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Portland State at Southern Utah
Thursday, January 1, 2015 • 6:00 p.m. PT • Centrum Arena (5,300) • Cedar City, Utah

Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Record/Conference: 6-3/0-0
Head Coach: Chris Boettcher (6-3/1st year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 2-9/0-0
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (120-106/8th year)
Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: SUUTBirds.com

Portland State at Northern Arizona
Saturday, January 3, 2015 • 1:00 a.m. PT • Walkup Skydome (3,300) • Flagstaff, AZ

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Record/Conference: 4-7/0-0
Head Coach: Sue Darling (21-48/3rd year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 2-9/0-0
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (120-106/8th year)
Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: NAUAthletics.com

THE OPENING TIP
     The calendar turns to 2015 and the Portland State women's basketball team turns its attention to its conference season. The Vikings open their Big Sky Conference slate New Year's Day when they play at Southern Utah (6-3 overall). Tip is slated for 7 p.m. MT. They will then head to Flagstaff, Ariz. where they will take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-6) on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. MT. 
     Portland State split the final two games of its non-conference schedule to improve to 2-9 overall heading into Big Sky play. The Vikings fell 104-33 at Princeton on Dec. 19 before defeating Columbia, 71-66, on Dec. 21. Portland State had four players score in double-figures against the Columbia Lions led by junior G Emily Easom's season-high 21 points. Easom went 6-for-11 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three-point range, and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Sophomore G Laruen Holt added 14 points and nine rebounds going 6-for-12 from the floor in her third start of the season. Senior G Lariel Powell added 13 points while seinor F Mikaela Rivard tallied 11. 
     Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell picked up her 120th win at Portland State against Columbia. She is 120-107 overall and 65-55 in Big Sky play in eight years at PSU. She is 267-300 in 19 years as a head coach. Chris Boettcher is 6-3 in his first year leading the Thunderbirds while Sue Darling is 21-48 in three years at Northern Arizona. 

COMING UP
Portland State will open its Big Sky Conference home slate on Thursday, Jan. 8 when the Vikings welcome the Northern Colorado Bears. They will then host North Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 10.   

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SOUTHERN UTAH
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads 10-5 overall and 4-3 on the road. 
• BIG SKY SERIES: Southern Utah leads 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Cedar City. 
• STREAK: Southern Utah has won four straight since joining the Big Sky for the 2012-13 season. Portland State's last win came 72-71 on 12/31/2007 in Cedar City.
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 23, 2014 at SUU: Southern Utah 69, Portland State, 60: Southern Utah took the first meeting of the season with a decisive 48-to-14 advantage in the paint. Portland State led by eight points early in the contest but then Southern Utah took over in the second half and went up by as much as 18 points. Mikaela Rivard scored a team-high 16 points while Emily Easom (15 points) and Kate Lanz (14 points) each scored in double-figures. Feb. 22, 2014 at PSU: Southern Utah 86, Portland State 79: Southern Utah completed the season sweep of the Vikings with a win at the Stott Center. The Vikings led 36-33 at the break but a 53 points second half by the Thunderbirds gave them the advantage. Two T-Birds posted 20-point performances led by Carli Moreland's game-high 25 points. Rivard scored 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. She hit a trio of three-pointers and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Easom and Lanz each added 18 points.

SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
     Southern Utah enters the Big Sky season on a two-game losing streak after falling at Gonzaga (70-51) and then at home to New Mexico State (81-64) on Dec. 29. The Thunderbirds won five straight to open the season before losing to UC Davis (76-55). They have gone 2-2 in their last four games and enter conference play with the second best record in the league at 6-3. Southern Utah is 4-1 at home this season. 
     Southern Utah has the third best scoring offense in the league averaging 70.2 points per game and shooting .415 from the floor, also third in the league. Defensively, the Thunderbirds are third-worst in the league allowing 71.1 points per contest and fourth-worst allowing opponents to shoot .406 from the floor. They are averaging 38.4 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 17.7 turnovers, 10.3 steals, and 4.2 blocks per game. 
     Senior G Hailey Mandelko leads the team with 15.9 points per game. She has led the Thunderbirds in scoring five times this season including the past three games. She opened the season with a 29-point performance against Boise State. Senior G Desiree Jackson is second on the team with 14.7 points per game. Brenna Gates averages 8.3 points per game and leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Northern Arizona leads 21-18 all-time and 14-6 in Flagstaff. 
• BIG SKY SERIES:  Northern Arizona leads 20-17 all-time and 13-6 in Flagstaff.
• STREAK: Northern Arizona has won the last two games sweeping the season series in 2013-14. 
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 18, 2014 at PSU: Northern Arizona 88, Portland State, 67: Northern Arizona scored 57 points in the first half going up by as much as 28 points at the Stott Center. NAU had two players score 20 points in the game led by Amanda Frost's game-high 28 points. Allie Brock and Lariel Powell each scored 16 points to lead the Vikings. Both teams shot over 50-percent from the floor but NAU held a 44-to-30 advantage in the paint. Feb. 13, 2014 at NAU: Northern Arizona 84, Portland State, 61: Northern Arizona completed the season sweep of Portland State with six players scoring in double-figures. Frost agan scored a game-high 28 points for NAU. PSU had five players in double-figures led by Delanie Parry's 14 points. NAU shot 52.7 percent compared to 38 percent by PSU. 

NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS
     Northern Arizona opened the season 4-3 before dropping its last four games. The Lumberjacks are coming off a season-low scoring performance after falling 56-37 at New Mexico on Dec. 21. They average 60.7 points scored and 60.8 points allowed per game. Despite the close averages, only three games have been decided by 10 or fewer points this season. 
     The Lumberjacks are shooting .386 for the season while opponents are shooting .255. They shoot just .220 from three-point range, second-worst in the Big Sky. NAU is .714 from the free-throw line and averages 41.1 rebounds per game led by Erikka Banks' 9.4 rebounds per game. Banks also leads the team with 13.4 points in 33.8 minutes per game.  Raven Anderson averages 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season while posting a .552 shooting percentage, second in the conference. 

WHO IS HOT?
• JR G Emily Easom is coming off a season-high 21 points against Columbia (12/21). Easom leads the team with 13.1 points per game and has scored in double-figures eight times including two 20-point games. 
• Easom shot a season-high .545 (6-for-11) from the floor against Columbia. 
• SO G Lauren Holt has started each of the last three games and is averaging 12.0 points per game over that span. 
• SR F Mikaela Rivard has scored in double-digits seven times this season including four of the last five games. 

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State has lost by double-digits six times including four times by 28 or more. 
• Portland State scored just 33 points against Princeton (12/19), its lowest point total under Head Coach Sherri Murrell.
• Portland State is averaging 55.5 ppg while opponents are averaging 72.5 ppg (-17.1).
• Portland State is averaging 19.0 turnovers per game.
• Portland State committed a season-high 30 turnovers against Princeton. 
• Junior C Alicia Carline Scored six points in 14 minutes before fouling out at Columbia (12/21). 

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE 
• PSU is 2-9 overall and 0-0 in Big Sky play this season.
• PSU 1-4 at home, 1-5 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site. 
• PSU is 1-4 in its last five games and 2-8 in its last 10 games.

SOUTHERN UTAH
• SUU is 6-3 overall and 0-0 in conference play this season.
• SUU is 4-1 at home, 2-1 on the road, and 0-1 at a neutral site 
• SUU is 2-3 in its last five games.

NORTHERN ARIZONA
• NAU is 4-7 overall and 0-0 in conference play this season.
• NAU is 4-3 at home, 0-4 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site 
• NAU is 1-4 in its last five games and 3-7 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
CONFERENCE OPENERS: Portland State is 8-10 in Big Sky openers dating back to the 1996-97 season. The Vikings are 4-3 in openers under Head Coach Sherri Murrell including an 86-74 win at Eastern Washington last season. 

EASOM HEATING UP: Junior G Emily Easom improved her season high in scoring to 21 points against Columbia (12/21) going 6-for-11 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. She also went a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Easom has scored in double-figures eight times this season including a pair of 20-point games. 

SEASON-HIGH SCORING: Portland State scored a season-high 71 points against Columbia (12/21) shooting .414 from the floor. The Vikings committed a season-low 13 turnovers and went 20-for-23 (.870) at the free-throw line, their best percentage of the season.  

PROTECT THE BALL: Portland State turned the ball over a season-high 33 times in its 104-33 loss at Princeton (12/19). The Vikings then committed a season-low 13 turnovers in their 71-66 win over Columbia (12/21). PSU also forced a season-high 21 turnovers against Columbia in the win. 

TOUGH LOSS: Portland State suffered its worst loss under Head Coach Sherri Murrell at Princeton on Dec. 19 falling 104-33. The 33 total points scored was the fewest by a Vikings unit under Murrell and the -71 scoring margin was also the worst under Murrell. 

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.