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Portland State vs. Weber State
Thursday, January 22, 2015 • 7:00 p.m. PT • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) • Portland, OR

Weber State Wildcats 
Record/Big Sky: 7-10, 2-4
Head Coach: Bethann Ord (16-88/4th year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 3-14/1-5
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (121-111/8th year)

Portland State vs. Idaho State
Saturday, January 24, 2015 • 7:00 p.m. PT • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) • Portland, OR

Idaho State Bengals
Record/Big Sky: 8-9/3-3
Head Coach: Seton Sobolewsky (108-94/7th year)
Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 3-14/1-5
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (121-111/8th year)

Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: ViksLive.com

THE OPENING TIP
     The Vikings (3-14, 1-5 Big Sky) go for their second straight home win Thursday night when they host Weber State (7-10, 2-4) at the Peter W. Stott Center. Portland State will then welcome Idaho State (8-9, 3-3) to the Stott Center Saturday night. Both games are slated for 7 p.m. PT tips. 
      Portland State dropped a pair of Big Sky road games last week with losses at Eastern Washington and at Idaho. The Vikings struggled offensively averaging 51.5 points per game on the weekend. They also gave up and average of 89.0 points per game to their two opponents. Junior G Emily Easom led the way against Eastern Washington with a team-high 18 points. She went 3-for-10 from the floor but did most of her damage at the free-throw line going a perfect 12-for-12. Senior F Ani Avanessian scored a career-high 16 points going 5-for-9 from the floor with a 3-pointer. She also went 5-for-5 from the line. 
      Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is 121-112 overall and 66-60 in Big Sky play in eight years at PSU. She is 268-305 in 19 years as a head coach. Bethann Ord is 16-88 overall in her four years at Weber State while Seton Sobolewsky is 108-84 in his seven years leading Idaho State.

COMING UP
The Vikings will return to the road next week for a swing through the state of Montana as they go to the University of Montana on Thursday, Jan. 29 before heading to Montana State on Saturday, Jan. 31. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. Weber State
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads 24-23 overall and 16-8 in Portland. 
• BIG SKY SERIES: Portland State leads 21-15 overall and 13-5 in Portland. 
• STREAK: Portland State has won seven straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings. Portland State has won the last seven home games. 
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 4, 2014 at PSU: Portland State 66, Weber State, 60: The Vikings trailed at the half but a 47-point second half propelled them to a six-point victory. Angela Misa posted a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Vikings. They forced 22 turnovers, which they turned into 28 points. Kate Lanz added 14 points and seven rebounds.  March 6, 2014 at WSU: Portland State 62, Weber State 60: Portland State shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the game and once again had to come back from a first half deficit. Three Vikings scored in double-figures led by Lanz's 16 points off the bench. PSU went 21-for-28 at the line. 

WEBER STATE WILDCATS
Weber State enters the week 7-10 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Wildcats are 2-5 on the road this season. They are on a two-game winning streak after defeating Northern Arizona (66-53) and Southern Utah (60-39) at home last week. Weber State opened the season with three straight wins but then went 2-10 over its next 12 games before winning twice last weekend. 
     The Wildcats average 61.6 points per game while opponents average 58.9. They are shooting .349 from the floor, .283 from 3-point range, and .678 at the free-throw line. WSU averages 3.6 3-pointers made per game. 
     Jalen Carpenter leads the team with 11.4 points per game. She is shooting .438 from the floor, second on the team. Carpenter also leads the team with 7.6 rebounds per game, eighth in the Big Sky. Regina Okoye averages 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 4.2 steals per game, which leads the conference. Okoye posted 10 steals earlier this season against San Diego, the top mark in the conference this season. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO State
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Idaho State leads 27-22 overall but Portland State leads 14-9 in Portland. 
• BIG SKY SERIES: Idaho State leads 22-14 overall and the series is tied 9-9 in Portland.  
• STREAK: Idaho State has won seven straight in the series including three straight in Portland. PSU's last home win came 89-79 on Jan. 17, 2011. 
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 2, 2014 at PSU: Idaho State 76, Portland State 64: Idaho State shot 53.8 percent and had four players in double-figures including a game-high 20 points from Lindsey Reed. Angela Misa posted another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Kate Lanz also scored 19 points. March 8, 2014 at ISU: Idaho State 79, Portland State 64: Portland State led 33-32 at the break before a 46-point second half gave Idaho State the 15-point win. Lindsey Reed scored 21 points for ISU. Kate Lanz led PSU with 13 points . Allie Brock and Lariel Powell each added 12 points.  

IDAHO STATE BENGALS
Idaho State enters play this week 8-9 overall and 3-3 in Big Sky play. The Bengals opened the season with losses at Washington State and Gonzaga. They then went 2-4 over their next six games before winning four straight games, including their conference opener against Idaho. ISU has gone 2-3 since. 
     The Bengals are averaging 64.5 points per game this season while opponents are scoring 69.6. They are shooting .401 from the floor, .238 from 3-point range, and .654 at the line. 
     Apiphany Woods leads the team with 13.7 points per game overall this season and averages 16.8 ppg in conference action. She is shooting .445 from the floor. Grace Kenyon averages 12.3 points per game while Anna Policicchio averages 10.1. Policicchio is fourth in the league with 2.1 blocks per game. 

WHO IS HOT?
• SR F Ani Avanessian scored a career-high 16 points at Idaho (1/17). 
• JR G Emily Easom went 13-for-14 at the free-throw line over the past two games including a perfect 12-for-12 game at Eastern Washington (1/15).
• SO G Lauren Holt has started the last nine games and is averaging 10.6 points per game over that span.

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State has lost by double-digits 10 times including seven times by 28 or more. 
• Portland State has allowed 100+ points twice this season. 
• Portland State is averaging 56.5 ppg while opponents are averaging 76.1 ppg (-19.6).
• Portland State is averaging 17.0 turnovers per game.
• Portland State is averaging 7.3 points per game from bench players. 

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE 
• PSU is 3-14 overall and 1-5 in Big Sky play this season.
• PSU 2-5 at home, 1-9 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.

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

IDAHO STATE
• ISU is 8-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play this season.
• ISU is 5-4 at home, 2-4 on the road, and 1-1 at a neutral site. 
• ISU is 2-3 in its last five games and 6-4 in its last 10 games.

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 133-159 all-time in Big Sky Conference games.
• PSU is 83-62 in home games and 50-97 in road games.
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament.

NEWS & NOTES
Three-Point Shooter: Junior G Emily Easom is four 3-pointers shy of 10th all-time at Portland State. She currently has 115 career 3-pointers. Jennifer Buscher (1995-98) is 10th with 119. 

COURT TIME: Junior G Emily Easom leads the league with 38.3 minutes played per game this season. She has played all 40 minutes nine times this season while making every start. The fewest minutes she has played in a game this season was 26 at Princeton (12/19). 

HOME SWEET HOME: The Vikings are two different teams at home and on the road. They are 2-5 at home this season and 1-9 on the road. The Vikings have a -8.4 scoring margin at home and a -27.5 scoring margin on the road.