Complete Release in PDF Format

Portland State at Southern Utah
Thursday, January 23, 2014 • 6:00 p.m. PT • Centrum Arena (5,300), Cedar City, UT

Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Record/Big Sky: 9-6, 3-3
Head Coach: JR Payne (53-81/5th year)

Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 5-11, 3-4
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (115-88/7th year)

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

OPENING TIP
    The Portland State Vikings (5-11 overall, 3-4 Big Sky Conference) will try and get back to their winning ways after a tough home loss on Saturday when they travel to Cedar City, Utah to take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-3, 3-3) this Thursday, Jan. 23. The game with the T-Birds is the first of three straight road games for the Vikings that will bring them to the mid-way point of the Big Sky Conference schedule. Portland State is just a half-game behind Southern Utah in eighth place in the conference standings. Seven of the 11 teams in the Big Sky qualify for the post-season tournament.
     Thursday'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. Live stats for the game can be found on GoViks.com.
     Portland State split a pair of games at home last weekend defeating the high-scoring Sacramento State Hornets, 83-80, Thursday night before falling to Northern Arizona, 88-67, Saturday afternoon at the Peter W. Stott Center.
     Portland State came back from double-digit deficits in both halves against the Hornets. The Vikings finished the game on an 11-1 run while holding Sacramento State scoreless from the floor for the final 4:18.  Sophomore G Emily Easom posted a career-high 26 points on 12-of-15 from the floor. Freshman G Lauren Holt, making her first career start, scored a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds.
     The Vikings fell behind early in the first half against Northern Arizona by as much as 25 points despite shooting .524 from the field in the first. Lariel Powell and Allie Brock each posted 16 points for the Vikings but NAU's Amanda Frost, the league's top scorer, posted a game-high 28 points.
Southern Utah enters play Thursday night 4-1 at home this season. They won a pair of non-conference home games against Utah Valley and Westminster before splitting their first home weekend by defeating Weber State but falling to Idaho State.  The T-Birds are 2-3 in their last five games and 5-5 in their last 10.

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
• All-Time Series: Portland State leads 10-3, Portland State is 4-1 in Portland
• Big Sky Series: Southern Utah leads 2-0, Southern Utah leads 1-0 in Portland
• Streak: Southern Utah has won the past two games and only two Big Sky contests
• Last Season: Southern Utah won both meetings a year ago. The T-Birds took the first game, 70-68, in overtime in Portland on January 24, 2013. The Vikings had four players in double figures led by Allison Greene's 16 points. The teams were within two points in each period including overtime. Southern Utah ran way with the second meeting, 83-60, in Cedar City on Feb. 14, 2013. Courtney VanBrocklin scored 20 points for PSU but the Vikings were outshot .471-to-.317 in the contest.

SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS:  Southern Utah enters play Thursday night as the second highest scoring team in the Big Sky averaging 74.5 points per contest. The Thunderbirds are shooting .423 as a team on the year, third best in the league. They struggle from beyond the arc, shooting .294 from distance, but are the top free throw shooting team in the Big Sky shooting .751 from the line. SUU is also the second best rebounding team in the league with a plus-4.1 rebounding margin.
Sophomore Lori Parkinson leads the team with 11.7 points per game while adding 6.9 rebounds. She has the third best field goal percentage (.541) in the Big Sky. Parkinson has led the team in scoring four times this year. Her scoring average has improved to 14.0 ppg during conference play. Carli Moreland is the only other Thunderbird scoring in double figures for the season with 10.9 points per game.

COMING UP: The Vikings wrap up the first half of conference play on the road next week when they travel to Northern Colorado and North Dakota. 

HOT SHOTS
• SO G Emily Easom is averaging 17.8 points per game over her last four games.
• Easom has posted back-to-back 20-point games against Montana (21) and Sacramento State (26), first time in her career.
• Easom posted a career-high 12 field goals going 12-for-15 against Sacramento State (1/16).
• FR G Lauren Holt scored a career-high 18 points going 8-for-9 against Sacramento State (1/16).
• FR G Lauren Holt and FR G Delanie Parry made their first career start against Sacramento State (1/16) combining for 25 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists.
• SR G Kate Lanz posted her first career triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 10 assists at Eastern Washington (12/29).
• SR F Allie Brock has scored in double-figures 10 times this season and scored 20-plus four times. She is averaging a career-high 12.3 points per game.

NOT SO HOT
• SR F Angela Misa is out for the second straight season with a left knee injury.
• Portland State is giving up 82.8 points per game while opponents are shooting .462 from the floor and .358 from distance. PSU's -15.5 scoring margin is worst in the Big Sky.
• SR G Kate Lanz has gone 7-for-32 (.219) in her last three games.

NEWS & NOTES
Easom Continues Hot Shooting
Sophomore guard Emily Easom is in the midst of a career high scoring streak. She has put up double digits in each of the last four games including back-to-back 20-point performances. Over the four game streak, she is leading the team with 17.8 points per game. Easom is shooting .600 from the floor (27-for-45) and .458 from three-point range (11-for-24). She has 11 assists to just three turnovers during the stretch.
• Easom posted a career-high 26 points against Sacramento State (1/16) with a career-high 12 field goals going 12-for-15. She added a trio of three-pointers in the game with four assists.
• Easom is averaging a career-high 11.4 points per game this season, doubling her average of 5.4 from a year ago.
• Easom has been productive and durable this year starting in every game and playing a team-high 30.6 minutes per game.
• Easom leads the team with 28 three-points and is second with 63 baskets this season.

Big Win at Home
The Vikings picked up a big win at home on January 16 defeating Sacramento State, 83-80. The Hornets entered the game averaging 94.1 points and 14.4 three-pointers per game. The Vikings held the Hornets to just six three-pointers while shooting a season-high .567 from the floor (38-for-67). Sophomore G Emily Easom posted a career-high 26 points leading the Vikings to the win. Portland State held a decisive 43-to-27 rebounding advantage that helped the Vikings outscore the Hornets 21-to-4 in second chance points.

Making the Most
Freshmen guards Laruen Holt and Delanie Parry each made their first career start against Sacramento State and both made the most of it. Holt scored a career-high 18 points going 8-for-9 from the floor with a team-high eight rebounds. Parry put up seven points while pulling down seven rebounds. She also accounted for a team-high seven assists and three blocks.

Misa Out Again
Senior F Angela Misa has suffered a left knee injury that will keep her out for the rest of the season. It is the second straight year that Misa will have her season cut short due to a knee injury. Misa was averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds per game for the Vikings. At the time of the injury she has a league-high six double-doubles including three straight. She suffered the injury at Montana State on January 9. Misa had 15 points and 13 rebounds against the Bobcats before leaving the game.

Slow Out of the Gate
The Vikings have struggled in the first halves of games this season. They have been outscored 42.4-to-29.8 (-12.6 scoring margin) in the opening 20 minutes. Portland State is scoring nearly 10 more points (37.6) in the second halves of games. The Vikings' shooting percentage is also 29 points better in the second half (.380/.409).

Vikings Come Back after Slow Start
Portland State came back to win against Weber State (1/4) despite starting the game 0-for-11 from the floor. The Vikings trailed by only three points at the half. They came out and shot .500 (15-for-30) in the second half to win their first conference game at home.

Lanz's Triple-Double
Senior G Kate Lanz posted her first career triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 10 assists at Eastern Washington (12/29). She went 5-for-19 from the floor with a three-pointer while going 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. She also picked up a block in 36 minutes played.

Historic Triple-Double
Senior G Kate Lanz's triple-double at Eastern Washington (12/29) was the first of her career and the first by a Viking since Claire Faucher posted 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals at Montana State on March 5, 2009. Faucher posted three triple-doubles during her career. Kim Manifesto posted the only other recorded triple-double for the Vikings in 1994.

Player of the Week Honors For Lanz
Senior G Kate Lanz's triple-double at Eastern Washington (12/29) propelled her to her first Big Sky Player of the Week honor this season and third of her career. It was the first Big Sky POTW award by a Viking since Courtney VanBrocklin on Nov. 20, 2012. Lanz was also named the CollegeSportsMadness.com Mid-Major Player of the week as well as the College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week.

"I Love It When a Plan Comes Together"
The Vikings were clicking on all cylinders in their 86-74 win at Eastern Washington (12/29) to start Big Sky play. PSU shot a season-high .500 from the floor including going 17-for-30 (.567) in the second half. The Vikings scored 52 points in the second half, a season high, while scoring a season-high 86 points. Kate Lanz (22 points) and Allie Brock (20) each scored over 20-points in the game. It was the first time this season that PSU had two players with 20-plus points.

At Home
The Vikings have excelled at the Peter W. Stott Center under seventh-year head coach Sherri Murrell. Portland State is 69-28 (.711) overall and 37-17 (.685) 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 4-6 at home this season.

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 12.3 points per game so far this season while averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, also a career high.

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 by 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.

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.

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.