Complete game notes (PDF)

UP NEXT: Portland State (11-5, 3-1 Big Sky) plays at first-place Idaho State (11-5, 3-0 Big Sky) on Monday at 6:05 p.m. PT.

GAME NO. 17
at Idaho State (11-5, 3-0 Big Sky)
Monday, Jan. 16  •  6:05 p.m. PT
Pocatello, ID  •  Reed Gym

COVERAGE
Audio: GoViks.com
Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani
Video: Big Sky TV
Live Stats: ISUBengals.com

SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time: PSU leads 22-21
Big Sky: ISU leads 16-14
At ISU: ISU leads 13-7
At ISU Big Sky: ISU leads 10-5
Streak: ISU 1
Last PSU Win: PSU 89, ISU 79; 1/17/11 @ PSU
Last ISU Win: ISU 63, PSU 58; 2/10/11 @ ISU

PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO STATE STORYLINES
• Monday's game will feature two of the hottest teams in the Big Sky. Idaho State is in first place at 3-0. The Bengals have won four straight and eight of 10. PSU is one-half game back at 3-1. They have won three straight and nine of 11.
• The teams split the season series last year, with the home team winning each game. On Feb. 10, in Pocatello, the Bengals broke free from a 47-47 tie with 9:22 to go to stop a streaking Portland State team. The Vikings had won a conference best five-straight games, but shot just 31.8 percent from the floor, including a dismal 16.7 percent from three-point range. Idaho State left with a 63-58 win. Shauneice Samms had her second consecutive double-double for PSU with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Chelsea Pickering scored 19 for ISU.
• Portland State has lost two in a row in Pocatello after winning two straight there.
• The Vikings have won 9 of the past 13 meetings over the past six seasons.
• Sherri Murrell is 7-2 against Idaho State, including 2-2 in Reed Gym. Overall, she has a 9-2 record against the Bengals in her 16 years as a head coach.
• Six of the Vikings' victories under Murrell have been by double-digits, including a 97-57 win in Portland on Jan. 12, 2008. That 40-point difference is their largest margin of victory in a Big Sky Conference game.
• In the Jan. 8 NCAA statistical rankings, both teams ranked in the top 50 of free throw percentage and 3-point field goal defense. PSU is fourth in FT pct. (80.4) and fifth in 3-point FG defense (22.9), while Idaho State is 44th (73.5) and 48th (26.8), respectively.
• Idaho State is 5-1 at home, including 1-0 in Big Sky play. PSU is 3-4 on the road, including 2-0 in Big Sky action.  

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKINGS THIS WEEK: Monday's game will shown through Big Sky TV and will also feature an Internet audio broadcast with Teri Mariani calling the action. Live stats will also be available. 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.

A THRILLING COMEBACK: In their last game, Portland State had to rally over the final two minutes to defeat Northern Colorado on Thursday night. The Vikings led 54-49 with 10:46 left, but made just one field goal over the next eight minutes, 52 seconds. They eventually pulled to within 61-60 with 44 seconds to go and then forced a decisive turnover with 24 seconds left. After several miscues, PSU ended up with the ball out-of-bounds underneath their own basket. On the inbounds play, Eryn Jones found Kate Lanz under the hoop and she was fouled attempting a shot with 3.6 seconds remaining. Lanz made both free throws, lifting the Vikings to a 62-61 victory. Jones led PSU with 16 points, nailing four 3-pointers, Courtney VanBrocklin scored 15 and Lanz added 12 and eight boards. Shauneice Samms chipped in eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

BACK TO THEIR WINNING WAYS: The Vikings head into Monday's game having won nine of their last 11 games, including three straight. That comes after they suffered three straight losses in late November. There are some glaring differences in the statistics between their first five games, when they were 2-3, and their past 11. Through five games, PSU was shooting just 36.7%, allowing opponents to shoot 45.2% and had a -6.4 rebounding margin. But since then, they are outshooting their opponents 41.6% to 40.1% and have a +1.3 rebounding margin.

MAKING THEIR FREE THROWS: The Vikings upped their season free-throw percentage to a Big Sky leading 80.9% after a stellar performance in Hawai`i. PSU shot 86% (49-57) over three games, as Courtney VanBrocklin (18-18) and Eryn Jones (10-10) made every single one of their shots at the charity stripe. On Dec. 13 against Western Oregon, PSU made 21 of 22 for a 95.5 percentage. PSU is now shooting 80.4 percent to lead the league and rank fourth in the country (as of Jan. 8). They actually bumped up their percentage to 80.9 after making all eight of their attempts against Northern Colorado on Thursday night. Courtney VanBrocklin has been the biggest reason behind the high ranking as she is second nationally at 92.8%. Kate Lanz is ranked 38th at 85.7%. Also, Eryn Jones is shooting 87.5% at the line, but doesn't have enough attempts to qualify for the rankings. Nine times this year the Vikings have shot 80 percent or better and only twice have they shot less than 70 percent. Their shooting at the charity stripe is much improved from the past two years when they ranked 217th (67.2%) in 2009-10 and 105th (71.1%) last season.

THE BIG FOUR: With the addition of Kate Lanz to the lineup, the Vikings now have four players that are scoring the bulk of the teams' points. Lanz, Eryn Jones, Karley Lampman and Courtney VanBrocklin are accounting for 76 percent of the team's offense, while shooting 86.3 percent (164-190) at the line. They have also made 93.4 percent of the team's 3-pointers and 70.4 percent of the team's free throws. Three of them rank amongst the top nine in the league in scoring as Lanz is second, VanBrocklin is sixth and Jones is ninth. Lampman is 18th, making the Vikings the only squad to have four players in the top 2

PSU IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Three PSU players – Eryn Jones, Kate Lanz and Courtney VanBrocklin – are ranked in the top 100 in the NCAA in different statistical categories (as of Jan. 8), while the Vikings as a team rank in the top 100 of nine categories. Jones is ranked 24th in 3-point FGs made per game (2.7) and 46th in 3-point FG percentage (38.7), VanBrocklin is second in FT percentage (92.8), and Lanz is 29th in scoring (19.1 ppg), 38th in FT percentage (85.7), 46th in FG percentage (51.9) and 81st in rebounding (8.7). As a team, PSU is fourth in FT percentage (80.4), fifth in 3-point FG defense (22.9%), 28th in 3-point FG percentage (35.9), 38th in fewest turnovers per game (15.1), 42nd in scoring offense (72.9 ppg), 53rd in assist/turnover ratio (0.91), 72nd in turnover margin (+2.53), 92nd in 3-pointers made per game (5.7) and 94th in won-lost percentage (66.7).