PORTLAND, Ore. – With it being the Christmas season, it's a safe bet to say that Kelli Valentine and her Portland State teammates are asking Santa for a Big Sky Conference championship.

A senior forward from Spokane, Valentine helped the Vikings to their first ever conference tournament title last March and to the school's first appearance in the NCAA Division I tourney. She hopes to end her final season at Portland State the exact same way, going back to the "Big Dance."

"Another appearance in the (NCAA) tourney and of course a Big Sky regular season championship," Valentine said when asked how she wants her senior season to end, "and to host the Big Sky tourney."

For the Vikings to serve as host to the two-day conference tournament in March they will have to accomplish something that no other Portland State women's basketball team has been able to and that is win the Big Sky regular season title. With Valentine leading the way, the Vikings stand as good as chance as ever.

Portland State's is off to a slow start at 5-6, but several of those losses have come against top-flight competition. Valentine says for the Vikings to make a run at the Big Sky championship they need to learn to play through the low periods of games.

"We need to learn to play through the lows," she said. "There will always be ups and downs in games and we need to continuously push through the lows and capitalize on teams that do not have as much heart as us."

While Portland State as a team has struggled at times, Valentine is off to a good start in her final season on the Park Blocks. She recently became the 14th member of the 1,000-career point club at PSU and needs four more rebounds to become just the 10th player in Vikings' history to score at least 1,000-career points and pull down 500-career rebounds.

PSU Head Coach Sherri Murrell says Valentine is extremely motivated to leave with a conference championship ring and because of that she has upped her game.

"I'm really proud of the contributions Kelli is making with this year's team. She had a tough junior year but she put that behind her and has really stepped up," Murrell said. "She wants to leave with a Big Sky championship ring and it sure shows with how well she is playing."

To reach the 1,000-point, 500-rebound barrier takes talent and an all-around game, something Valentine has. She is agile for her 5-foot-11 frame, with the ability to score from inside or out. She has always been able to knock down the mid-range jumper, but this season has extended her range and is third on the team with 10 three-pointers made. This comes after she made 11 all of the last season and just a combined five in her first two years.

"She's tough to guard," Murrell said. "If you take away her shot from the outside she will drive on you. If you back off she will drain a three-point shot on you. She is also one of our best passers so her versatility really creates problems with teams."

Valentine's success on the court has been aided by her teammates, something she is quick to point out, saying that ex-Viking point guard Claire Faucher deserves praise for getting her the ball so she could score.

Heading into this season, Valentine didn't realize she was close to reaching two significant milestones.

"It's really cool to have reached this point in my career," said Valentine, who will graduate this spring with degrees in health studies and community health. "I'm just thankful to reach these landmarks with such an enjoyable team."