Complete Release in PDF Format

Portland State at Princeton
Friday, December 19, 2014 • 2:30 p.m. PT • Jadwin Gymnasium (6,854) • Princeton, NJ

Princeton Tigers
Record/Conference: 11-0/0-0
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (149-66/8th year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 1-8/0-0
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (119-105/8th year)
Live Video Stream: IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com/Princeton (Pay Subscription Required)
Live Stats: GoPrincetonTigers.com

Portland State at Columbia
Sunday, December 21, 2014 • 9:00 a.m. PT • Levien Gymnasium (2,500) • New York, NY

Columbia Lions
Record/Conference: 4-6/0-0
Head Coach: Stephanie Glance (10-28/3rd year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 1-8/0-0
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (119-105/8th year)
Live Video Stream: IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com/Columbia (Pay Subscription Required)
Live Stats: GoColumbiaLions.com

THE OPENING TIP
     The Portland State women's basketball team embarks on its longest road trip of the season this week when the Vikings travel to the east coast to take on a pair of Ivy League opponents. Portland State opens the trip with Princeton on Friday, Dec. 19 starting at 2:30 p.m. PT. The Vikings will then head to the Big Apple to take on Columbia on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 9:00 a.m. PT. This week will conclude the Vikings' non-conference schedule; Big Sky Conference play New Year's Day at Southern Utah. 
     The Vikings are 1-8 after dropping a pair of games last week. The Vikings fell at cross-town rival University of Portland, 91-63, before falling to Western Washington, 75-64, at the Peter W. Stott Center. Junior G Emily Easom averaged 15.0 points per game in the two losses including a season-high 20 points against the Pilots. Easom went 6-for-14 with four three-pointers against Portland. She added 10 points going 4-for-8 from the floor against Western Washington. Junior C Alicia Carline averaged 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the two games while SO G Lauren Holt added 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. 
     Princeton is 11-0 this season including a 3-0 record at home. Columbia is 4-6 overall and 4-3 at home this season.  
     Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is in her eighth year at Portland State. She is 119-106 overall and 65-55 in Big Sky play while at PSU. She is 266-299 in 19 years as a head coach. Courtney Banghart is 149-66 in eight years at Princeton. Stephanie Glance is 10-28 in three years at Columbia.

COMING UP
     Following play this week, the Vikings will have 10 days off before they open Big Sky Conference action New Year's Day at Southern Utah. Portland State will also play at Northern Arizona on that conference opening weekend. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. PRINCETON
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Princeton leads the all-time series 1-0 after taking the only meeting last season. 
• LAST MEETING: Princeton took the last meeting, 94-76, at the Peter W. Stott Center on Nov. 30, 2013. Portland State had four players in double-figures led by Angela Misa's 18 points. The Vikings led 44-42 at the half but the Tigers ran away with it in the second half shooting 62.5 percent from the floor for the game. 

PRINCETON TIGERS
     Princeton enters play this week a perfect 11-0 on the season after defeating Delaware, 87-59, Tuesday night. The Tigers are averaging 76.0 points per game while opponents are averaging 53.0 points per game. They shoot .478 from the floor and .447 from three-point range. Princeton averages 7.3 three-pointers made per contest. The Tigers also shoot .703 from the free-throw line. 
     Blake Deitrick leads the Tigers with 14.9 points per game. She is shooting .492 from the floor this season and leads the team with 62 field goals made. She is second on the squad with 26 three-pointers and first with 61 assists. Michelle Miller is second on the squad with 12.8 points per contest. Annie Tarakchian averages 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to lead the Tigers. Alex Wheatley is averaging 10.3 points per game this season in nine games. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. COLUMBIA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State took the only meeting between the two schools, 75-67, last year at the Peter W. Stott Center. Kate Lanz led the Vikings with a near-double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. The Vikings shot 44.6 percent in the game and outscored the Lions 32-20 in the paint. Angela Misa added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. 

COLUMBIA LIONS
     Columbia is 4-6 overall this season and has not played in nearly two weeks. The Lions' last game was a 54-46 win over LIU-Brooklin. They are averaging 68.2 points per game while opponents are averaging 73.5. Columbia is shooting .359 from the floor, .269 from three-point range, and .769 at the line. The Lions will get to the line averaging 18.0 free throws per game. 
     The Lions have two primary scorers led by Tori Oliver's 17.5 points per game. She is shooting .466 from the floor and averages 5.8 rebounds per game. Camille Zimmerman is averaging 15.0 points per game along with 7.3 rebounds. Alexa Giuliano averages 9.2 points per game with 23 of her 32 field goals this season coming from three-point range. 

WHO IS HOT?
• JR G Emily Easom leads the team with 13.2 points per game and has scored in double-figures in seven of nine games. Easom leads the team with 20 three-pointers.
• JR C Alicia Carline is averaging 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the past two games. She is shooting .588 from the floor over that span. 
• SO G Lauren Holt is averaging 10.0 ppg over her last two. 

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State has lost by double-digits five times including three times by 28 or more. 
• Portland State is averaging 56.2 ppg while opponents are averaging 69.8 ppg (-13.6).
• Portland State is averaging 18.4 turnovers per game.

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE 
• PSU is 1-8 overall and 0-0 in Big Sky play this season.
• PSU 1-4 at home, 0-4 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site. 
• PSU is 1-4 in its last five games. 

PRINCETON
• PRIN is 11-0 overall and 0-0 in conference play this season.
• PRIN is 3-0 at home, 5-0 on the road, and 3-0 at a neutral site 
• PRIN is 5-0 in its last five games and 10-0 in its last 10.

COLUMBIA
• COL is 4-6 overall and 0-0 in conference play this season.
• COL is 4-3 at home, 0-3 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site 
• COL is 2-3 in its last five games and 4-6 in its last 10.

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 132-154 all-time in Big Sky Conference games
• PSU is 82-61 in home games and 50-93 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

NEWS & NOTES
EASOM GOES FOR 20: Junior G Emily Easom posted a season-high 20 points at Portland (12/12). She went 6-for-14 from the floor with four three-pointers. She also went a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. It was Easom's first 20-point game of the season and seventh of her career. 

POWELL'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior G Lariel Powell posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 assists against Western Washington (12/14). Powell went 5-for-13 from the floor with a pair of free throws. 

BACK-TO-BACK: Junior C Alicia Carline posted back-to-back double-doubles to start her Portland State career. She tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds in her debut against Long Beach State (11/29). Carline added 11 points and 14 rebounds against Navy (12/5). Carline missed the first four games due to a hand injury.

VIKINGS GET FIRST WIN: Portland State picked up its first win of the season, a 56-50 win over Navy on Dec. 5. The Vikings' 0-5 start was the worst since they started 0-6 to start the 2004-05 season.  

CARLINE'S DEBUT: Junior C Alicia Carline posted the Vikings' first double-double of the season against Long Beach State (11/29). It was the first double-double by a Viking since Allie Brock (22 pts, 10 rebs) and Angela Misa (15 pts, 13 rebs) at Montana State (1/9/14). 

BLOCK PARTY PART DEUX: Junior C Alicia Carline posted a Portland State individual season-high five blocks against Long Beach State (11/29). It was the first time a Viking recorded five blocks in a game since Alli Brock posted five against UC Irvine (11/11/11). Carline added another five blocks in her second career game for Portland State against Navy (12/5). 

FOUR IN DOUBLE-FIGURES: Portland State had four players in double-figures at Oregon (11/25) for the first time this season. Ani Avanessian led with 12 points while Emily Easom and Lauren Holt each scored 11 points. Lariel Powell added 10 points.  

ANI'S CAREER-HIGH: Senior F Ani Avanessian scored a career-high 12 points going 4-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-5 at the line at Oregon (11/25). She added five rebounds and a steal. 

RIVARD AT THE LINE: Senior F Mikaela Rivard went a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line at Oregon (11/25). Rivard is now shooting .667 (10-for-15) at the line. 

POWELL ON THE RUN: Senior G Lariel Powell scored a career-high 21 points going 9-for-16 from the floor with a three pointer and a pair of free throws against Corban University (11/22). Powell scored 18 of her 21 points in the paint with six coming on fast breaks. 
 
EASOM FINDING HER STROKE: After a slow start in the Vikings' season opener, JR G Emily Easom has become a more consistent scorer for the Vikings. She scored 16 points against South Dakota (11/19), 17 points against Corban (11/22), and 19 points against Long Beach State (11/29). Easom now leads the team with 13.6 points per game. 

RIVARD's big game: Senior F Mikaela Rivard scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor with a pair of three-pointers against South Dakota (11/19). It was Rivard's third career 20-point game, first of the season.  

BLOCK PARTY: Portland State tallied six blocks against South Dakota (11/19). It is tied for the second most by a team in the Big Sky Conference this season. Five different Vikings tallied blocks against the Coyotes. 

HOME OPENERS: Portland State is 11-8 in home openers since joining the Big Sky Conference for the 1996-97 season. In seven previous home openers under Head Coach Sherri Murrell, the Vikings are now 6-2 with home opener losses the past two seasons. 

RIVARD READY TO GO: After missing most of training camp and the Vikings' first exhibition game due to a health issue, SR F Mikaela Rivard showed no ill effects from the time off scoring a team-high 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds at Seattle (11/16) to open the season. She also connected on her only three-point attempt.

DISHING IT: Senor G Lariel Powell tied her career high with seven assists at Seattle U (11/6). Powell added 10 points in the game going 4-for-11. Powell again tallied seven assists Corban (11/22).  

LOST FOR THE YEAR: Sophomore PG Yaremi Mejia will miss the entire 2014-15 season after suffering a knee injury prior to the start of the season.