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OPENING TIP
     Portland State hits the road for two pivotal games this week beginning with the Weber State Wildcats on Thursday, Feb. 15 at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. PT. 
     The Vikings moved up the Big Sky Conference standings with its wins over Montana and Montana State last week. Portland State is 7-5 in league play and currently in a three-way tie for fifth with Eastern Washington and Idaho State. All three teams are just a half-game out of the fourth seed and 2.5 games out of first. 
     Portland State and Eastern Washington split its two games this season with each team winning at home. Idaho State came to Portland and defeated the Vikings, 88-59, on Jan. 18 for their worst loss of the conference season. Portland State and Idaho State meet for the second time on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Poctatello, Idaho. A match up that could weight heavily on the final standings.
     Since their 29-point loss to the Bengals, the Vikings have gone 4-2 with a renewed dedication on the defensive end. Over the last six games, opponents are scoring just 61.5 points per game, while shooting 37.2 percent from the floor, and 31.7 percent from distance. The Vikings have increased their defensive intensity, while staying in control. They have committed just 9.5 fouls per game with opponents averaging just 4.5 free-throws made per game. 
     Portland State's tremendous defensive play reached new heights last week as the Vikings held both Montana schools to just 53 points apiece. Over the last two games, Portland State had a +13.0 scoring margin, is shooting nearly 100-points better from the floor, and holding its opponents to just 25.5 percent from distance. The Vikings have also taken great care of the ball over the last two with a +5.0 turnover margin, while posting a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

UP NEXT: The Vikings head to Pocatello, Idaho for a key match up with the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday, Feb. 17. Portland State can even the season series with a win, which will go a long way in the conference standings. Portland State then returns home to close out its home slate against Southern Utah (Feb. 22) and Northern Arizona (Feb. 24). The Vikings close out the regular season at first-place Northern Colorado (Feb. 28) before finishing at North Dakota (March 2). 
 

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WEBER STATE WILDCATS

• Weber State went 13-18 overall and finished eighth in Big Sky play with a 6-12 mark a year ago.  
• Weber State defeated ninth-seeded Sacramento State 98-97 in overtime in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament before falling to eventual tournament champion top-seeded Montana State, 65-53, in the quarterfinal round. 
• Weber State returns eight letterwinners and three starters from a year ago. The Wildcats added five newcomers, including SR G Larryn Brooks. 
• Brooks played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Indiana where she became the first freshman in IU history to score 500 points in a season. After averaging 16.3 and 11.9 points per game over her two years in Indiana, she transfered to Texas Tech. After sitting out a year, she averaged 9.3 ppg for the Red Raiders.
• Weber State is 16-7 overall and is third in the Big Sky Conference with an 8-4 mark. The Wildcats are 11-1 at home overall this season, they have won their last 10, and 5-0 at home in Big Sky play.
• Weber State boasts the league's top scoring offense, averaging 74.0 points per game. The Wildcats are allowing 69.0 ppg on the year, seventh in the Big Sky.
• Weber State is shooting .421 from the floor, .356, from distance, and .759 from the line. The Wildcats are averaging 9.9 three-pointers per game, second in the Big Sky, and sixth in the nation. 
• Brooks is seventh in the nation with 220 three-pointers attempted and eighth with 87 triples on the year. Her 3.78 three-pointers made per game is fifth in the nation. 
• Brooks is third in the league, 27th in the nation, with 20.3 points per game. She is shooting .441 from the floor and .870 at the line. 
• Three other Wildcats are averaging double-digit points this season. 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. WEBER STATE
ALL-TIME SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series 28-25, dating back to the 1982-83 season. The Wildcats are 16-8 at home in the series. Portland State leads the Big Sky series 22-19 after snapping a five-game losing streak with its win earlier this season. Weber State is 12-8 at home in league play. The last Portland State road win in the series was a 62-60 win on March 6, 2014. 
LAST MEETING: January 20, 2018 at Pamplin Sports Center, PSU 77, MSU 64: Portland State closed out the game with a 15-0, holding Weber State to just six points and 2-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter. Portland State shot 51.9 percent from the floor and knocked down four three-pointers. Weber State hit 13 triples but was held to just 35.7 percent shooting. Four players scored in double figures for the Vikings, led by Sidney Rielly's game-high 21 points. Courtney West had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, while Kylie Jimenez and Kiana Brown added 13 and 11 points respectively. Larryn Brooks and Emily Drake each scored 21 points for the Wildcats. They combined to go 10-for-23 from three-point range with Brooks accounting for seven three-pointers. Portland State dominated in the paint, outscoring Weber State 32-8. 

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QUICK HITS
BY THE NUMBERS

• Portland State is 13-10 overall this season and 7-5 in Big Sky Conference play. 
• Portland State is 8-2 at home with all of its home games being played at the Pamplin Sports Center. 
• Portland State is 3-2 in its last five and 5-5 in its last 10 games. PSU is 1-1 in overtime games.  
• Portland State is averaging 72.1 ppg and allowing 70.7 ppg on the year. 
• Portland State is shooting .435 from the floor, .356 from three-point range, and .778 at the line. 

BIG SKY BATTLES

• PSU is 151-201 all-time in Big Sky games.
• PSU is 95-82 in home games and 56-119 in road games.
• PSU is 9-10 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament.

WHO'S HOT?

• JR G Sidney Rielly is coming off a game-high 19 points in a win over Montana State. She was extremely efficient from the floor, going 5-for-7 and 3-for-4 from distance. She also went 6-for-6 at the line. She is shooting .830 at the line for the season. 
• After not scoring in double-digits for four straight-games, JR G Ashley Bolston is averaging 14.3 points per game over her last four games. She is also shooting .853 at the line on the year 
• JR F Courtney West is averaging 14.0 points 5.5 points, and 3.5 blocks per game over her last two. She is shooting .545 from the floor over the last two.  
• Free throw shooting. Portland State is shooting .778 from the free-throw line on the year, sixth-best in the country.

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NEWS AND NOTES
TAMING THE BOBCATS: Portland State completed the season sweep of the Montana State Bobcats for just the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Vikings defeated the Bobcats, 69-60, on the road before winning 62-53 at home on Feb. 10. Portland State has now won three straight against MSU after dropping four straight. 

THE TREASURE STATE: Portland State went 3-1 against Montana and Montana State for the second-straight season after its season-sweeping win over Montana State on Feb. 10. It was also the second-straight season in which the Vikings defeated the Lady Griz and Bobcats at home. 

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS: Portland State has made great second-half adjustments over the past six games, en route to a 4-2 record over that span. Over the last six games, the Vikings are averaging 7.5 more points per game in the second half, while holding opponents to 5.5 fewer points in the second half. Field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and three-pointers made are all up for the Vikings and down for opponents in the second half. Portland State is holding opponents to just 25.3 percent from distance in the second half. 

TALE OF TWO SECOND HALVES: The Vikings have played two completely different second halves this season against Idaho. In the first meeting on Jan. 6 the Vikings gave up a season-high 51 points in the second half, going 20-for-31 (59.0 percent) from the floor. In the second meeting on Feb. 1, Portland State held Idaho to just 18 points, an opponent season low. Idaho went just 8-for-31 from the floor and 2-for-17 from distance in the second meeting. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they came upon the shot on both occasions. 

THE CLOSERS: Portland State closed out back-to-back wins on double-digit scoring runs. The Vikings closed out their 77-64 win over Weber State (1/20) on a 15-0 run after holding the Wildcats scoreless over the final 7:04. Portland State closed out its 81-72 win at Sacramento State (1/27) with an 11-0 run, holding the Hornets scoreless for the final 3:39. 

LOCKED IN AT THE LINE: RS-JR G Kiana Brown has been almost automatic at the free-throw line this season. She is shooting .884 at the line this season, which leads the Big Sky and is 13th overall in the country. She went a perfect 14-for-14 at the line against Idaho State (1/18) matching a 26-year-old Portland State record for most free throws made in a game without a miss. She has also hit 35-consecutive free throws, surpassing the previous school record of 31 set by Jameela Magee during the 2004-05 season. 

UNSELFISH BASKETBALL: The Vikings have played great team basketball for most of the season. They have posted 20-plus assists eight times. Portland State had a run of five-straight games with 20-plus assists, capped by a season-high 29 assists against Idaho (1/6). FR G Kylie Jimenez is fourth in the Big Sky with 4.3 assists per game on the year.

PROGRESS REPORT: One of the biggest indicators of Portland State's improvement over the last three seasons has been the Vikings assist-to-turnover ratio. Two years ago, in their first year under Head Coach Lynn Kennedy, the Vikings had a 0.6 A/TO ratio. Last season it improved to 0.9. The Vikings are averaging 1.03 assists per turnover this season. If the trend holds, and the Vikings finish the season with a 1.0-or-better ratio, it would be the first time since the 2009-10 season in which the Vikings would have more assists than turnovers. 

MILESTONE WATCH: JR G Sidney Rielly is well on her way to becoming the 17th member of the Portland State 1,000 point club. Through just 55 games, Rielly has tallied 929 career points, bringing her just 71 points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone. She surpassed the 800-point mark with 18 points at Montana State (1/11). She is currently averaging 17.8 points per game, well within range of reaching the milestone this season. She would be just the third Viking to surpass the milestone in just her first two seasons. 

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS: The win over Weber State (1/20) was the 10th of the year for Portland State. The Vikings went 16-17 overall a year ago, giving them back-to-back double-digit win season for the first time since the 2011-12 (15 wins) and 2012-13 (12 wins) seasons. 

WINS vs. LOSSES: The Vikings are 13-10 overall this season. There is a stark contrast on the box score between wins and losses. In wins, Portland State is averaging 77.6 points per game is shooting .468 from the floor and .800 from the free-throw line. In losses, those numbers drop to 65.0 ppg, .392 from the floor, and .743 at the line. The Vikings are holding their opponents to 15.4 fewer points per game in wins. Rebounds per game and assists per game are also all up in Portland State wins this season. 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JR G Ashley Bolston earned her first Big Sky Player of the Week honor of the season, second of her career, after dropping a career-high 32 points on Ole Miss to close out non-conference play. Bolston went 10-for-20 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to lead the Vikings to a 94-79 win over the Rebels. 

NATIONAL HONORS: Not only did JR G Ashley Bolston earn Big Sky Player of the Week honors for her career-high 32 points in the Vikings' win over Ole Miss, Bolston was named the College Sports Madness Big Sky Conference and National Mid-Major Player of the Week as well. 

BACK-TO-BACK 30-POINT GAMES: JR G Sidney Rielly posted her first 30-point performance of the season, second of her career, with 30 points in the Vikings' comeback win at UC Irvine on Dec. 16. Not to be outdone, JR G Ashley Bolston posted a career-high 32 points in the Vikings' next game, a win over the Ole Miss Rebels on Dec. 19. It was the first time that the Vikings had back-to-back 30-point scorers since Kelly Marchant and Claire Faucher posted 30 points in consecutive games in Dec. of 2009. 

90-POINT MARK: Portland State is third in the Big Sky Conference with 72.7 points per game on the year. The Vikings have already surpassed the 90-point mark four times, going 3-1. Over the past 12 seasons the Vikings have only hit the 90-point mark 19 times.

COMEBACK KIDS: Portland State has come back from a double-digit deficit to win three times this season, two were second-half deficits. 

• The Vikings trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter against Northwest University (12/9) before winning 63-60. 
• Portland State trailed UC Irvine (12/16) by 16 points midway through the first half before coming back to force overtime on a last-second shot. The Vikings then outscored the Anteaters 18-8 in overtime to win 82-72. 
• The Vikings trailed by 11 points midway through the third quarter at Sacramento State (1/27). Portland State came back to tie it in the fourth before closing out the game on an 11-0 run to defeat the Hornets 81-72. 

COMEBACK WIN: Portland State trailed UC Irvine by 16 points midway through the first half before coming back to win 82-72 in overtime on Dec. 16. It was the largest deficit overcome in a win under third-year Head Coach Lynn Kennedy and the largest overcome by Portland State since it came back from down 19 to defeat Eastern Washington, 77-70, in January of 2011. 

FINAL MINUTE HEROICS: Twice this season the Vikings have come back from a two possession deficit over the final 30 seconds of regulation to win. In both cases, FR G Kylie Jimenez hit a big three-pointer to cut into the lead. In the Vikings' win at UC Irvine, Jimenez cut the lead from six to three points with a three-pointer with 19 seconds left. The Vikings went on to tie the game before winning in overtime. In Portland State's Big Sky opener win over Sacramento State, the Vikings trailed by four with 18 seconds left. Jimenez hit another big three-pointer with 6.8 seconds left to make it a one-point game. JR G Ashley Bolston then hit a pair of free throws with 0.8 seconds left to give the Vikings a one-point win. 

COMING UP CLUTCH: Over the final minute of regulation and including overtime, both Sidney Rielly and Ashley Bolston have come up clutch for the Vikings. Rielly is shooting .556 (5-for-9) from the floor and .833 (12-for-14) at the line. Bolston is 1-for-2 from the floor and 15-for-18 at the line. 

30-POINT GAME: JR G Sidney Rielly posted the second 30-point game of her career with a season-high 30 points in the Vikings' comeback win over UC Irvine (12/16). She is the first player since Kelly Marchant (2007-11) to record multiple 30-point games for a career. Rielly, Marchant, and Kelsey Kahle are the only Vikings to record multiple 30-point games since the Vikings joined the Big Sky Conference prior to the 1996-97 season. 

IN THE RECORD BOOK: After setting the Portland State single-season blocks record in just her first year with the Vikings, JR F Courtney West quickly turned her sights on the PSU career blocks mark. West surpassed the nearly 20-year-old record with five blocks against UC Irvine (12/16). She entered the game with 115 blocks before surpassing Kellie Chander-Read's (1994-97) record of 118 in the first half. She ended the game with 120 career blocks. She has increased her record to 156, which is 12th all-time in Big Sky Conference history. 

BLOCKS TRIPLE CROWN: JR G Courtney West, in just 43 career games at Portland State, set the PSU single-game, single-season, and career blocks record. She set the single-season record twice last season with 8 blocks against both Sacramento State and North Dakota. She also set the single-season blocks record with 94 a year ago. She now holds the career blocks mark with 156 blocks and counting.  

FROM DOWNTOWN: The Vikings are shooting the ball from downtown at a higher clip than they did a year ago. Portland State is shooting .356 from distance with 6.5 three-pointers made per game this season. In 2016-17, the Vikings shot .300 from three-point range with 5.6 made per game. A large reason why is the addition of guards Kylie Jimenez and Kiana Brown. They have combined for 72 of the team's 149 three-pointers on the year. Additionally, JR G Sidney Rielly had just three games a year ago in which she hit three or more triples, this season she has eight such games. Brown has also hit at least one three-pointer in all but two games this season. 

SPREADING IT AROUND: Portland State had a season-high five players score in double-figures in its win over Portland (11/28). JR G Sidney Rielly led the team with a game-high 18 points, while JR G Kiana Brown and JR F Courtney West each added 13 points. FR G Kylie Jimenez and JR G Corey James added 11 and 10 points respectively.  

20-POINT GAMES: Portland State has had four different players post 12 combined 20-point games on the season. 

• JR G Sidney Rielly recorded the team's first 20-point game of the year at Nevada (11/12). She has scored at least 20 points a team-high seven times this season, including a season-high 30-point performance at UC Irvine. Rielly's 18 career 20-point games are tied for seventh all-time at Portland State. 
• JR G Kiana Brown recorded her first 20-point game with a career-high 27 points at Seattle U (11/22).
• FR F Savannah Dhaliwal added her first 20-point game with a career-high 26 points in a win over Multnomah (11/25). 
• JR G Ashley Bolston recorded her first 20-point game of the season with a career-high 32 points against Ole Miss (12/19). Bolston followed that with a game-high 25 points in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State (12/30) and 22 points against Idaho (1/6). 

FRESHMAN PHENOM: FR G Kylie Jimenez has quickly made her mark on the Portland State team. She has started every game so far as the Vikings' point guard and opened her career with three-straight games of at least 13 points and two three-pointers. She is fourth in the Big Sky with 4.3 assists per game. Her league-best 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is 15th-best in the nation. 

BENCH HELP: Over the first eight games of the season, the Vikings had just five players coming off the bench, and only two who averaged more than 10 minutes per game. The PSU bench was outscored by 9.4 points per game, while starters accounted for roughly 80-percent of the Vikings' points. The Vikings' bench got deeper with the return of JR G Ashley Bolston from injury for the game against Northwest University. Since Bolston's return, the Portland State bench is averaging 18.7 points per game. JR G Kiana Brown is averaging 10.8 points per game and is 53-for-56 at the free-throw line off the bench this season. 

NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT: Portland State has signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Desirae Hansen, Jordan Stotler, and Ana Tainta will join the Vikings for the 2018-19 academic year. 

• Hansen, a 6-foot guard from Rainier, Ore. is a three-time All-Lewis & Clark League first team honoree at Rainier High School and is coming off league MVP season. She led the Columbians to a 25-5 overall record and a league championship with a 16-2 mark. 
• Stotler, in just her first year at Umpqua Community College, was named the Northwest Athletic Conference Southern Region Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. She was second in the NWAC averaging 22.4 points per game and third with 13.4 rebounds per game. Stotler recorded a league-record 150 blocks and 4.84 blocks per game, 2.00 blocks per game better than second place. She is just 29 blocks away from the conference's career blocks record. She shot .484 from the floor and .345 from three-point range, hitting 39 triples.
• Tainta, a 5-foot-10 guard from Zaragoza, Spain, averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while leading the U16 and U17 teams to three-straight Regional League Championships.