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GAME NO. 1
Portland State (0-0) at Washington (0-0)
Sunday, Nov. 14  •  2 p.m.
Seattle, WA  •  Bank of America Arena

COVERAGE
PSU Audio: GoViks.com
Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani
UW Audio/Video: GoHuskies.com
    Requires $9.95 subscription
Live Stats: GoViks.com
    Gametracker through GoHuskies.com

SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time: UW leads 17-5
In Seattle: UW leads 6-1
Streak: PSU 1
Last PSU Win: PSU 67, UW 66
    11/14/10 at PSU
Last UW Win: UW 106, PSU 59
    12/20/86 at UW

THIS WEEK: Coming off its first ever trip to the NCAA tournament, the Portland State women's basketball team opens up the 2010-11 season at Washington this Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Ironically, Portland State played its final game of 2009-10 in the Huskies' home gym, Bank of America Arena, during the first round of the NCAA tourney, where they lost to No. 9 Texas A&M, 84-53.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKS THIS WEEK: Sunday's game at Washington will feature live stats and live video through GoHuskies.com. Links for Gametracker (live stats) can be found on GoViks.com by clicking on the LIVE EVENTS tab, then clicking on LIVE STATS. The link for the video service can also be found under LIVE EVENTS, then click on LIVE AUDIO/VIDEO. Washington's video feed is a premium service through CBS College Sports and requires a $9.95 paid subscription.

PORTLAND STATE – WASHINGTON SERIES NOTES: Last season, PSU opened up the year with a thrilling 67-66 victory over the Huskies at the Stott Center as Kelli Valentine hit the game-winning jumper from 13-feet out with 0.3 seconds left. It was Portland State's first win in eight tries against the UW in Portland and also snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Huskies. Late in the game it looked as if Washington would leave the Park Blocks with another victory as they led 64-56 with 3:09 to go. But Portland State scored 11 of the final 13 points to pull out the victory. Washington continues to lead the all-time series 17-5, and is 6-1 all-time at home against the Vikings. Prior to last season's victory, PSU hadn't defeated Washington since the 1979-1980 season. That year, the Viks claimed their lone win in Seattle, 78-70. Before meeting up last season, the two teams last played on Dec. 26, 1986.

PSU AND THE PAC-10: For the fourth straight year, Portland State will take on a Pac-10 school. They are 1-3 against the Pac-10 under Sherri Murrell, including last year's 67-66 win over Washington. Prior to that victory, the Vikings last win over a Pac-10 foe came early in the 1991-92 season as they defeated Arizona, 85-76.

VIKINGS' SEASON OPENER HISTORY: Portland State has won all three of its season openers under Head Coach Sherri Murrell, with all three victories coming at home. For the first time since the '06 season, the Vikings will start the year on the road. In addition to their win over the UW last season, PSU defeated BYU, 73-64 in the '08 opener, and Binghamton, 62-60, in first game of the 07-08 season.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: When the Big Sky preseason polls were released on Oct. 21, the Vikings found themselves picked to finish third by the league's coaches and media. Montana and Eastern Washington were tabbed 1-2 in both polls, followed by the Viks, who did receive one first-place vote in the coaches poll. Montana State was picked fourth in both polls. Idaho State and Sacramento State tied for fifth in the coaches poll, while Sac State edged ISU for fifth in the media voting. The predicted order for the bottom three teams was the same in both polls: Northern Arizona for seventh, Northern Colorado for eighth and Weber State for ninth.

A QUICK LOOK BACK AT LAST SEASON: The 2009-10 campaign started out with high expectations as Portland State was picked to win the Big Sky Conference in both preseason polls. But, the Vikings stumbled to a 6-7 preseason record against some tough competition, before getting on track during the first half of conference play. PSU sat at 6-2 through the first round of Big Sky games and appeared to be in the running for the title. Yet they closed the year by going 3-5 and wound up as the No. 5 seed in the Big Sky tournament. Behind the spectacular play of senior point guard Claire Faucher, PSU rattled off three straight victories to become the lowest seeded team to ever win the tourney. Faucher put on a dazzling display of scoring, passing and defense to earn tournament MVP honors and led the Vikings to a 62-58 win over sixth-seeded Montana State. That propelled the squad into their first “Big Dance” at the NCAA Division I level, where they earned a No. 15 seed and a date with second-seeded Texas A&M in Seattle, Wash. Portland State gave the nation's ninth-ranked team all they could handle for much of the first half and held a 28-27 lead right before the break. Eventually, though, the Aggies wore down the Vikings with their size and speed to move on to the second round.

GOING DANCING FOR THE FIRST TIME: Last season's appearance in the NCAA tournament was Portland State's first trip to the “Big Dance.” The Vikings did make the NCAA Division II Tournament every season from 1992-1996 and placed third in 1992 and second in 1995. They were one of five teams that made their first showing in the tournament. The others were Dayton, Princeton, University of Arkansas Little Rock and Northern Iowa.

BACK-TO-BACK POSTSEASON APPERANCES: Even though the Vikings were making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, they have reached the postseason two straight seasons after going to the WNIT in 2009. Portland State earned the Big Sky's automatic bid into the WNIT in 2008-09 and won their opener over cross-town rival Portland, 57-51. They eventually lost in the second round to Oregon State, 59-47.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: For the second time in the past three seasons, Portland State will play seven of its first 10 games on the road. In 2008-09, PSU started 6-4 and and went 3-4 in its first seven road contests.

THE RETURNERS: Portland State welcomes back nine letterwinners from last year's squad who played in 250 of a possible 297 games. Only juniors Eryn Jones and Katy Wade played in all 33 games a year ago, while seniors Lexi Bishop and Kelli Valentine each missed one contest. For Valentine, it was the only game she has missed in her career. PSU returners accounted for 64 percent of the scoring and 65.4 percent of the rebounding last season. Other returners include: seniors Courtney Cremer and Kelly Marchant, junior Stephanie Egwuatu, and sophomores Nichole Jackson and Karley Lampman.

FRESH FACES: This year's roster includes five new players, including three transfers. Technically it only has four new faces as sophomore guard Courtney VanBrocklin redshirted last year after transferring from Boise State. VanBrocklin is expected to make an immediate impact and pick up some of the scoring and rebounding load with the loss of Claire Faucher to graduation. In the Vikings' exhibition opener, VanBrocklin filled the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, with the latter two numbers being team highs. Junior forward Shauneice Samms comes to PSU after two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, where she a JUCO All-American as a freshman. Sophomore guard Kate Lanz transferred to PSU after one year at Oregon State and must sit out this season due to NCAA regulations. The final two new players are freshmen forwards Allie Brock and Keaton McFadden. Brock is a versatile player that can go inside or out and played in one of the nation's top prep programs at Southridge High School west of the PSU campus. McFadden, who is from Honolulu, will bring much needed strength to the Viking frontcourt and is already breaking records in the weight room after just a few months on campus.

MURRELL MAKING HER MARK: In just three short seasons at the helm of the PSU women's hoops squad, Sherri Murrell has undoubtedly made her team a force to be reckoned with in the Big Sky. Her 63-34 overall record and 34-14 Big Sky record is second only to Montana's Robin Selvig, and she has led the Vikings to their only 20-win seasons at the Division I level. The Vikings 63 wins overall and 34 BSC victories, give them more overall and conference wins then they had in the five seasons prior to her arrival (46-94, 26-47 Big Sky from 2002-03 to 2006-07). Murrell is the fastest coach in Portland State basketball history, men's or women's, to reach the 50-win plateau, doing so in 75 games. The next in line is ex-men's coach Ken Bone, who recorded win No. 50 at PSU in 88 games. Murrell's .649 winning percentage is the second-best in PSU women's hoops history, and in June of 2009, she was rewarded for her success when she was given a contract extension through June 30, 2015.

VALENTINE LOOKING TO JOIN THE VIKING ELITE: Senior forward Kelli Valentine should easily join the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club at PSU this season, which would make her the 10th player in Viking history to accomplish the feat. Valentine needs 33 more points and 51 more boards to reach each barrier and when she does it, it will mark the third time in the past four seasons that a Viking has joined the elite club. Kelsey Kahle joined it in 2007-08 as a junior, and Claire Faucher became a member last season.

GOING FOR 1,000: In the recorded history of the Portland State women's basketball program, 13 players have reached the 1,000-career point mark. As noted above, senior forward Kelli Valentine needs 33 more points to get to 1,000. But she isn't the only Viking that could reach the lofty number this season. Senior guard Kelly Marchant is 220 points shy of 1,000 and is expected to be one of the team's top scorers this year. Marchant's lowest season output was 209 points her sophomore year, so watch for her to join the 1,000-point club later this season. Should both players reach the mark they would become the first pair of players to do it in the same season since Kim Manifesto and Kristi Smith joined the club during their junior seasons in 1994-95. One other duo has also done it as Renae Aschoff and Sheir Stemple both reached the barrier during the 1991-92 season.

THE THREE-POINT THREESOME: Portland State possesses three of the best 3-point shooters in the Big Sky Conference in seniors Lexi Bishop and Kelly Marchant, and junior Eryn Jones. The threesome has a combined career 37.2 percent shooting mark from behind the arc, with Jones ranking fourth all-time at PSU in 3-point field goal percentage (38.7) and Marchant ninth (36.7). Last year, Jones made at least one trey in 27-of-33 games, Marchant made at least one in 26-of-31 games she played, and Bishop sank one in 22 of the 32 games she appeared in.

BASKETBALL JONES: Heading into her junior season, guard Eryn Jones is the only returning Viking to play in all 66 games the past two seasons. Jones is a deadly 3-point shooter and led the team in 3-point field goal percentage last season with a 38.8% mark. Her career percentage of 38.7 ranks her fourth all-time at PSU and her 77 career three-point field goals is the most by a Viking over their first two seasons since Jenni Ritter sank 86 from 2005-07.

NOT IN HER PAINT: Junior forward Katy Wade was a defensive force all of last season for the Vikings and became the PSU single-season blocked shots leader on Feb. 27 at Weber State. Wade tied the mark of 52 at Idaho State on Feb. 26, and then had two against the Wildcats to break the record set by Sheri Stemple during the 1991-92 season. Wade finished with 68 blocks, which ranks as the 10th-best single season mark in Big Sky history. In the Big Sky tourney opener against Idaho State, Wade blocked a PSU postseason record six shots. Only two players have blocked more shots in a Big Sky tournament game. Montana's Lisa McLeod blocked eight in 1989 and EWU's Brenda Souther had seven in a game in 1987. She also tied a 19-year old school record when she swatted away seven shots against Oregon State on Dec. 29. With two seasons left, Wade should easily become Portland State's all-time leader as she needs just 33 more to overtake the top spot held by Kelli Chandler-Read (118 blocks from 1994-97).