Complete game notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK: Portland State (5-3) heads to the Aloha State, where they will play in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Shootout, Dec. 18-20, hosted by Hawai`i. The Vikings open with a game against the host Rainbow Wahine (2-7) on Sunday, then play UC Davis (6-3) on Monday and Denver (7-3) on Tuesday. All three contests start at 7 p.m. PT, 5 p.m. Hawai`i time.

GAME NO. 9
at Hawai`i (2-7)
Sunday, Dec. 18  •  7 p.m. PT
Honolulu, HI  •  Stan Sherriff Center (7,200)

SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time: PSU leads 4-3
At UH: UH leads 3-0
Streak: PSU 2
Last PSU Win: PSU 77, UH 66; 12/2/10 @ PSU
Last UH Win: UH 68, PSU 55; 11/18/01 @ UH

GAME NO. 10
vs. UC Davis (6-3)
Monday, Dec. 19  •  7 p.m. PT
Honolulu, HI  •  Stan Sherriff Center (7,200)

SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time: PSU leads 8-3
Neutral: PSU leads 3-0
Streak: UCD 1
Last PSU Win: PSU 73, UCD 63; 11/24/06 @ PSU
Last UCD Win: UCD 80, PSU 62; 11/27/07 @ UCD

GAME NO. 11
vs. Denver (7-3)
Tuesday, Dec. 20  •  7 p.m. PT
Honolulu, HI  •  Stan Sherriff Center (7,200)

SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time: PSU leads 4-0
Neutral: N/A
Streak: PSU 4
Last PSU Win: PSU 52, DU 44; 12/3/98 @ PSU
Last DU Win: N/A

PORTLAND STATE vs. HAWAI'I STORYLINES
• Portland State and Hawai'i meet up for the second straight year. On Dec. 2, 2010, the Vikings earned a 77-66 victory at the Stott Center. Five Vikings scored in double-figures, lead by Courtney VanBrocklin with 16 (all in the first half). Eryn Jones and Karley Lampman added 13, while Shauneice Samms had 11. VanBrocklin also led PSU with 10 boards. For Hawai`i, Kamilah Jackson had 22 points and 10 rebounds.
• This will be the fourth time the Vikings have played at Hawai`i. They are 0-3 all-time in Honolulu. Their last game vs. UH there was during the 2001-02 season, but they did play in a tournament there in December 2006.
• PSU is 6-2 against WAC schools under Head Coach Sherri Murrell, including 2-1 on the road. She is 2-1 all-time against UH as a head coach. UH has only played one Big Sky team (PSU) under Head Coach Dana Takahara-Dias.
• Both teams have lost to Portland this year. The Vikings suffered a 62-54 defeat at UP on Nov. 25, while Hawai`i lost to the Pilots, 82-64, at home on Nov. 18.
• PSU and UH both rank in the top 100 nationally in free-throw percentage as of Dec. 11. The Vikings are 24th (75.8%), while UH is 81st (71.7%).

PORTLAND STATE vs. UC DAVIS STORYLINES
• Portland State and UC Davis will be playing for the first time since Nov. 27, 2007, when the Aggies won 80-62, in Davis. This will be the 12th meeting all-time.
• UC Davis has won two of the last three.
• The two teams have played at a neutral site three times with PSU winning every time. Their last neutral site game came on Nov. 17, 1995, at the NorCal/PacWest Challenge in Seattle. The Vikings won that game, 76-69.
• Sherri Murrell is 9-5 against Big West schools, including 2-0 this year.
• The Aggies have faced one other Big Sky team this year, defeating Sac State, 68-57, on Dec. 4, at home.
• Both teams mutually rank in the top 100 nationally in four categories as of Dec. 11. UCD is seventh in 3-pointers made per game (8.4), while PSU is 69th (6.3). UCD is also 30th in turnovers per game (14.8) and assist/turnover ratio (0.99), and 36th in turnover margin (5.33). PSU, meanwhile, ranks 56th (15.4), 63rd (0.89) and 65th (3.29) in those three categories, respectively.

PORTLAND STATE vs. DENVER STORYLINES
• The Vikings and Pioneers will be playing for the first time since Dec. 3, 1998, when PSU claimed a 52-44 victory at the Stott Center.
• PSU leads the series 4-0, winning twice in Portland and twice in Denver.
• Denver has defeated two Big Sky teams this season. On Nov. 30, they won at Northern Colorado, 66-57, and on Dec. 5, they beat Montana, 53-52, at home.
• Both teams have faced Oregon and LMU. Denver defeated Oregon, 89-65, at home on Dec. 11, while PSU lost to the Ducks in Eugene, 75-71. The Pioneers defeated LMU, 71-55, in their season opener on Nov. 11, and PSU won at LMU, 70-55, on Dec. 10.
• Denver assistant coach Lisa Faulkner played at Oregon City HS, helping the Pioneers to the 2001 state title. She was an assistant at NAU during the 2007-08 season.
• PSU is 6-2 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. However, this will be just the third time they've played a team that was in the Sun Belt at the time of the game. They lost to Western Kentucky, 101-67, on Jan. 3, 1987, and beat South Alabama, 68-56, on Dec. 19, 2005.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKINGS THIS WEEK: All three games in Hawai`i will be broadcast through GoViks.com with Teri Mariani calling the action. Live stats will also be available through HawaiiAthletics.com. There will be no video for any of the games. Links for everything can be found by visiting GoViks.com, then clicking on the LIVE EVENTS tab. Under there you will find the LIVE AUDIO/VIDEO and the LIVE STATS pages.

LIVIN' ON THE ROAD: The trip to Hawai`i will bring to a close a span of seven of nine games away from the Stott Center for the Vikings. From Nov. 20-Dec. 20, the Vikings will have played seven road contests. Currently, the Vikings are 1-3 on their road swing.

OFF TO THE ISLANDS: PSU will be making its first trek to the Islands since Dec. 15-16, 2006, when they played in the Pardise Classic, which was also hosted by Hawai`i. They went 1-1 in that tourney. Overall, this will be Portland State's sixth trip to Hawai`i. They played at UH twice during the 1991-92 season, then in tournaments at UH in 1986-87, 2001-02 and 2006-07. During the 1995-96, PSU played in a tournament hosted by Hawai`i-Hilo.

THE MID-MAJOR TOP 25: Both Denver and UC Davis are ranked in the latest College Sports Madness Mid-Major Top 25. The Pioneers are 20th, while UC Davis is one spot behind them. The Vikings fell out of the rankings a few weeks ago, but did receive two votes in the Dec. 13 poll.

BACK ON TRACK: PSU has won three straight following a three-game losing streak. The Vikings snapped their losing streak with a 80-73 victory over Nevada on Dec. 3. The Vikings never trailed in the game and the score was tied just once, 9-9, early on. Kate Lanz poured in 26 points to lead all scorers and PSU fought off several second half comeback attempts by the Wolfpack. They followed that up with a 70-55 win at Loyola Marymount on Dec. 10. PSU lead for the final 30:24 of the contest and was led by Kate Lanz (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Courtney VanBrocklin (13 points, 12 rebounds). Their third win came against Western Oregon on Dec. 13, 78-58. PSU was outrebounded by the NCAA DII Wolves, but forced 29 turnovers and converted those into 29 points.

MAKING THEIR FREE THROWS: The Vikings upped their season free-throw percentage to 78.9 after making 21 of 22 (95.4%) against Western Oregon. PSU entered the game shooting a Big Sky best 75.8 percent. Three players are shooting over 80 percent and Courtney VanBrocklin is second in the league at 88.6% (31-35). Kate Lanz is shooting 90% (18-20; she wasn't ranked on Dec. 13 because she hadn't played in 75% of PSU's games), while Eryn Jones is shooting 83.3% (15-18).

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Portland State has won the turnover battle in seven of eight games this season and has a +4.5 turnover margin. They have forced 20 or more turnovers four times, and the 26 turnovers committed by Nevada and 29 by Western Oregon account for two of the five highest totals by a PSU opponent in the Sherri Murrell era. The most by a PSU opponent over the past four-plus seasons is 31 by Lewis & Clark on Nov. 23, 2010. On Dc. 21, 2009 L&C had 30 turnovers, and on Dec. 20, 2007, Hawai`i committed 27 turnovers.

PSU IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Two PSU players – Eryn Jones and Courtney VanBrocklin – are ranked in the top 100 in the NCAA in different statistical categories (as of Dec. 11), while the Vikings as a team rank in the top 100 of seven categories. Jones is ranked 14th in 3-point FGs made per game (3.0), 71st in 3-point FG percentage (38.2), 84th in assists (4.4) and 94th in assist/turnover ratio (1.63), while VanBrocklin is 22nd in FT percentage (90.3). As a team, PSU is third in 3-point FG defense (18.8%),, 24th in FT percentage (75.8), 56th in fewest turnovers per game (15.4), 46th in 3-point FG percentage (34.9), 63rd in assist/turnover ratio (0.89), 65th in turnover margin (+3.29), 67th in scoring offense (69.9 ppg) and 69th in 3-pointers made per game (6.3).

SHAKING OFF THE RUST: Sophomore transfer Kate Lanz finally got the chance to take the court at Oregon on Nov. 20. In her first appearance as a Viking, Lanz added 11 points off the bench, including several key baskets late to help PSU rally from a 14-point second half deficit. After missing several of her first shots, Lanz settled into a groove and finished 5 of 9 from the floor, while chipping in five assists, four rebounds, one block and one steal. It was her first game since March 2010, when she played at Oregon State. Last year she redshirted due to NCAA transfer regulations. In the five games since, Lanz has led PSU in scoring every time. Over those five she is averaging 19.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.0 spg and shooting 55.4 percent from the floor.

THE BIG THREE: With the addition of Kate Lanz to the lineup, the Vikings have found a trio of players to rely on. Lanz, Eryn Jones and Courtney VanBrocklin are accounting for 59.3 percent of the team's offense, while shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from behind the arc and 87.7 percent at the line. They have also made 76.5 percent of the team's 3-pointers and 57.1 percent of the team's free throws.

MOVING ON UP IN THE RECORD BOOK: Eryn Jones continues to move up in the PSU career record book for 3-point field goals made and attempted. She is still in fourth place for 3-pointers made with 174, but need just nine more to Karrin Wilson (1996-2000) for third place and 11 more to tie Claire Faucher (2006-10) for second place. The all-time record is 256, set by Michele Hughes from 1987-91. Jones' 427 attempts have helped her moved up from sixth to fourth in that category. She needs 110 more to tie Wilson for third place and 154 to tie Faucher for second. Hughes also holds the top spot in that category, with 650 attempts. Addtionally, Jones continues to rank third in career 3-point field goal percentage with a .407 mark. Finally, Jones needs one more assist and six more 10-point games to break into the top 10 of those categories.