Complete Release in PDF Format

Eastern Washington: 4-5 • 0-0 BSC • 4-1 Home
Portland State: 2-7 • 0-0 BSC • 0-3 Home

Live Audio Stream: http://208.67.186.169/psuwbb
     Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani
Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: http://vikslive.statb.us/

All-Time Series: EWU Leads 31-25
Last Meeting: EWU 83-71 (2/21/13 at EWU)


Opening Tip
The Portland State Vikings (2-7 overall, 0-0 Big Sky Conference) open conference play Sunday, Dec. 29 at Eastern Washington (4-5, 0-0) in the first installment of the Dam Cup Rivalry for the two teams. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. tip. It will be the final game of 2013 for the Vikings.
     Sunday's game will be broadcast live online at WatchBigSky.com. There will also be an audio broadcast online at GoViks.com with Teri Mariani calling the action. A pregame show will start approximately 15 minutes prior to tip-off. The game will also be available via live stats at GoViks.com.
     Portland State wrapped up its non-conference schedule by hosting cross-town rival the University of Portland last Saturday at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Vikings trailed by just a point with over six minutes to play but went cold from the floor as the Pilots ended up taking the game 76-49. Junior G Lariel Powell scored all of her team-high 11 points in the second half going 3-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in the half. Powell added a pair of assists and a career-high five steals in the contest, playing 33 minutes. Senior F Angela Misa had eight points and tied for the team high in rebounds with seven. Portland's Cassandra Brown scored a game-high 24 points off the bench. Portland shot .460 from the floor and held Portland State to a season-low .288 shooting.

The Teams: Portland State is 2-7 this season averaging 63.9 points per game while allowing 84.9. PSU is shooting .366 from the floor and .301 from three-point range. Eastern Washington is 4-5 this season with all four wins coming at home. The Eagles and Vikings had two common opponents in non-conference play. Eastern Washington fell to both Portland (68-65) and Gonzaga (78-58). EWU is shooting .446 from the floor, tops in the Big Sky. The Eagles are also tops in the conference with a .375 three-point field goal percentage.

The Coaches: Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is in her seventh year at Portland State. She is 112-84 overall and 59-41 in Big Sky play while at PSU. She is 259-277 in 18 years as a head coach. Wendy Schuller is in her 13th season at Eastern Washington. She is 165-198 overall and 88-98 in Big Sky play. 

The Series: Eastern Washington leads the all-time series 31-25 dating back to the 1976-77 season. PSU is 3-2 in the last five games of the series. The Vikings lead the Big Sky series 18-16 but have lost the last two meetings. The teams have met twice in the Big Sky Tournament with each team taking a game.

Last Season:  Eastern Washington took both meetings a year ago. The Eagles took the first meeting, 68-56, on January 21, 2013 at the Peter W. Stott Center. Angela Misa led the Vikings with 15 points and eight rebounds while going 7-for-10 from the field. Allison Greene added 14 points for the Vikings.
     Eastern Washington took the second meeting, 83-51, in Cheney, WA. Allie Brock led the team with 13 points and 13 rebounds for her only double-double of the season. The Eagles shot .475 in the game while holding the Vikings to a .295 mark.

The Eagles:  Eastern Washington is 4-5 overall having won its last four games, all at home. The Eagles are averaging 70.3 points per game while allowing 70.4 per contest. They are shooting a league-high .446 from the floor while shooting .375 from distance, also a league-best. Laura Hughes leads the team with 16.4 points per game this season. Hughes leads the Big Sky with a .630 field goal percentage. Lexie Nelson is second with 16.3 points per contest but has been hot of late scoring 27 points against Boise State and 21 against Northwest (Wash.) over the last two games. Nelson is shooting .520 from the floor, third in the league. She is also shooting .479 from three-point range (22-29), tops in the league. Hayley Hodgins is the only other Eagle averaging double-digit points with 11.3 per game.

Coming Up
The Vikings continue Big Sky play in the new year by hosting Idaho State on Thursday, January 2 at 7 p.m. and then Weber State on Saturday, January 4 at 2 p.m. Both games will be at the Peter W. Stott Center.

News & Notes
Big Sky Openers
The Vikings are 7-10 all-time in Big Sky openers and 3-3 under Head Coach Sherri Murrell having lost the last three. Portland State is 0-3 in openers against Eastern Washington with two of the three coming in Cheney, WA.

Powell Stepping Up
Junior G Lariel Powell has increased her scoring average by posting double-digit performances in each of the last two games. Powell Posted 10 points at Georgia Tech (12/17) and then 11 points against Portland (12/21). It was the first time Powell scored in double digits in back-to-back games. Powell also posted a career-high five steals against the Pilots.

At Home
The Vikings have excelled at the Peter W. Stott Center under seventh-year head coach Sherri Murrell. Portland State is 67-26 (.720) overall and 35-15 (.700) in Big Sky Conference play under Murrell. PSU has had four double-digit home win seasons since she took over before the 2007-08 season. PSU is 2-4 at home this season.

Leading the Way
Senior G Kate Lanz leads the Vikings with 12.4 points per game this season, 12th in the Big Sky. Lanz is fourth in the league with 4.3 assists per game and third with a .400 three-point field goal percentage. She leads the Vikings with an .791 free-throw percentage, 13th in the league.

Brock Going Big
Allie Block led the Vikings with 20 points in their loss at Oregon (12/14). Brock went 8-for-14 in the game, which tied her season-high in field goals made. She also went 4-for-8 at the free-throw line and pulled down five rebounds. It was Brock's fifth double-digit scoring performance of the season and the second time that she surpassed the 20-point mark. Brock is averaging a career-high 12.1 points per game so far this season while averaging 5.3 rebounds per game, also a career high.

Feeling Fine
Senior F Angela Misa eased her way back into form after having a season-ending knee injury a year ago.  She is averaging 9.4 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game this season in just over 21 minutes per game. She has tallied three double-doubles, second most in the Big Sky.

Getting Back into Form
Senior G Kate Lanz scored a game-high 21 points with eight rebounds in the Vikings' season opening loss to Saint Mary's (CA) (11/10). It was Lanz's first appearance since having her season cut short last year with a season-ending knee injury. After posting back-to-back 20-point performances to start the season, Lanz posted her third with 20 points against Columbia (12/1). She also posted 10 rebounds and a career-high nine assists for a near triple-double. She is averaging 12.4 points per game this season to lead the Vikings.

Powell's Performance
Junior G Lariel Powell posted a career-high 16 points against Columbia (12/1). She went 5-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. She added a career-high two three-pointers.

Bring on Brock
Senior F Allie Brock posted her first double-double of the season, second of her career, with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Seattle University (11/22). She went 6-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Brock has scored in double-digits in five of the eight games this season. Her double-double was the first by a Viking this season.

Brock's Big Day
Senior F Allie Brock posted a career-high 23 points in 30 minutes against Corban (11/26). She went 8-for-16 from the floor including 4-for-5 from three-point range. She entered the game just 1-for-11 all-time from distance. She went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line while adding five rebounds. Her 23 points is the most this season by a Viking.

Hot from the Line
Portland State went 24-for-27 from the free throw line against Seattle University (11/22). Three Vikings went 4-for-4 from the line while Kate Lanz went 6-for-7 against the Redhawks.

Hot Shots
• SR F Angela Misa has posted three double-doubles this season, second most in the Big Sky. She is shooting .430 from the floor.
• SR F Allie Brock has scored in double-figures five times this season and score 20-plus twice. She is averaging a career-high 11.4 points per game.
•SR G Kate Lanz is averaging 12.4 points per game to lead the Vikings. She has three 20-point games this season. She leads the team with a .791 free-throw percentage (34-43).
• JR G Lariel Powell is averaging 10.5 points over the last two games. 

Not So Hot
• Portland State is giving up 84.9 points per game while opponents are shooting .459 from the floor.
• Portland State has lost its last four games by an average 40.3 points per game.

Quick Notes for 2013-14
• Portland State returns eight letterwinners and three starters from a year ago. The Vikings add six newcomers to the roster including four freshmen, a junior transfer, and a Portland State volleyball player.

• Portland State lost a pair of starters at the end of the season. The Vikings lost Courtney VanBrocklin who led the team in points 14 times last year and finished with a team-high 14.7 ppg. She finished her career as the 16th member of the Portland State 1,000-point club.

• In her six seasons at Portland State, head coach Sherri Murrell ranks second all-time in wins with 110. She led the Vikings to their only 20-win seasons at the DI level (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11). Under Murrell, the Vikings have gone 65-22 overall and 35-15 in the Big Sky at the Peter W. Stott Center.

• Murrell has a knack for bringing in talented transfers. Over the past three seasons, Murrell has brought in three players that went on to be named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer. Courtney VanBrocklin (2010-11), Kate Lanz (2011-12), and Angela Misa (2012-13) all earned Top Newcomer honors under Murrell.

• Head Coach Sherri Murrell has announced the signing of Shelbi Sanders and Alicia Carline to National Letters of Intent for the 2014-15 season.
     Sanders, a 6-foot-2 forward from Hermiston High School, averaged seven points and nine rebounds per game last year. She helped her team to a first place finish at the Nike Interstate Shootout and a third place finish at the 5A OSAA State Tournament. Sanders is an athletic, physical player, who possesses good basketball fundamentals.
     Carline, a 6-foot-3 post player from Feilding, New Zealand, is in the middle of her sophomore season at Gillette College in Gillette, WY. She has helped her team to a 1-1 record to start this season and is averaging 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 steals while shooting .540 from the floor and .780 from the free-throw line.