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Portland State at Eastern Washington
Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 6:00 p.m. PT • Reese Court (5,000) • Cheney, WA

Eastern Washington Eagles 
Record/Big Sky: 10-4/3-0
Head Coach: Wendy Schuller (187-211/14th year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 3-12/1-3
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (121-109/8th year)
Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: GoEags.com

Portland State at Idaho
Saturday, January 17, 2015 • 2:00 p.m. PT • Cowan Spectrum (5,000) • Moscow, ID

Idaho Vandals
Record/Big Sky: 7-7/1-2
Head Coach: Jon Newlee (100-103/7th year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 3-12/1-3
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (121-109/8th year)
Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: GoVandals.com

THE OPENING TIP
     The Portland State women's basketball team heads back out on the road for another Big Sky Conference road trip through the Northwest. The Vikings will head to Cheney, WA for a Dam Cup Challenge game with Eastern Washington (10-4 overall, 3-0 Big Sky Conference) Thursday, Jan. 15 starting at 6 p.m. PT. The Vikings will then make their first trip to Moscow, ID since the 2007-08 season, first ever for a Big Sky match-up, for a Saturday, Jan. 17 game with the Idaho Vandals (7-7, 1-2). Tip is slated for 2 p.m.
     The Vikings picked up their first Big Sky Conference win of the season Saturday afternoon with a 73-70 win over North Dakota at the Peter W. Stott Center. Junior G Emily Easom went for a season-high 26 points connecting on a career-high seven 3-pointers. Easom hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining to give the Vikings the final advantage. It was Easom's third 20-point game of the season, ninth of her career. Senior F Mikaela Rivard added 17 points for the Vikings before fouling out. Sophomore G Lauren Holt added 13 points, four assists, and four steals. It was just the second time the Vikings had defeated North Dakota since UND joined the Big Sky for the 2012-13 season. 
     Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is 121-110 overall and 66-58 in Big Sky play in eight years at PSU. She is 268-303 in 19 years as a head coach. Wendy Schuller is 187-211 in 14 years leading Eastern Washington while Jon Newlee is 100-103 in seven season at Idaho.

COMING UP
Following this weekend on the road, the Vikings will return home to the Peter W. Stott Center where they will take on Weber State on Thursday, Jan. 22 and Idaho State on Saturday, Jan. 24.

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Eastern Washington leads 32-26 all-time and 18-10 in Cheney. 
• BIG SKY SERIES: Portland State leads 19-17 all-time. Eastern Washington leads 11-8 in Cheney.
• STREAK: Eastern Washington took the last meeting. 
• LAST SEASON: Dec. 29, 2013 at EWU: Portland State 86, Eastern Washington, 74: Portland State took the first meeting of the season to open Big Sky Conference play. Kate Lanz posted PSU's fifth triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. She went 5-for-19 on the line but 10-for-11 at the free-throw line. Allie Brock added 20 points for the Vikings in the win. Feb. 24, 2014 at PSU: Eastern Washington 61, Portland State 60: Portland State fell behind 26-17 at the break in game two but a big second half put them within striking distance of the sweep. The Vikings were up by one point with 37 seconds remaining but an Eagles' layup with five second left gave them the one-point victory. Mikaela Rivard and Keaton McFadden led the Vikings with 13 points apiece while Delanie Parry added 12. 

EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
     Eastern Washington comes into play this week as the Big Sky's lone undefeated team in conference play at 3-0. The Eagles are 10-4 overall and 5-1 at home this season. EWU opened the season 2-0 before a pair of losses evened its record at 2-2. The Eagles stayed at .500 with a 4-4 record before going on their current 6-game winning streak. They defeated University of Portland, Georgia Southern, and Florida before moving into conference play. In its three conference wins, Eastern Washington is outscoring opponents by an average of 11.0 points per game. 
     The Eagles have the third best scoring offense in the league with 70.4 points per game while they are holding opponents to 63.3 points per contest over 14 games. EWU is second in the league with a .433 field goal percentage and lead the league with a .775 mark at the free-throw line. Eastern Washington also leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage with a .342 mark. EWU averages 6.0 blocks, 14.6 assists, 7.5 steals, and 36.3 rebounds per game. 
     Eastern Washington has four players in the top 25 in scoring in the Big Sky led by Lexie Nelson's 17.1 points per game, third in the league. The senior guard is shooting .474 from the floor, .385 from 3-point range, and .838 at the line. Nelson has scored in double-figures 12 times including six 20-point games. She scored a season-high 29 points against Wichita State earlier this year. 
     Hayley Hodgins averages 15.6 points per game and is shooting .405 from the floor. She has 11 double-digit scoring games this year including a 30-point game, also against Wichita State. Her younger sister Delaney Hodgins is averaging 10.7 points in her freshman season. Senior F Melissa Williams is adding 10.4 points per game. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Idaho leads 16-12 all-time and 9-5 in Moscow. 
• BIG SKY SERIES: First ever Big Sky Conference meeting. 
• STREAK: Portland State has won two straight. The last meeting was an 81-54 road win by the Vikings on Dec. 9, 2007.
  
IDAHO VANDALS
     Idaho enters play this week 7-7 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky play after dropping its last game, 71-65, at Eastern Washington. The Vandals will play host to Sacramento State Thursday before welcoming the Vikings for Saturday's 2 p.m. tip. Idaho joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2014 making the conference a 12-team league for women's basketball. It is Idaho's second stint as part of the Big Sky. Idaho was one of the league's charter members in 1963 and was a part of the league until its departure following the 1995-96 season. Idaho went 25-9 overall and 15-1 in Western Athletic Conference action a year ago. It won the WAC tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Louisville in the first round. 
     Idaho is outscoring opponents by an average of 4.3 points per game (65.6-to-61.4). The Vandals are shooting .369 from the floor, .320 from 3-point range, and .679 from the line. They are out-rebounding opponents 45.4-to-42.1 and average 14.6 assists per game. 
     Idaho's Stacy Barr leads the league with 20.3 points per game this season and has two 31-point games. The senior G from Melbourne, Australia also averages 7.1 rebounds per game, seventh in the league. She is shooting .380 from the floor, .347 from 3-point range (averaging 2.5 per game), and .776 at the line. Christina Salvatore is second on the team with 10.4 points per game. 

WHO IS HOT?
• JR G Emily Easom scored a season-high 26 points connecting on a career-high seven 3-pointers. 
• SR G Lariel Powell averaged 7.0 assists in the Vikings' last two games. 
• SR F Mikaela Rivard has scored in double-figures in five of the last six games including a career-high 24 points to open Big Sky play at Southern Utah (1/1). She is averaging 13.3 points per game over that span. 
• SO G Lauren Holt has started each of the last seven games and is averaging 10.7 points per game over that span.
• Portland State has done a better job of protecting the ball committing just 12 turnovers against Northern Colorado (1/8) and 11 against North Dakota (1/10), its two lowest totals of the season. 

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State has lost by double-digits eight times including five times by 28 or more. 
• Portland State is averaging 57.1 ppg while opponents are averaging 74.4 ppg (-17.3).
• Portland State is averaging 17.3 turnovers per game.
• Portland State is averaging 8.3 points per game from bench players. 

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE 
• PSU is 3-12 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play this season.
• PSU 2-5 at home, 1-7 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site. 
• PSU is 2-3 in its last five games and 3-7 in its last 10 games.

EASTERN WASHINGTON
• EWU is 10-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play this season.
• EWU is 5-1 at home, 4-3 on the road, and 1-0 at a neutral site.
• EWU is 5-0 in its last five games and 8-2 in its last 10 games.

IDAHO
• UI is 7-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play this season.
• UI is 2-1 at home, 4-6 on the road, and 1-0 at a neutral site. 
• UI is 3-2 in its last five games and 5-5 in its last 10 games.

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 133-157 all-time in Big Sky Conference games.
• PSU is 83-62 in home games and 50-95 in road games.
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament.

NEWS & NOTES
FIRST CONFERENCE WIN: Portland State picked up its first conference win of the season defeating North Dakota 73-70 on Jan. 10. Junior G Emily Easom hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining to give the Vikings the win. 

SHE'S HEATING UP: Junior G Emily Easom scored a season-high 26 points, one shy of her career high, against North Dakota (1/10). She connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers. Her seven 3-pointers tied for the most by a single player in the Big Sky this season. 

THE 4-POINT PLAY: Junior G Emily Easom completed the rare 4-point play not once but twice, in back-to-back games, against Northern Colorado (1/8) and North Dakota (1/10). 

RIVARD GOES OFF: Senior F Mikaela Rivard scored a career-high 24 points in the Vikings' conference opener at Southern Utah (1/1). She went 9-for-21 from the floor, 2-for-7 from three-point range, and 4-for-6 from the line. It was Rivard's second 20-point game of the season and the third of her career. 

ANI OFF THE BENCH: Senior F Ani Avanessian came off the bench for 11 points in 30 minutes, going 5-for-8 (including a 3-pointer) at Northern Arizona (1/3). It was Avanessian's third double-digit scoring performance and the fourth of her career.