her class and helped Southridge become a national level school.
"It was a pleasure to coach the special group of girls including Aarika," stated Coach Michael Meek. "I am really proud of Aarika, she's has established herself and deserves this opportunity."
Coach Hughes and Coach Meek will face off on Saturday, Feb. 5 and Monday, Feb. 7 in two conference matches at the Chiles Center. The crazy thing about the Chiles Center is, that is where Coach Meek, Aarika, and the Southridge High School Girls Basketball Team won those state titles.
"Chiles Center is pretty special to me," stated Coach Hughes. "Being able to return home is one thing, but to play against my high school head coach at the Chiles Center is just an unexplainable feeling."
The Lions travel to Portland to face the Pilots after losing a close battle to Pepperdine 64-60. Prior to Thursday's game, the Lions were on a two-game winning streak in the conference, shooting over 50% from the field.
Nicole Rodriguez and
Ariel Johnson have been producing well offensively.
Jasmine Jones has also been getting into her groove in the past few games, while
Alexis Mark defense has been phenomenal recording five steals over the past few games.
On the other hand, Portland just upset #16 BYU on Thursday for the first time since 1998, making them 14-4 overall and 4-2 in the West Coast Conference. Both teams are eager to win. It will be exciting to see the Lions bounce back from a loss while on the road.
Tip-off for both games will be at 2:00 PM Pacific Time on Saturday, Feb 5 and Monday, Feb 7. The games will be
streamed on WCC Network and live stats can be found at the link
here.
