Complete Game Notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
As debut weekends go, the Portland State women's basketball team couldn't have put together a better one than they did last weekend, beating Warner Pacific 102-49 Friday, and San Jose State 80-51 Sunday. The Vikings cracked the century mark for the first time since 1995 in their win over the Knights, and held the Spartans to just 11 first-half points. As a result, the Vikings are 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they started the year 3-0.
 
The Vikings will look to match their start from the 2012-13 season this Friday, when they take a step up in competition with the UC Davis Aggies coming to the Viking Pavilion. The Aggies represent the first of four postseason teams the Vikings will host during the non-conference schedule, after the Aggies made the quarterfinals of the WNIT tournament last season.
 
The Aggies went 28-7 overall last season while winning their second straight Big West Conference regular-season title with a 14-2 conference record. The Aggies became the first program to win back-to-back Big West regular-season crowns since UC Santa Barbara won two in row in 2007-09. Additionally, the Aggies' 28 wins last season marked the Aggies' second-highest single-season win total in program history.
 
The Aggies made the Big West championship game as the top seed in the tournament last season, but lost to fifth-seeded CSUN, 63-55. The Aggies hosted their first postseason game in the Division I history of their program after their loss to CSUN, beating Idaho out of the Big Sky in the first round of the WNIT, 82-62.
 
The Aggies lost three starters from last season's WNIT team, but return redshirt senior post Morgan Bertsch, who averaged 20.1 points per game last season and was named to the All-Big West first team for the second straight season. Bertsch leads the Aggies with 23.5 points per game after the first week of the regular season, having scored 16 points in the team's 71-43 loss to then-No. 7 Stanford Wednesday, and 31 in the team's 83-80 loss to Pacific (Calif.) Sunday.
 
Bertsch will be a tough matchup for the Vikings, though the team has shown the offensive and defensive depth to handle a star individual. Multiple players stepped up for the Vikings during the first weekend of the regular season, including senior forward Courtney West, who had a career-high 28 points against Warner Pacific on 13-of-15 shooting Friday, and recorded a double-double in the first half against San Jose State Sunday. West's 13 made field goals against the Knights marked the most by a Viking since Kelsey Kahle made 13 field goals against Idaho State on Feb. 12, 2009.
 
Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez was the only other Viking besides West to score in double figures in both games last weekend, as players stepped up as they were needed over the weekend. Jimenez scored 12 points while adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Knights Friday, and then added 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals while going 3-of-8 from beyond the arc against the Spartans Sunday.
 
Freshman guard Desirae Hansen had an up-and-down scoring weekend, but still filled the stat sheet in both games. Hansen scored 22 points in 22 minutes played against the Knights Friday, the most points by a Viking in her first official game since Michael Kay had 22 points against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 13, 2015. Hansen scored her 22 points while going 8-of-10 from the field against the Knights, including a 4-of-5 mark from beyond the arc. Hansen only scored two points against the Spartans on Sunday, but recorded a game-high eight assists and seven rebounds in the game.
 
Senior guard Ashley Bolston also wasn't required to score much in the Vikings' blowout win over the Knights Friday, but stepped up when the Vikings needed her against the Spartans Sunday, leading the team with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Bolston also had five rebounds (three offensive), five assists and five steals against the Spartans.
 
Senior guard Sidney Rielly similarly took a back seat in the Vikings' runaway win over Warner Pacific, but stepped up in the Vikings' win over San Jose State. Rielly scored just five points in 14 minutes played against the Knights Friday, but finished as the team's second-highest scorer with 14 points against the Spartans while going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and adding three steals Sunday.
 
The Vikings will hope their depth can carry them again Friday, when they host the Aggies at 4 p.m. at the Viking Pavilion. Win that game, and the Vikings are 3-0 for the first time in six seasons.
 
QUICK HITS:
• The Vikings are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since they started 3-0 in 2012-13.
• The Vikings scored over 100 points in beating Warner Pacific 102-49 Friday, the first time the Vikings had broken the century mark since they beat Cal State San Bernadino 102-39 on Dec. 2, 1995. Friday's win was the first time the Vikings had ever scored 100 points during the Big Sky era of the program.
• The Vikings held San Jose State to just 11 first-half points in their 80-51 win over the Spartans on Sunday. The Vikings held the Spartans to just 5-of-33 from the field, giving them a first-half field goal percentage of just .152. The Spartans finished 17-of-64 from the field for a .266 field goal percentage, the lowest field goal percentage by a Division I opponent against the Vikings since Loyola Marymount shot .242 shooting on Dec. 11, 2010.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky in scoring offense (91.0), scoring defense (50.0) and scoring margin (41.0) after the first weekend of the regular season. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense (.252), assists per game (23.5) and blocks per game (7.5).
• The Vikings rank in the top 20 of the NCAA for field goal percentage defense (20th, .252), assists per game (17th, 23.5), steals per game (16th, 17.5) and blocks per game (13th, 7.5).
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-0)
91.0 PPG | 44.5 FG% | 41.0 3FG%
Notable: The Portland State Vikings have started the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they started the year 3-0. The Vikings opened the season with a 102-49 win over Warner Pacific Friday, and then beat San Jose State 80-51 on Sunday. The Vikings hadn't hit the century mark since 1995 before going over 100 points against the Knights on Friday. The Vikings then turned around and held the Spartans to just 11 first-half points in their game Sunday, as the Vikings held the Spartans to just 5-of-33 shooting from the field for a first-half field goal percentage of just .152. The Spartans finished the game 17-of-64 from the field for a .266 field goal percentage, the lowest field goal percentage by a Division I opponent against the Vikings since Loyola Marymount shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010. Senior forward Courtney West had a strong opening weekend, scoring a career-high 28 points against Warner Pacific while going 13-of-15 from the field. West's 13 made field goals marked the most by a Viking in a game since Kelsey Kahle made 13 field goals against Idaho State on Feb. 12, 2009. West also had a double-double in the first half against San Jose State Sunday, as she grabbed her 10th rebound with 4:33 left in the second quarter. Senior guard Ashley Bolston led the Vikings with 19 points against the Spartans while going 5-of-11 from the field and adding five rebounds (three offensive), five assists and five steals. The Vikings lead the Big Sky in scoring offense (91.0), scoring defense (50.0) and scoring margin (41.0) after the first weekend of the regular season. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense (.252), assists per game (23.5) and blocks per game (7.5). Freshman guard Desirae Hansen, Bolston and sophomore guard Kylie Jimenez all rank in the top six of the Big Sky with over five assists per game this season. Those three, along with West and senior guard Sidney Rielly also all rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for steals per game.
 
UC DAVIS AGGIES (0-2)
61.5 PPG | 33.9 FG% | 33.3 3FG%
Notable: The UC Davis Aggies opened their season with two losses last week, falling on the road at then-No. 7 Stanford, 71-43, Wednesday, before losing 83-80 at home Sunday to Pacific (Calif.). The Aggies made the quarterfinals of the WNIT tournament last season, when they went 28-7 overall while winning their second straight Big West Conference regular-season title with a 14-2 conference record. The Aggies became the first program to win back-to-back Big West regular-season crowns since UC Santa Barbara won two in row in 2007-09. Additionally, the Aggies' 28 wins last season marked the Aggies' second-highest single-season win total in program history. The Aggies made the Big West championship game as the top seed in the tournament, but lost to CSUN, 63-55. The Aggies hosted their first postseason game in their program's Division I history, beating Idaho out of the Big Sky in the first round of the WNIT, 82-62. The Aggies lost three starters from last season's WNIT team, but return redshirt senior post Morgan Bertsch, who averaged 20.1 points per game last season and was named to the All-Big West first team for the second straight season. Bertsch leads the Aggies with 23.5 points per game after the first week of the regular season, having scored 16 points against Stanford and 31 against Pacific (Calif.). Junior forward Nina Bessolo also scored in double figures against both Stanford and Pacific (Calif.), scoring 11 points against the Cardinal and 15 against the Tigers. Bessolo made 4-of-9 three-pointers against the Tigers, and went 2-of-8 from beyond the arc against Stanford. The Aggies finished first in the Big West media preseason poll, and a close second in the Big West coaches preseason poll. Sophomore forward Cierra Hall leads the Aggies with 7.0 rebounds per game, and had a team-high 10 rebounds against the Tigers. Senior guard Kourtney Eaton – the team's other returning starter besides Bertsch – led the Aggies with seven assists and four steals against the Tigers.
 
UC DAVIS SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Aggies, 9-5. The Aggies have won the last two games in the series, however, including last season, when the Aggies beat Portland State 79-67 in Davis, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2017.
 
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available from the game Friday. Fans can find the link to live stats at ViksLive.com, or on the women's basketball schedule page at GoViks.com.
 
NO LIVE VIDEO STREAM
Due to scheduling conflicts with the Portland State football game at 7 p.m. Friday, there will be no live video stream of the game against UC Davis.
 
LAST WEEK
The Vikings went 2-0 last weekend, opening their season with a 102-49 win over Warner Pacific Friday, and an 80-51 win over San Jose State Sunday. The Vikings haven't started the season 2-0 since the 2012-13 season, when they opened the year 3-0. The Vikings hit the century mark in their game against Warner Pacific, the first time they had done that since beating Cal State San Bernadino 102-39 on Dec. 2, 1995. The Vikings also recorded 20 steals against the Knights, the team's most steals in a game since they had 22 against Idaho on Dec. 20, 2006. Senior Courtney West led the Vikings with a career-high 28 points against the Knights while going 13-of-15 from the field. West's 13 field goals marked the most field goals by a Viking since Kelsey Kahle made 13 shots against Idaho State on Feb. 12, 2009. Freshman Desirae Hansen finished with 22 points in 22 minutes while making her official debut as a Viking. Hansen's 22 points marked the most by a Viking freshman since Michaela Kay had 22 points against Cal State Fullerton in her first game as a Viking on Nov. 13, 2015. The Vikings then held San Jose State to just 11 first-half points in their win over the Spartans Sunday. The Spartans finished the first half just 5-of-33 from the field, giving them a first-half field goal percentage of just .152. The Spartans bounced back in the second half, but still finished just 17-of-64 from the field for a .266 field goal percentage. The Vikings haven't held a Division I opponent to that low of a field goal percentage since they held Loyola Marymount to just .242 shooting on Dec. 11, 2010.
 
UPCOMING
The Vikings remain home for a game against Seattle the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24. The Vikings will host the Redhawks at 2 p.m. (PT) at the Viking Pavilion.
 
SCORING OFFENSE
It's early, but the Vikings are averaging 91.0 points per game after the first weekend of the regular season. That average ranks them first in the Big Sky and 34th in the nation. For comparison's sake, the program record for scoring average in a season is 87.1 points per game, set during the 1991-92 season. The Vikings' best scoring average during the program's Big Sky era came during the 2007-08 season, when they averaged 75.5 points per game.
 
BLOCK PARTY
With twin towers Courtney West and Jordan Stotler starting for the Vikings, the Vikings recorded 15 blocks between their first two games of the season. That gave the Vikings a 7.5 blocks per game average, ranking them atop the conference and 13th in the NCAA. The current single-season record for blocked shots stands at 179, set during the 1991-92 season. The Vikings set the Big Sky era record in 2016-17, when they recorded 163 blocks.
 
ASHLEY BOLSTON 1,000 CAREER POINTS WATCH
Senior guard Ashley Bolston stands just 59 points shy of becoming the 18th member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State. Bolston, who has 941 points in her career entering Friday, will join teammate Sidney Rielly in the 1,000-point club when she hits the benchmark. Bolston ranks sixth all time at Portland State with a career scoring average of 15.9 points, and ranks seventh all time with 20-career 20-points games. Bolston also ranks sixth all time with an .837 career free throw percentage.
 
Ashley Bolston Career Rankings
SCORING AVERAGE
Minimum 500 Points
Rk     Name                                               Avg
1.      C.J. Sealey (1981-83)                       19.6
2.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  17.9
3.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    16.8
4.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   16.6
5.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              16.1
6.      Ashley Bolston (2016-Pres.)            15.9
7.      Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               15.8
8.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      15.3
9.      P.J. Hall (1993-95)                           14.6
10.    Cathy Kuntz (1984-89)                     14.3
 
20-POINT GAMES
Rk     Name                                               Total
1.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    43
2.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   34
3.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              29
4.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  25
5.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      24
6.      Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               21
7.      Ashley Bolston (2016-Pres.)            20
8.      Stacey Liebl (1983-87)                     19
9.      Kim Manifesto (1992-96)                18
         Cathy Kuntz (1984-89)                     18
 
FREE THROW PCT.
Minimum 100 Free Throw Attempts
Rk     Name                                               Avg
1.      Kiana Brown (2017-Pres.)               .898
2.      Nikki Petticrew (1999-03)                .866
3.      Eryn Jones (2008-2012)                   .863
4.      Courtney VanBrocklin (2010-12)     .844
         Renae Aschoff (1989-93)                 .844
6.      Ashley Bolston (2016-Pres.)            .838
7.      Jenny Hoselton (1994-98)               .827
8.      Corey James (2015-Pres.)                .814
9.      Kate Lanz (2011-13)                         .810
10.    Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      .804
 
THE BASKETBALL LIFE OF RIELLY
Senior guard Sidney Rielly became just the third Viking to reach the 1,000-point club in only two years at Portland State after hitting the benchmark at the Big Sky tournament last season. Rielly has 1,057 points in her Portland State career, ranking her 17th all time at the school. Rielly also ranks seventh all time with a career scoring average of 15.8 points per game, and ranks in the top 10 all time for 20- and 30-point games. Rielly has 21 20-point games in her career, ranking her sixth all time at Portland State, and has two 30-point games, ranking her in a tie for eighth all time. Rielly has also been one of the most efficient guards in the nation throughout her time at Portland State. Rielly posted the best field goal percentage in the nation while shooting .530 from the field in 2016-17, and ranks eighth all time at Portland State with a .493 career field goal percentage.
 
Sidney Rielly Career Rankings
SCORING AVERAGE
Minimum 500 Points
Rk     Name                                               Avg
1.      C.J. Sealey (1981-83)                       19.6
2.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  17.9
3.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    16.8
4.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   16.6
5.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              16.1
6.      Ashley Bolston (2016-Pres.)            15.9
7.      Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               15.8
8.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      15.3
9.      P.J. Hall (1993-95)                           14.6
10.    Cathy Kuntz (1984-89)                     14.3
 
20-POINT GAMES
Rk     Name                                               Total
1.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    43
2.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   34
3.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              29
4.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  25
5.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      24
6.      Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               21
7.      Ashley Bolston (2016-Pres.)            20
8.      Stacey Liebl (1983-87)                     19
9.      Kim Manifesto (1992-96)                18
         Cathy Kuntz (1984-89)                     18
 
30-POINT GAMES
Rk     Name                                               Total
1.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    7
2.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   6
         Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      6
4.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              4
         C.J. Sealey (1981-83)                       4
6.      Stacey Libel (1983-87)                     3
         Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  3
8.      Kelly Marchant (2007-11)                2
         Renae Aschoff (1989-93)                 2
         Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               2
 
FIELD GOAL PCT.
Minimum 400 Attempts
Rk     Name                                               Avg
1.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      .560
2.      Lynn Holzfuss (1977-80)                  .534
3.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  .530
4.      Laurie Northrop (1988-91)              .516
5.      Sandra Howell (1985-88)                .506
6.      Kim Manifesto (1992-96)                .503
7.      Michelle Bateman (1988-90)          .494
8.      Sidney Rielly (2016-Pres.)               .493
9.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    .489
10.    Erin Yankus (2006-10)                     .483
 
COURTNEY WEST OWNS THE PAINT
The sun may set in the west, but that's only if redshirt senior forward Courtney West doesn't block it out. She's blocked everything else in her time at Portland State, as she owns the triple crown of blocked-shot records between the records for blocks in a game (8), season (94 in 2016-17) and career (180). West already has 57 more blocked shots than other player in program history, and moved into a tie for sixth all time in the history of the Big Sky Conference with five more blocks over the weekend. Outside of blocks, West ranks tied for fifth all time with 7.8 rebounds per game in her Portland State career, and is 18 rebounds shy of entering the top 10 all time in career rebounds.
 
Courtney West Career Rankings
REBOUNDS
Rk     Name                                               Total
1.      Kelsey Kahle (2005-09)                    879
2.      Sarah Hedgepeth (2000-04)            872
3.      Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      814
4.      Karen Johnson (1980-84)                809
5.      Laurie Northrop (1988-92)              764
6.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   645
7.      Kelli Valentine (2007-11)                 636
8.      Hiedi Hatcher (1997-01)                  612
9.      Claire Faucher (2006-10)                 546
10.    Renae Aschoff (1989-93)                 538
         Courtney West (2016-Pres.)            520
 
REBOUNDING AVERAGE
Minimum 300 Rebounds
Rk     Name                                               Total
1.      Angela Misa (2012-14)                    9.8
2.      Pam Mollet (1977-79)                     9.0
3.      Karen Johnson (1980-84)                8.1
         Sarah Hedgepeth (2000-04)            8.1
5.      Sheri Stemple (1991-93)                  7.8
         Courtney West (2016-Pres.)            7.8
7.      Sheri VanLoo (1980-84)                   7.5
         Dona McCanlies (1984-86)              7.5
9.      Linda McLellan (1978-81)                7.4
10.    Kristi Smith (1992-96)                      7.3
 
KYLIE JIMENEZ RETURNS AFTER 2017-18 BIG SKY FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONOR
Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez – the 2017-18 Big Sky Freshman of the Year – got off to a strong start to her sophomore campaign last weekend, going into double figures with 12 and 11 points against Warner Pacific and San Jose State, respectively. In addition to her 12 points against the Knights on Friday, Jimenez totaled four assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block while only committing one turnover. Jimenez added six assists, five rebounds, four steals and three three-pointers to her 11 points against the Spartans on Sunday. Jimenez ranks tied for third in the Big Sky with 3.5 steals per game as a result of her strong opening weekend, and also ranks tied for sixth with 5.0 assists per game, and sixth with a 3.33 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
THE DES CRAZE HITS PORTLAND STATE
Freshman guard Desirae Hansen made a splash in her opening weekend as a Viking, especially in the team's first game of the season against Warner Pacific. Hansen scored 22 points in 22 minutes played against the Knights, giving her the most points by a Viking in her debut since Michael Kay had 22 points against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 13, 2015. Hansen scored her 22 points while going 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and added five steals, four rebounds and four assists against the Knights. Hansen did not have the same shooting night against San Jose State on Sunday, finishing with only two points, but still recorded a game-high eight assists to go with seven rebounds against the Spartans.
 
VIKINGS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG SKY
After making the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament the past two seasons, the Vikings were picked to finish second in the conference in the Big Sky Coaches and Media Polls released on Oct. 18. Idaho, which beat the Vikings 102-99 in the semifinals of last season's Big Sky tournament, topped both polls as the conference favorite. Idaho received nine of the 11 first-place votes in the coaches poll, while the Vikings received the other two votes. The Vandals also picked up 13 of 19 first-place votes in the media poll, while the Vikings received two and Northern Colorado, last season's Big Sky champion, received four. The Vikings haven't been picked this high in the Big Sky preseason polls since they were picked to win the conference in both polls ahead of the 2011-12 season.
 
BOLSTON, RIELLY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY TEAM
Seniors Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly became the first pair of Viking teammates to be named to the Preseason All-Big Sky team since the conference began announcing a preseason all-conference team in 2015. Bolston also made the preseason all-conference team last season, making her the only Viking to make the preseason team twice in her career. It was the first preseason all-conference honor for Rielly, who had made the end-of-year All-Big Sky third team in each of the past two seasons. Bolston had also made the All-Big Sky second team as a redshirt sophomore and junior at Portland State.
 
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT HEADS TO BOISE
The Vikings have played their best basketball at the Big Sky tournament while making the semifinals in each of the past two seasons, but will need to adjust to a new venue for the 2019 edition of the tournament. The 2019 Big Sky tournament, presented by My Place Hotels, will take place, March 11-15, at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The move comes after the tournament spent the past three seasons in Reno, Nev.
 
The 2019 tournament will also follow a new schedule, as the first three rounds of the tournament will take place on three consecutive days from March 11-13. The teams will then have a rest day before the Big Sky Championship game, scheduled for March 15. The 2019 tournament will also feature only 11 teams, after North Dakota left the Big Sky over the offseason. As a result, the top five teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will earn a first-round bye at the tournament.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
Nov. 9, Portland State 102, Warner Pacific 49: The Vikings scored over 100 points for the first time since they beat Cal State San Bernadino 102-39 on Dec. 2, 1995. The Vikings also recorded 20 steals against the Knights, the team's most in a game since they had 22 steals against Idaho on Dec. 20, 2006.
Nov. 11, Portland State 80, San Jose State 51: The Vikings held San Jose State to just 11 first-half points while the Spartans went 5-of-33 from the field and shot just .152 in the first half. The Spartans finished 17-of-64 from the field for a .266 field goal percentage, the lowest field goal percentage by a Division I opponent against the Vikings since Loyola Marymount shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010.