Game Notes | Live Video | Live Stats

Portland State (9-9, 3-6) vs Southern Utah (9-8, 3-4)
Thursday, January 24, 2013, • 7:30 p.m • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) • Portland, OR

Southern Utah: 9-8 Overall • 3-4 Big Sky • Away 4-3
Portland State: 9-9 Overall • 3-6 Big Sky • Home: 4-5

Live Video: BigSkyTV.org • Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani • Pregame Show: 7:15 p.m.
Live Stats: http://vikslive.statb.us
All-Time Series: PSU leads 10-1; PSU leads 4-0 in Portland
Big Sky Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: PSU 72-71 at SUU (12/31/2007)

OPENING TIP
NEXT UP: The Portland State Vikings welcome Big Sky Conference newcomer Southern Utah University to the Peter W. Stott Center this Thursday in the final game of PSU's four-game home stand. The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and is the Vikings “Hoops for Heart” game presented by The Hope Heart Institute and Diet Coke. Everyone in attendance will receive a free t-shirt.

COVERAGE: The game is available via live video stream at www.BigSkyTV.org with Teri Mariani calling the action. Live stats will be available at www.goviks.com.

LAST TIME OUT: Portland State fell to Eastern Washington, 68-56, in the first women's basketball installment of The Dam Cup this past Monday. JR F Angela Misa led the Vikings with 15 points while SO G Allison Greene put up 14 points. Hayley Hodgins recorded a game-high 22 points for the Eagles while Carrie Ojeda tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. PSU outrebounded EWU 43-to-36 but the Eagles turned 22 PSU turnovers into 27 points leading to the win. 

THE COACHES: Portland State Head Coach Sherri Murrell is 107-69 overall and 56-33 in Big Sky play in her six seasons at Portland State. Murrell is 3-0 all-time against Southern Utah and is 1-0 against the Thunderbirds while at PSU. Head Coach JR Payne is 38-68 in her four seasons at Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds are 12-39 on the road since Payne took over for the 2009-10 season.

THE THUNDERBIRDS: Southern Utah comes into Thursday's game 9-8 overall and 3-4 in its first season in the Big Sky Conference. The Thunderbirds are averaging 69.9 points per game this season, second in the Big Sky. They are shooting .396 as a team from the floor and are averaging 4.6 3-piont field goals a game. SUU has the second best rebounding margins in the conference at +6.2. The Thunderbirds have done most of their damage in the second half of contests. They have scored 12 fewer points then their opponents in the first half but have outscored their opponents by 60 points in the final 20 minutes.

Southern Utah got off to a slow start to the season falling to 2-4 before winning five straight including their first Big Sky game against fellow newcomer North Dakota on Dec. 20. Since then, SUU has gone 2-4 with their only other two wins coming at Sacramento State (79-71) and at home to Weber State (74-61). The Thunderbirds dropped their last two games to Montana State and Montana respectively.

Hailey Mendelko leads the Thunderbirds with 11.1 points per game. The 5-foot-8 sophomore guard has come on of late scoring in double-digits in each of SUU's last three games. She has led the Thunderbirds in scoring five times this season including a team season-high 27 points at San Jose State in December. She is shooting .390 from the field and .370 from distance and leads the team with 2.0 3-pointers per game.

Kimie Hawkins, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, is second on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game. She is SUU's top rebounder, averaging 6.5 boards a game. She has led the team in scoring five times and rebounding five times. 

Andrea Jones, a 5-foot-5 junior guard, leads the team in assists averaging 3.2 per game. She averages 7.9 points per game and is coming off a season-high 18 points in SUU's loss to Montana on Monday.

SERIES WITH SOUTHERN UTAH: Portland State and Southern Utah have played 11 times going into Thursday's contest with PSU leading the series 10-1. The two teams met for the first time during the 1988-89 season for back-to-back games in Cedar City, UT. Portland State won the first game 92-77 but SUU came back the next day and defeated the Vikings 63-60 for SUU's only win in the series. PSU has won the last nine meetings. The teams last met on New Year's Eve in 2007 when PSU defeated SUU 72-71 in Cedar City. Thursday will be the first meeting as Big Sky foes as SUU joins the conference this season.

COMING UP: Portland State will open the second half of its Big Sky Conference schedule with a trip through the state of Montana. Portland State will stop in Missoula for a Thursday, Jan. 31 meeting with Montana before heading to Bozeman on Feb. 2 to take on Montana State.

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE
• PSU is 9-9 overall and 3-6 in Big Sky play
• PSU is 4-5 at home this season and 63-19 at home under Head Coach Sherri Murrell
• PSU is 2-3 in its last five and 4-6 in its last 10 games

SOUTHERN UTAH
• SUU is 9-8 overall and 4-3 in Big Sky play
• SUU is 4-3 on the road this season
• SUU is 2-3 in its last five and 6-4 in its last 10 games

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 123-132 all-time in Big Sky Conference games
• PSU is 76-52 in home games and 47-80 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

NEWS & NOTES
AROUND THE SKY: Montana State (7-1 Big Sky Conference) is in sole possession of first in the Big Sky after defeating instate rival Montana (6-2), 58-49, last week in Missoula, MT. Eastern Washington is in second (6-3) with Idaho State fourth (5-3). Sacramento State and Northern Colorado are tied for fifth with 4-3 records while Southern Utah and Northern Arizona are 3-4. Portland State is ninth at 3-6 while North Dakota (2-6) and Weber State (0-8) round out the conference.

BIG SKY TOURNEY: With the expansion of the Big Sky to 11 members, the women's basketball championship tournament has expanded to seven teams this season. The regular season champion will host the tournament March 14-16. The top team will receive a bye to the semifinals. Portland State is currently ninth in the Big Sky with a 3-6 record but is just one game out of seventh behind Southern Utah and Northern Arizona (3-4). If Portland State defeats SUU Thursday night, the Vikings would hold the tiebreaker over NAU and SUU through the first half of the season. 

MIDWAY POINT: The Big Sky Conference schedule expanded to 22 games with the addition of Southern Utah and North Dakota this season. Thursday's game with Southern Utah concludes the first half of Big Sky play for Portland State. In the previous five years under Head Coach Sherri Murrell the Vikings are 27-13 (.675) over the first half of the conference season and 26-14 (.650) over the second half. PSU has gone 7-1 during the second half of the conference season twice (2008-09 and 2010-11).

ROLLER COASTER SHOOTING: PSU's shooting has been a roller coaster ride this season. The Vikings have shot as low as .262 against Northern Colorado (1/17/13) and as high as .509 against Weber State (12/22/12). Over the past six seasons the Vikings have shot over .400 as a team from the field. This season they are shooting .376. PSU has shot over .400 just five times this season and is 4-1 in those contests. PSU has shot .364 from the field and .206 from 3-point range over its last five games going 2-3. 

SCORING IS DOWN: With the Vikings shooting a lower percentage from the field this year, their scoring average has dropped. The Vikings are averaging 62.6 points per game this season, seventh in the conference. PSU has reached the 70-point mark five times going 4-1. The Vikings averaged 70 points per game over the past five seasons under Head Coach Sherri Murrell.

OPPONENT SCORING: Opponents are scoring an average of 63.8 points per game against the Vikings this season. During non-conference play the Vikings only gave up 59.3 points per game. In conference play however, opponents are averaging 68.3 points per game. PSU has given up 70 points once and 81 points twice in conference play.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: A Viking has recorded a double-double (points and rebounds) 10 times this season.
JR F Angela Misa has seven in the Vikings' first 16 games, which is tied for most in the conference with Sacramento State's Kylie Kuhns. Misa has five Big Sky double-doubles, which is the most in the conference. SR G Courtney VanBrocklin has two double-doubles this season. JR G Kate Lanz and VanBrocklin both posted double-doubles at Oregon (11/15). Misa and VanBrocklin each had a double-doubles at Sacramento State (1/10). 

DOMINANT AT THE STOTT CENTER: The Vikings have dominated the competition at the Peter W. Stott Center under sixth year Head Coach Sherri Murrell. The Vikings have posted a 63-18 (.768) overall record and 33-12 (.733) Big Sky mark inside the Stott Center. The Vikings have won 39 contests by double-digits, including 16 victories by at least 20 points. This year however, PSU has struggled, going 4-5 at home.

VANBROCKLIN HITS 1,000: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin scored 14 points at Sacramento State becoming the 16th Viking to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her Portland State career. She is the fifth Viking to finish their career with over 1,000 points in the last five years.  She currently has 1,052 career points and is eighth on the Big Sky's active career leaders list. 

Player (Years) - Career Points
Kelsey Kahle (2005-09) - 2,049
Claire Fauche (2006-10) - 1,399
Kelli Valentine (2007-11) - 1,298
Eryn Jones (2008-12) - 1,350
Courtney VanBrocklin (2010-13) - 1,052

COURT'S COURT: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin has been a bright spot for the Vikings this season. She has led the team in shooting percentage nearly the entire season and is averaging 14.9 ppg. She leads the team in scoring average, assists per game (2.8), and three-point field goals per game (1.4).

SEEING GREENE: SO G Allison Greene has made it look easy over the past two games. She scored 18 points, one shy of her career-high, in the Vikings' win over North Dakota and 14 against Eastern Washington. She is shooting .520 from the field over the past two games and is 2-for-2 from 3-point land. She has raised her overall scoring average to 9.4 ppg, 11.3 ppg in conference.

SHOWDOWN ON THE BOARDS: PSU's game with the Hornets last week featured the top two rebounders in the Big Sky, Sacramento State's Kylie Kuhns and PSU's Angela Misa. The two recorded 12 rebounds apiece. Kuhns recorded six offensive and nine defensive rebounds while Misa recorded six on both ends of the court. Both Kuhns and Misa lead the league with seven double-doubles.

DOMINATING THE SKY: JR F Angela Misa has been a dominant force for the Vikings in Big Sky play. She is averaging 11.0 ppg and 10.2 rpg including five double-doubles. She tallied a season-high 24 points at Weber State (12/22/12) while adding 10 rebounds. Misa scored a game-high 20 points at Sacramento State (1/10/13) with 12 rebounds.

OF THE BENCH: SO G Lariel Powell came off the bench against the Lumberjacks (1/12/13) and put together a career day. Powell tied her career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (4). She also recorded free throw career highs going 4-for-6 from the line.

LANZ OUT: JR G Kate Lanz will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury at Weber State on Dec. 22. Lanz suffered the knee injury with less than four minutes remaining in the Vikings' win. Lanz was leading the Vikings averaging 3.4 assists per game. She also averaged 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game after being moved back to her natural position of point guard this season.

QUICK TO 500: JR G Kate Lanz reached the 500-point mark with 11 points at Weber State on Dec. 22, 2012. She reached the milestone in 37 games tying teammate Courtney VanBrocklin for fourth fastest to 500 points. VanBrocklin reached the mark last year against Nevada on Dec. 3, 2011. Only Kelsey Kahle (2005-09), Sheri Stemple (1991-92), and Laurie Northrop (1988-92) have done it faster.

Player (Years) - No. of Games 
Kelsey Kahle (2005-09) - 29 Games
Sheri Stemple (1991-92) - 30 Games
Laurie Northrop (1988-92) - 35 Games
Courtney VanBrocklin (2010-Pres.) - 37 Games
Kate Lanz (2011-Pres.) - 37 Games

MISA CRASHING THE GLASS: JR F Angela Misa pulled down a career-high 21 boards against Butler (11/24) at the Saint Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic. Her 21 rebounds were two shy of the Portland State record of 23 set by Linda McLellan against San Jose State in 1980. It was the first time a Viking recorded 20-plus rebounds since McLellan recorded 20 against Montana State in 1981. Misa is averaging 10.5 rebounds per game this season.

VIKINGS ON TV: Due to the NHL lockout, the Vikings' Jan. 12 game at Northern Arizona was televised on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS. It was the first time the Vikings were on TV since last year's home game against NAU. That game was aired on Comcast Sports Net on tape-delay. 

KEYS TO A VICTORY: A key to victory for the Vikings since 2005-06 has been winning the shooting percentage battle. Over the past six-plus seasons, Portland State is 91-11 (.892) when outshooting its opponent, including 79-8 (.908) under Head Coach Sherri Murrell. PSU went 11-3 in 2009-10, 17-1 in 2008-09 and 17-2 in 2007-08. In 2010-11 they went 17-1, with the lone loss coming in the Big Sky tourney title game against Montana. The Vikings outshot the Lady Griz, .382-to-.375, but fell 62-58. PSU was 12-0 last season and is 5-1 this season.

BUZZER BEATER: At Oregon, SR G Courtney VanBrocklin laid it in as time expired giving the Vikings an 87-85 double-overtime victory over the Ducks (11/15). The final bucket matched her career high in points with 26. She had previously hit the 26-point mark almost a year ago to the day against UC Irvine (11/11/11)

GOING BACK A WAYS: The Vikings 87-85 victory in double-overtime Nov. 15 in Eugene, was just the first time since January of 1985 that the Vikings have defeated the Ducks. That game also went into overtime. Remarkably the Vikings last four wins over the Ducks dating back to 1977 have all come in overtime. PSU is 19-8 all-time in over time games and 9-7 at the Division I level.

NO. 100 FOR MURRELL: Vikings' Head Coach Sherri Murrell reached the 100-win mark at Portland State with the 87-85 double-overtime win over Oregon on Nov. 15. For Murrell it is just one more milestone reached while at the helm for Portland State.

MILESTONES FOR MURRELL: Sixth-year Head Coach Sherri Murrell has reached several coaching milestones over the past couple of seasons:
- Dec. 2, 2012 – Won her 250th career game with a 64-49 win over Portland. 
- Nov. 15, 2012 – Won her 100th game at Portland State at Oregon 87-85 in double overtime.
- Feb. 23, 2012 – Won her 100th league game at the Division I level with a 76-69 win over Eastern Washington.
- Feb. 2, 2012 - Earned her 50th Big Sky victory when PSU defeated Weber State, 76-63.
- Jan. 12, 2012 – Coached her 400th NCAA Division I game, 485th overall, against Northern Colorado.

INSTANT IMPACT: In each of the past three seasons, a transfer player has had an instant impact on the Vikings program. Two years ago, Courtney VanBrocklin and Shauneice Samms both played major roles. Last year it was Kate Lanz, and Angela Misa is poised to do the same this year. Samms and VanBrocklin combined for 48 starts, 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds two years ago. VanBrocklin led PSU in scoring nine times and in rebounding eight times, while Samms led the team in blocks 13 times and in rebounding five times. Lanz led all players in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles, and led the Vikings in scoring in 14 of the 27 games she appeared in last season. Both VanBrocklin and Lanz earned Big Sky Top Newcomer honors their first year with the Vikings. 

PSU SIGNS THREE TO NLIs: Portland State women's basketball coach Sherri Murrell has announced the signing of three players to National Letters of Intent for the 2013-14 season. The 2013-14 recruiting class consists of Lauren Holt (San Jose, Calif./Leigh HS), Jackie Lanz (Vancouver, Wash./St. Mary's Academy), and Yaremi Mejia (Medford, Ore./South Medford).
• Holt, a 5-11 guard out of San Jose attends Leigh High School and as a junior last season was an All-Central Coast second team selection. She was voted team MVP after leading the team in scoring with 16.5 ppg, in rebounding (11.2 rpg), and in assists (2.5 apg).
• Lanz, a 5-8 guard from Vancouver, Wash. played at Prairie High School for her first three years and last year led the team to a 27-1 record and a Washington State 3A Championship. She was named to the State All-Tournament first team. Prairie had made it to the championship game in each of the previous two seasons and finished as runner up. After a coaching change at Prairie HS, Lanz decided to transfer and play her senior season at Portland's St. Mary's Academy. Lanz is the younger sister of current Viking Kate Lanz.
• Mejia is a 5-7 point guard out of South Medford High School. She led her team to a 30-0 record and the OSAA 6A Championship last season. Mejia was named the Player of the Game after leading the team with 16 points. She was also an All-State second team selection.

POTW FOR VANBROCKLIN: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin was named the Big Sky Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 13-19. The award is the first for VanBrocklin and the Vikings this season, and the second of her career. VanBrocklin scored the final two points for the Vikings to defeat the Oregon Ducks 87-85 as time expired in double-overtime last week. Her final bucket tied her career high in points with 26. She also recorded a team-best 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the 2012-13 season, while adding three assists and three steals. She scored her 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Her 10 field goals made was also a career best.