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Portland State (11-13, 5-10) at Eastern Washington (14-10, 10-5)
Thursday, February 21, 2013, • 6:00 p.m. PT • Reese Court (6,000) • Cheney, WA
All-Time Series: EWU leads 30-25; EWU leads 17-9 in Cheney
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 18-15; EWU leads 10-7 in Cheney
Last Meeting: EWU 68-56 at PSU (1/21/13)

Portland State (11-13, 5-10) at North Dakota (10-15, 5-11)
Saturday, February 23, 2013, • 12:00 p.m. PT • Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (3,140) • Grand Forks, ND
All-Time Series: Tied 2-2; UND Leads 1-0 in Grand Forks
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 1-0; First Meeting in Grand Forks
Last Meeting: PSU 73-66 at PSU (1/19/13)

OPENING TIP
THIS WEEK: The Vikings head out on probably their hardest road trip of the season, travel wise that is. They open the week at Eastern Washington on Thursday, Feb. 21 for the second installment of “The Dam Cup.” They then travel to Grand Forks, ND for a Saturday, Feb. 23 showdown with the University of North Dakota. It will be the Portland State's first trip to Grand Forks for Big Sky Conference play.

COVERAGE: Both games can be seen live online at www.BigSkyTV.org.  Fans can also tune into the PSU audio broadcast at www.goviks.com/showcase. Teri Mariani will be calling the action. Links to live stats for both games can be found on GoViks.com and on the host teams' websites.

LAST TIME OUT: Courtney VanBrocklin led the Vikings with 20 points but they fell 83-60 at Southern Utah. SUU opened up a 22-point lead at the half, which PSU could not overcome. The Vikings cut the lead to 15 points in the second half but that was as close as they would get. Allison Greene added 14 points to go along with VanBrocklin's 20. SUU's Hailey Mandelko scored a game-high 22 points but was held to just five points in the second half.

THE COACHES: Portland State Head Coach Sherri Murrell is 109-73 overall and 58-37 in Big Sky play in her six seasons at Portland State. Murrell is 8-4 against Eastern Washington and 1-0 against North Dakota while at PSU. Head Coach Wendy Schuller is 156-170 in her 12 seasons at Eastern Washington. J. Travis Brewster is 10-15 overall in his first year at North Dakota.
 
THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington comes in to play this week averaging 63.6 points while giving up 63.5 points per game. The Eagles are third in the conference shooting .406 from the floor but lead the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.740) and three-point field goal percentage (.355). They average 5.7 three-pointers per game, which is second best in the league. They struggle on the boards however with a -3.8 rebounding margin.

Lexie Nelson leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game (fifth in the Big Sky). She leads the conference in free throw percentage (.868) and is fifth playing 33.6 minutes per game. Carrie Ojeda is the team's leading rebounder averaging 7.4 per game while adding 9.4 points per game.

Laura Hughes is fifth in the conference with her .507 field goal shooting percentage. Kylie Huerta leads the team averaging 3.9 assists per game and has the best assists-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 1.8.

SERIES WITH EASTERN WASHINGTON: Eastern Washington holds the all-time series record at 30-25 and is 17-9 in Cheney. The Vikings are 18-15 in Big Sky games but the Eagles hold the Big Sky advantage in Cheney at 10-7. The teams first squared off during the 1976-77 season with the Vikings winning 61-45. PSU has won three of the last five meetings and six of the last 10.

LAST GAME vs. EWU: The Eagles defeated the Vikings 68-56 on Jan. 21, 2013 at the Peter W. Stott Center. Angela Misa led the Vikings with 15 points and eight rebounds. Allison Greene added 14 points as the only other Viking in double-figures. Hayley Hodgins scored a game-high 22 points for the Eagles while Carrie Ojeda scored a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Portland State outrebounded Eastern Washington in the game 43-to-36 but 22 Portland State turnovers and 27 Eastern Washington points off turnovers did in the Vikings.

NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota is 10th in the Big Sky averaging 58.4 points per game while allowing 62.8. Its -4.4 scoring margin is ninth in the league. UND does not shoot the ball particularly well with a mark of .365 from the floor, 10th best in the Big Sky. They are also 10th in free throw percentage (.670). North Dakota shoots just .279 from three-point range but has stingy perimeter defense allowing opponents to shoot just .279 from distance, best in the league.

North Dakota averages 40.2 rebounds per game and five blocked shots a game, which is fifth in the Big Sky. It has the worst turnover margin averaging 21.5 turnovers a game.

Madi Buck leads the team in both scoring (11.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). Her rebounding mark is fourth in the conference. Emily Evers is shooting .538 from the floor, which lead the team, and averages 8.5 ppg. She also averages 1.9 blocks a game, second best in the league.

SERIES WITH NORTH DAKOTA: Portland State and North Dakota have met only four times with each team winning twice. UND is 1-0 against PSU in Grand Forks. North Dakota won the first matchup during the 1992-93 season 78-46. The Vikings took the next meeting, 83-75, at home during the 1993-94 season. The last time the teams met was at the Coconut Coast Classic in Hilo, HI during the 1995-96 season. UND took that meeting 74-65.

LAST GAME vs. UND: Portland State defeated North Dakota 73-66 on Jan. 19 at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Vikings had four players in double-figures led by Alison Greene's 18 points. Angela Misa scored 13 points with a team-high seven rebounds. The Vikings outshot North Dakota 45.3 percent to 38.8 percent from the floor. The Vikings also forced 27 turnovers leading to 28 points. UND outrebounded PSU by 17 in the game. Emily Evers led UND with 17 points and 10 rebounds. 

COMING UP: Following this week's marathon road trip to Eastern Washington and North Dakota, the Vikings will have just one game next week when they travel to Greeley, Colo. for a Saturday, March 2 match up with Northern Colorado.

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE
• PSU is 11-13 overall and 5-10 in Big Sky play
• PSU is 5-5 on the road this season
• PSU is 2-3 in its last five and 4-6 in its last 10 games

EASTERN WASHINGTON
• EWU is 14-10 overall and 10-5 in Big Sky play
• EWU is 7-3 at home this season
• EWU is 3-2 in its last five and 7-3 in its last 10 games

NORTH DAKOTA
• UND is 10-15 overall and 5-11 in Big Sky play
• UND is 7-4 at home this season
• UND is 1-4 in its last five and 3-7 in its last 10 games

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 125-136 all-time in Big Sky games
• PSU is 77-54 in home games and 48-82 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

NEWS & NOTES
AROUND THE SKY: Montana sits atop the conference with a 13-3 record. Northern Colorado is just a half-game back at 12-3 having won its last eight games. The two teams split their season series with each team winning on its home court. Eastern Washington is third at 10-5 with Sacramento State and Idaho State next at 9-6. Montana State is sixth at 9-7 with Northern Arizona and Southern Utah fighting for the seventh playoff spot. NAU swept SUU this season and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. Portland State (5-10) is just a game back of NAU and SUU. North Dakota (5-11) and Weber State (0-15) are last rounding 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 include 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 with a 5-10 conference record. The Vikings are just a game behind Northern Arizona and Southern Utah (6-9). The Lumberjacks hold the advantage over the Thunderbirds by sweeping their season series. Portland State holds the season series over Northern Arizona but lost twice this season to Southern Utah.

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. Easom scored a then-career-high 12 points against the Thunderbirds with five rebounds and five steals. Easom bested her career mark with 25 points against Sacramento State, which included six three-pointers. Since entering the starting lineup she is averaging 12.6 points per game and she is shooting .426 from the field and .375 from behind the arc. 

GOING GREENE: SO G Allison Greene has been a solid contributor for the Vikings averaging 13.6 points per game over the last five games. She is averaging 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 31.8 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 seven of the last eight.

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 15.6 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 12 of the Vikings' 24 games this season. She has started every game except one that she missed due to injury and is averaging a team-best 34.3 minutes per game.

SHARING THE WEALTH: Over the past three games the Vikings have been led in scoring by three different players. That may not sound like much but each player has led the team by scoring over 20 points. Allison Greene scored a career-high 23 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 7. Emily Easom scored a career-high 25 points the next game against Sacramento State on Feb. 9. Courtney VanBrocklin, who also scored 20 points against Sacramento State, led the Vikings with 20 points at Southern Utah on Feb. 14. The Vikings had a player lead the team in scoring with 20 or more points over a four-game stretch earlier this season. VanBrocklin led the Vikings in three of those four games.

LIGHTNING STRIKES … AGAIN: For the second time this season the Vikings will lose a starter to a knee injury. Junior forward Angela Misa sustained a season-ending knee injury against Sacramento State on Feb. 9. Misa was averaging 10.8 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Vikings. She had eight double-doubles this season to lead the team.

CHASING HISTORY: SR G Courtney VanBrocklin has scored 1,157 points in her three-year career at Portland State. She is currently 80 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 1,157 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) - 1,157

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 .381. 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 .405 from the field and .419 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 64.1 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 66.5 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 70.7 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: Portland State's game against Sacramento State on Feb. 9 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 with 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 averaged 10.8 ppg and 10.2 rpg including eight double-doubles before suffering a season-ending knee injury. 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.

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.