PSU Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Portland State (11-12, 5-9) vs. Southern Utah (11-12, 5-8)
Thursday, February 14, 2013, • 6:00 p.m. PT • Centrum Arena (5,300) • Cedar City, UT

Live Video: BigSkyTV.org
Live Audio: GoViks.com/Showcase
    Play-by-Play: Teri Mariani • Pre Game Show: 5:45 p.m. PT
Live Stats: SUUTBirds.com
All-Time Series: PSU leads 10-2; PSU leads 4-1 in Cedar City
Big Sky Series: SUU leads 1-0; First Meeting in Cedar City
Last Meeting: SUU 70-68 (OT) (1/24) at PSU

OPENING TIP
THIS WEEK: The Portland State Vikings (11-12 overall, 5-9 Big Sky Conference) play just one game this week as they make their first Big Sky trip to Cedar City, Utah to take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (11-12. 5-8). The Vikings and T-Birds are slated for a 6:00 p.m. PT start at the Centrum Arena this Thursday, Feb. 14.

COVERAGE: The game is available via live video stream at www.BigSkyTV.org. There will be a live audio broadcast on GoViks.com/showcase with Teri Mariani calling the action. Live stats will be available at www.suutbirds.com.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vikings dropped a high scoring shootout with the Sacramento State Hornets 88-82 last Saturday at the Peter W. Stott Center. Freshman guard Emily Easom scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Vikings on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Easom also shot a career-high six three-pointers in the game. Senior Guard Courtney VanBrocklin added 20 points for the Vikings while Allison Greene added 11. Junior forward Angela Misa added nine points and 17 rebounds. The Vikings were down by as much as 15 points early in the second half. They cut the lead to three points but could not complete the comeback and lost 88-82.

THE COACHES: Portland State Head Coach Sherri Murrell is 109-72 overall and 58-36 in Big Sky play in her six seasons at Portland State. Murrell is 3-1 all-time against Southern Utah and 1-1 while at Portland State. JR Payne is in her fourth season at SUU and is 40-77 all-time.
 
THE THUNDERBIRDS: Southern Utah enters Thursday's game as the second highest scoring team in the Big Sky averaging 70.0 points per game. However, they give up 68.3 points per game which is eighth in the conference. The T-Birds are shooting .391 as a team from the floor and .300 from three-point range. They have the best rebounding margin outrebounding their opponents by 7.3 rebounds per game. SUU is fourth in both assists (14.3) and steals (10.4) per game.

Southern Utah is 11-12 overall and 5-8 in Big Sky play. The Thunderbirds have lost four of their last five and seven of their last 10. Their three wins have come against Weber State twice and Portland State in overtime on Jan. 24.

Kailey Mandelko leads the Thunderbirds with 11.4 points per game. Mandelko leads the Big Sky with 2.2 three-point field goals per game and is shooting .364 from distance on the season. Carli Moreland is the T-Birds' leading rebounder at 6.6 per game. Kimie Hawkins averages 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

SERIES WITH SOUTHERN UTAH: Portland State and Southern Utah have played 12 times going into Thursday's contest with PSU leading the series 10-2. 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. Prior to this season, the teams last met on New Year's Eve in 2007 when PSU defeated SUU 72-71 in Cedar City.

LAST GAME vs. SUU: The T-Birds defeated the Vikings 70-68 in overtime on Jan. 24 at the Peter W. Stott Center. PSU had an eight point lead with 72 seconds left in overtime before SUU scored the final 10 points to win by two. Each team had four players in double figures while Vikings' sophomore guard Allison Greene scored a game-high 16 points.

COMING UP: Following Thursday's game in Cedar City, the Vikings will have a week off before they take on Eastern Washington on Feb. 21 in the second installment of “The Dam Cup” in Cheney, WA.

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE
• PSU is 11-12 overall and 5-9 in Big Sky play
• PSU is 5-4 on the road this season
• PSU is 2-3 in its last five and 4-6 in its last 10 games

SOUTHERN UTAH
• SUU is 11-12 overall and 5-8 in Big Sky play
• SUU is 5-5 at home this season
• SUU is 1-4 in its last five and 3-7 in its last 10 games

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 125-135 all-time in Big Sky Conference games
• PSU is 77-54 in home games and 48-81 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

NEWS & NOTES
AROUND THE SKY: Montana leads the conference at 11-3. Southern Utah is tied with Northern Arizona for seventh at 5-8 though NAU holds the season series after taking both meetings. The Vikings are one back in the loss column behind NAU and SUU at 5-9. A win against SUU would even the season series and would go a long way to help the Vikings secure the seventh and final spot in the Big Sky Tournament.

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 tied for ninth with North Dakota at 5-9. Both teams are a game out of seventh behind Southern Utah and Northern Arizona (5-8).

EMERGING EASOM: FR G Emily Easom has only seen her playing time and production improve after being thrust into the starting lineup on Jan. 14 against Southern Utah. The game with the Thunderbirds was her first career start and she scored a then-career-high 12 points with five rebounds and five steals. Easom is coming off the best game of her career where she scored 25 points against Sacramento State, including six three-pointers. Since entering the starting lineup she is averaging 13.5 points per game and she is shooting .436 from the field and .370 from behind the arc. 

GOING GREENE: SO G Allison Greene has been solid contributor for the Vikings averaging 14.0 points per game over the last five games. She is averaging 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 35.0 minutes per game over the span. She scored a career-high 23 points against Northern Arizona (2/7) going 10-for-18 from the floor. She has scored in double figures four of the last five games and six of the last seven.

COURT'S COURT: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin has been a bright spot for the Vikings this season. She has led the team in scoring nearly the entire season and is currently averaging 15.4 ppg. She leads the team in scoring average, assists per game (3.4), and three-point field goals per game (1.5). She has paced the team in scoring in 10 of the Vikings' 23 games this season. She has started every game except one that she missed due to injury and is averaging a team-best 34.4 minutes per game.

CHASING HISTORY: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin has scored 1,137 points in her three-year career at Portland State. She is currently 100 points out of 10th all-time at PSU behind Michelle Hughes (1987-91) who scored 1, 237 during her career.

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 1,137 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) - 1,137

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 .542 against Montana State (2/2/13). Over the past six seasons the Vikings have shot over .400 as a team from the field. This season they are shooting .384. PSU has shot over .400 eight times this season and is 6-2 in those contests. PSU seems to be turning things around and is shooting .414 from the field and .387 from 3-point range over its last five games.

SCORING IS DOWN: With the Vikings shooting a lower percentage from the field this year, their scoring average has dropped. The Vikings are averaging 64.3 points per game this season, fifth in the conference. PSU has reached the 70-point mark seven times going 5-2. 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 65.7 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 69.9 points per game. PSU has given up 70 or more points seven times, including four of the last five. PSU has given up 80 or more points three times this season. 

GAUNTLET OF A WEEKEND: Portland State had to run the gauntlet on the road last weekend as it made a swing through the state of Montana. Both Montana and Montana State entered the weekend atop the conference. The Vikings had a halftime lead against the Lady Griz but could not overcome an 11-0 UM run late in the second half. PSU rebounded on Saturday for a 75-72 win over the Bobcats after falling behind by five late in the second. A road split was just what the Vikings needed to get back into the hunt for the Big Sky Tournament.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y: Portland State seems to like playing on Saturdays. The Vikings are 6-2 on Saturdays this season and are 5-10 on all other days of the week. The only other day on which they have multiple wins is Thursday where they are 6-2.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: A Viking has recorded a double-double (points and rebounds) 11 times this season. JR F Angela Misa has eight in her first season with the Vikings, which is second most in the Big Sky. 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 64-21 (.753) overall record and 34-14 (.708) 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 5-7 at home overall and 1-5 at home in conference.

SHOWDOWN ON THE BOARDS PART DEUX: Last Saturday's game against Sacramento State was the second meeting of the season between the Big Sky Conference's top two rebounders, Sacramento State's Kylie Kuhns and Portland State's Angela Misa. In the first meeting on Jan. 10 in Sacramento 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. Misa came out on top in the second meeting on Feb. 9. Misa recorded 17 rebounds to Kuhns' five.

DOMINATING THE SKY: JR F Angela Misa has been a dominant force for the Vikings in Big Sky play. She is averaging 10.8 ppg and 10.2 rpg including eight 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.

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.

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 93-11 (.894) when outshooting its opponent, including 81-8 (.910) 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 7-1 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.