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Portland State at #24 Gonzaga
Friday, December 22, 2013 • 6:00 p.m. • McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000), Spokane, WA

#24 Gonzaga: 5-1 • 0-0 WCC • 5-0 Home
Portland State: 2-3 • 0-0 BSC • 0-0 Away

Live Audio Stream: http://208.67.186.169/psuwbb
     Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani
Live Video Stream: GoZags.com (Subscription)
Live Stats: GoZags.com

All-Time Series (streak): Gonzaga leads 12-6 (GU, W4)
Last Meeting: GU 54, PSU 40 (12/7/12) in Portland

Opening Tip

The Portland State Vikings (2-3 overall) head out on the road for the first time this season when they head to Spokane, WA to take on No. 24 Gonzaga (5-1). The Vikings played their first seven games of the season, including a pair of exhibition games, at the Peter W. Stott Center. PSU went 5-8 on the road last season. 
     A live audio stream of the game will be broadcast online at GoViks.com with Teri Mariani calling the action. A pregame show will start approximately 15 minutes prior to tip-off. It will also be available via live stats at GoViks.com.
     Portland State picked up its second win of the season with a 75-67 win over Columbia last Sunday at the Stott Center. Senior G Kate Lanz posted a game-high 20 points to lead the Vikings. She added 10 rebounds and narrowly missed her first career triple-double with a career-high nine assists. She went 4-for-10 from the floor and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line. Lanz was one of four Vikings in double-figures. Lariel Powell posted a career-high 16 points going 5-for-11 from the floor. She also posted a career-high two three-pointers. Emily Easom and Angela Misa each scored season highs of 15 and 11 points respectively. PSU shot a season-high .446 from the floor while Columbia shot .345.

The Teams: Portland State is 2-3 through its first five games this season, all at home. The Vikings are averaging 69.4 points per game while allowing 75.0. PSU is shooting .380 from the floor this season, which has improved every game. Gonzaga enters the game ranked 24th in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll with a 5-1 record. The Bulldog's lone loss came by four points, 82-78, to No. 11 Oklahoma in Norman, OK. They are on a three-game winnings streak with wins over Eastern Washington, Colgate, and Fairfield. GU is averaging 79.0 points per game while allowing just 53.3. Gonzaga is shooting .461 from the floor and is averaging over six more rebounds a game then its opponents.

The Coaches: Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is in her seventh year at Portland State. She is 112-80 overall and 59-41 in Big Sky play while at PSU. She is 259-273 in 18 years as a head coach. Kelly Graves is 289-132 in 14 years at Gonzaga. He is the winningest coach in Gonzaga history, has won nine-straight West Coast Conference Championships, and has been to the NCAA Tournament six of the last seven years.

The Series: Gonzaga leads the all-time series 12-6 and has won the last four. GU took the meeting last year, 54-40, in Portland.

The Bulldogs: No. 24 Gonzaga is 5-1 overall this season after winning its last three. Haiden Palmer leads the team with 18.2 points per game this season in 28.8 minutes. Palmer was a teammate of PSU's Kate Lanz and Angela Misa while they were all at Oregon State for the 2009-10 season. She is shooting .523 (46-88) from the floor while going 8-for-21 from three-point range. She is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game with a team-best 21 steals. Lindsay Sherbert is averaging 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She is shooting .467 from the floor. Sunny Greinacher is the third Bulldog to average double-digits with 10.0 points per game.

Coming Up
The Vikings remain on the road for their next two games against the University of Oregon and Georgia Tech. The Vikings travel to Eugene, OR Saturday December 14 for a 2 p.m. PT tip. Portland State will then head to Atlanta, GA Tuesday Dec. 17.   

By The Numbers

Portland State
• PSU is 2-3 overall and 0-0 in Big Sky play
• PSU is 2-3 at home, 0-0 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site
• PSU 2-3 in its last five games and 2-3 in its last 10

Gonzaga University
• GU is 5-1 overall and 0-0 in WCC play
• GU is 5-0 at home, 0-1 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site
• GU is 4-1 in its last five games and 5-1 in its last 10

Big Sky Battles
• PSU is 126-140 all-time in Big Sky Conference games
• PSU is 78-55 in home games and 48-85 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

At The Stott
• PSU is 295-171 all-time at home
• PSU is 67-25 overall at home under Head Coach Sherri Murrell
• PSU is 78-55 in Big Sky Conference games at home

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 17.2 points per game this season, second in the Big Sky Conference.

More Misa
Senior F Angela Misa has been easing her way back into form after having a season-ending knee injury a year ago. She has posted back-to-back double-figure point performances including a season-high 18 points against Princeton (11/30). She followed that up with her first double-double of the season, ninth of her career, with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes against Columbia (12/1).

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 four of the five games this season and is averaging 14.0 points per game, eight in the Big Sky. Her double-double was the first by a Viking this season. 

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.

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.

Trending the Right Way
The Vikings opened the season with a 54-point performance against Saint Mary's (CA) while shooting .310 from the floor. They have increased their scoring output and shooting percentage since. They scored a season-high 76 points against Princeton (11/30) before scoring 75 points while shooting a season-high .446 against Columbia (12/1).

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 following 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.