Complete Game Notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
The last time the Portland State women's basketball team started a game shooting as poorly as they did in the first half against Weber State Thursday, they overcome an 18-point deficit to beat Montana State and then blew out Montana two days later.
 
The Vikings would love for the second part of that to come true again this Saturday, as they host the team that has indisputably had their number more than any other the last few years in Idaho State. The Bengals have beaten the Vikings in 14 straight games, with the Vikings' last win coming on Jan. 17, 2011.
 
If the Vikings shoot like they did at the end of the game against the Wildcats Thursday, however, then this could be the year the Vikings finally break their drought against the Bengals.
 
The Vikings didn't need to overcome an 18-point deficit against Weber State like they did against Montana State, but they still had to shake off a poor first half in the game Thursday. The Vikings made just 1-of-11 shots in the second quarter against the Wildcats, but then turned around and went 8-of-12 from the field in the third quarter, and never led by fewer than 15 points in the fourth quarter.
 
The one constant for the Vikings Thursday was their defense, as they held Weber State to just .194 from the field – the first time they have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. No Division I team had failed to shoot less than 25 percent from the field against the Vikings in over eight years, let alone fail to shoot 20 percent. Loyola Marymount was the last Division I team to shoot less than 25 percent against the Vikings when they shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010.
 
The Bengals have played their own stifling defense, as they lead the conference in scoring defense in Big Sky play while allowing just 53.9 points per game to conference opponents. The Bengals have held opponents to under 50 points in five of their 10 Big Sky games so far this season, including the last three straight.
 
Overall, the Vikings and Bengals come into their game Saturday remarkably well matched statistically. The two teams rank 1-2 in the Big Sky in scoring defense (PSU 58.2, ISU 58.7), scoring margin (PSU +14.6, ISU +5.6), field goal percentage (ISU .439, PSU .437) and field goal percentage defense (PSU .335, ISU .358).
 
Individually, Grace Kenyon – a preseason All-Big Sky selection alongside the Vikings' Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly – leads the Bengals with 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. Kenyon also ranks tied for second on the team with 2.9 assists per game, just behind the team leader in Saylair Grandon, who averages 3.1 assists. Grandon ranks second to Kenyon with 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Estefania Ors also averages in double figures with 11.8 points per game.
 
On a macro level, Saturday's game between the Vikings and Bengals will have a deep impact on the Big Sky Conference regular season race. Both the Vikings and Bengals stand as two of the four two-loss teams at the top of the Big Sky Conference standings. The Bengals – whose two conference losses have come to the two other two-loss teams in Northern Colorado and Idaho – rank tied with Northern Colorado for the conference lead at 8-2. The Vikings, meanwhile, stand just a half game back from Idaho and Northern Colorado at 7-2 in Big Sky play, level with Idaho.
 
Fans should be able to count on a hotly contested game Saturday, then, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. (PT) at the Viking Pavilion. The game is presented by Les Schwab.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Vikings held Weber State to just .194 shooting from the field Thursday – the first time Vikings have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. The Vikings hadn't held a Division I opponent to under 25 percent from the floor in just over eight years, let alone below 20 percent. Loyola Marymount was the last Division I team to shoot less than 25 percent from the floor against the Vikings when they shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010. For the season, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 10th in the nation with a .335 field goal percentage defense. The Vikings have held 11 of their 18 opponents so far this season to under 35 percent shooting from the floor.
• The Vikings beat Weber State by 27 points, 65-38, Thursday – the Vikings' largest margin of victory over a Big Sky opponent since they beat Northern Arizona 87-58 on Jan. 4, 2009. For the season, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 27th in the nation with a plus-14.6 scoring margin.
• Senior forward Courtney West broke her own single-game school record with nine blocks in the Vikings' 63-49 win over Southern Utah on Jan. 17. West set the previous record with eight blocks in two different games as a sophomore, and now has the top three games for blocked shots in program history. West leads the Big Sky and ranks third nationally with 3.2 blocks per game, just behind CSUN's Channon Fluker, who holds the national lead with an average of 3.60 blocks per game. As a team, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank ninth in the nation with 5.8 blocks per game. Besides West, junior forward Jordan Stotler ranks third in the Big Sky and 61st in the nation with 1.7 blocks per game.
• Senior guard Sidney Rielly moved up to eighth all time in career scoring with 13 points against Weber State Thursday. Rielly has now scored 1,303 points in her career, and also ranks in the top 10 all time for 10-point (10th, 63), 20-point (6th, 23) and 30-points games (T-6th, 3) at Portland State. Rielly also moved into a tie for ninth all time with her 124th career three-pointer in the Vikings' game against Weber State.
• Three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for field goal percentage in conference games. Junior forward Jordan Stotler ranks second in the Big Sky with a .582 field goal percentage in conference games, while seniors Courtney West and Sidney Rielly rank tied for sixth while shooting .500 from the field in Big Sky play.
• The Vikings have recorded 50 three-pointers in their past seven games, including a season-high 10 three-pointers in their games against Weber State (Jan. 12) and Northern Arizona (Jan. 19). Senior guard Sidney Rielly went 3-for-3 from deep against Weber State Thursday and leads the Big Sky with a .522 (24-of-46) three-point field goal percentage in conference games. Freshman guard Desirae Hansen ranks third in the conference with a .474 (9-of-19) mark from deep in Big Sky play.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank eighth in the nation with 18.7 assists per game. Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez and senior guard Ashley Bolston rank third and fourth in the Big Sky with 4.9 and 4.8 assists per game, respectively.
• Jimenez and Bolston also rank 1-2 in the Big Sky with 2.8 and 2.7 steals per game, respectively. The Vikings as a team rank second in the Big Sky and 43rd in the nation with 10.3 steals per game.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky in eight different statistical categories between scoring defense (58.2), scoring margin (+14.6), field goal percentage defense (.335), defensive rebounds per game (29.2), assists per game (18.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2), turnover margin (+2.39) and blocks per game (5.8).
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (15-3, 7-2)
72.7 PPG | 43.7 FG% | 35.4 3FG%
Notable: The Portland State Vikings flipped a switch at halftime against Weber State Thursday and beat the Wildcats 65-38. The Vikings shot just 1-of-11 from the field in the second quarter against the Wildcats, but made 8-of-12 shots in the third quarter and maintained a solid defense throughout. The Vikings held the Wildcats to just .194 shooting in the game – the first time the Vikings had held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. The 27-point victory over the Wildcats also marked the Vikings' largest win over a Big Sky opponent since they beat Northern Arizona 87-58 on Jan. 4, 2009. Senior Sidney Rielly and sophomore Kylie Jimenez tied for the team lead with 13 points each in the game. Rielly scored all 13 of her points in the second half, when she went 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Rielly has made 24-of-46 shots from deep in Big Sky play, and has gone 23-of-39 in the Vikings' last seven conference games. Rielly leads the Big Sky with a .522 three-point field goal percentage in conference games, while freshman guard Desirae Hansen ranks third in the conference with a .474 (9-of-19) mark from deep in Big Sky play. Junior forward Jordan Stotler nearly recorded her second straight double-double in the Vikings' game against Weber State, as she had nine points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the game. Senior guard Ashley Bolston came within a rebound of recording her own double-double against the Wildcats, as she finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
 
IDAHO STATE BENGALS (13-6, 8-2)
64.4 PPG | 43.9 FG% | 33.7 3FG%
Notable: The Idaho State Bengals come into their game against the Vikings tied with Northern Colorado for the Big Sky lead at 8-2 in conference play. The Bengals have won eight of their last nine games coming into Saturday, with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Northern Colorado, 60-56. The Bengals' other Big Sky loss came to another of the four two-loss teams at the top of the Big Sky standings in Idaho, which beat the Bengals 86-72 in Pocatello on Dec. 29. For the season, the Bengals match up well with the Vikings as the two teams are 1-2 in the Big Sky in scoring defense (PSU 58.2, ISU 58.7), scoring margin (PSU +14.6, ISU +5.6), field goal percentage (ISU .439, PSU .437) and field goal percentage defense (PSU .335, ISU .358). The Bengals have played especially suffocating defense in Big Sky play, as they lead the conference while giving up only 53.9 points per game to conference teams. The Bengals have held their opponents to fewer than 50 points in five of their 10 conference games so far, including the last three straight. Individually, Grace Kenyon – a preseason All-Big Sky selection alongside the Vikings' Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly – leads the Bengals with 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. Kenyon also ranks tied for second on the team with 2.9 assists per game, just behind the team leader in Saylair Grandon, who averages 3.1 assists. Grandon ranks second to Kenyon with 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Estefania Ors also averages in double figures with 11.8 points per game.
 
IDAHO STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 34-22, as well as the Big Sky series, 28-14. The Bengals have won 14 straight games over the Vikings, as Portland State hasn't beaten Idaho State since Jan. 17, 2011. The Bengals swept the season series against the Vikings last season between an 88-59 win in Portland on Jan. 18, 2018, and a 72-64 win in Pocatello on Feb. 17, 2018.
 
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available from the Vikings' game against Idaho State. Fans can also find the link to live stats on the women's basketball schedule page at GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO
Live video will be available from the Vikings' game against Idaho State on channel 232 of Pluto TV and at WatchBigSky.com. Fans can find the link to live video on the women's basketball schedule page at GoViks.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings held Weber State to .194 from the floor while picking up their own shooting in the second half to beat the Wildcats 65-38 Thursday. The .194 shooting percentage marked the first time the Vikings had held an opponent to under 20 percent from the floor since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. No Division I team had failed to shoot at least 25 percent, let alone 20 percent, since Loyola Marymount shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010. The 27-point victory over the Wildcats also marked the Vikings' largest win over a Big Sky opponent since they beat Northern Arizona 87-58 on Jan. 4, 2009. The Vikings ran away from the Wildcats in the second half, as they flipped a switch at halftime offensively. The Vikings had made just 1-of-11 shots in the second quarter, but hit 8-of-12 in the third quarter and shot 15-of-28 after halftime. Senior guard Sidney Rielly scored all 13 of her points in the second half, as she and sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez led the Vikings with 13 points apiece. Senior guard Ashley Bolston and sophomore point guard were each a point or a rebound away from a double-double in the game. Bolston finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Stotler was a point away from her second straight double-double with nine points to go with a career-high 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Desirae Hansen also chipped in nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field.
 
UPCOMING
The Vikings remain home for a weekend series against Sacramento State and Northern Colorado next weekend. The Vikings open the weekend against the Hornets Thursday at 7 p.m., and then host the Bears Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Vikings surpassed their home win total from last season with their 11th win at home Thursday against Weber State. The Vikings could break the Division I program record for home wins in a season if they continue their hot play in the Viking Pavilion. The Vikings set the Division I record with 14 wins while going 14-2 at home during the 2010-11 season, just three wins ahead of their current total with five home games remaining on the schedule.
 
MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 12th in the nation while making 76.1 percent of their shots from the free-throw line. The 76-percent mark from the charity stripe would go down as the Vikings' third-best mark in a season if the season ended today. The Vikings set the second-best mark with a .786 free throw percentage last season. The single-season record for free throw percentage is .792, set during the 2011-12 season. Senior guard Ashley Bolston ranks seventh in the Big Sky with an .814 individual free throw percentage.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Senior forward Courtney West broke her own single-game record with nine blocks in the Vikings' 63-49 win over Southern Utah on Jan. 17, and the Vikings nearly broke the team record for blocked shots in the game. The Vikings had 13 blocks as a team against Southern Utah, one off the school record of 14, which the Vikings set against Saint Martin's on Nov. 20, 1992. For the season, West leads the Big Sky and ranks third in the nation with 3.2 blocks per game. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky and rank ninth in the nation with 5.9 blocks per game as a team, while junior forward Jordan Stotler ranks third in the conference and 61st nationally with 1.7 blocks per game.
 
HOT SHOOTING IN BIG SKY PLAY
The Vikings have shot over 44 percent as a team in seven of their nine Big Sky games so far, a mark they bettered in only three of their nine non-conference games. Three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for field goal percentage in conference games as a result. Junior forward Jordan Stotler ranks second in the Big Sky with a .582 field goal percentage while going 32-of-55 from the field in conference games. Seniors Courtney West and Sidney Rielly rank tied for sixth behind Stotler with identical .500 marks from the field in conference games. Rielly also leads the Big Sky with a .522 three-point field goal percentage in conference games. Rielly has made 24-of-46 shots from deep in Big Sky play, and has gone 23-of-39 in the Vikings' last seven conference games. Freshman guard Desirae Hansen ranks third in the Big Sky with a .474 (9-of-19) mark from three-point range in conference play.
 
UNSELFISH BASKETBALL
The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank eighth in the nation with 18.7 assists per game this season. At their current rate, the Vikings could break the Division I single-season record depending on how long they play in the postseason. The current Division I record came when the Vikings recorded 602 assists during the 1989-90 season, and the Vikings would finish with 561 assists if they played in only one postseason game. The all-time record for assists in a season came during the 1991-92 season, when they recorded 899 assists while making the Final Four of the NCAA Division II tournament. The Vikings have the luxury of two players leading the way in terms of assists, as sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez and senior guard Ashley Bolston rank third and fourth in the Big Sky, respectively, with 4.9 and 4.8 assists per game.
 
STRONG START TO THE SEASON
The Vikings finished their non-conference schedule 8-1, the best non-conference record in the Division I history of the program. The Vikings have only twice finished with a better record at the end of their non-conference schedule across all NCAA divisions. The Vikings finished their non-conference schedule 16-1 in the 1993-94 season and 17-2 in the 1991-92 season when they were a Division II program, both of which are slightly better win percentages than the Vikings' record this season. The Vikings won their first eight games this season, giving them the program's best start to a season since the Vikings won their first 11 games during the 1994-95 season. Additionally, the Vikings won their first two road games of the season for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
 
DEFENSE LEADING THE WAY FOR THE VIKINGS
The Vikings held Weber State to just .194 shooting from the field Friday – the first time Vikings have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. The Vikings hadn't held a Division I opponent to under 25 percent from the floor in just over eight years, let alone below 20 percent. Loyola Marymount was the last Division I team to shoot less than 25 percent from the floor against the Vikings when they shot .242 on Dec. 11, 2010. For the season, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 10th in the nation with a .335 field goal percentage defense. The Vikings have held 11 of their 18 opponents so far this season to under 35 percent shooting from the floor.
 
TWO-HEADED STEALING MONSTER
Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez and senior guard Ashley Bolston are a nightmare matchup for opposing teams on the perimeter as they rank 1-2 in the Big Sky with 2.8 and 2.7 steals per game, respectively. Jimenez has recorded at least three steals in nine of the Vikings' 18 games this season, including two straight games with six steals in the Vikings' games against UNLV (Dec. 15) and UC Irvine (Dec. 18). Bolston had the high-water mark for steals in a game this season when she had nine while nearly posting a quadruple-double in the Vikings' win over the University of Portland on Dec. 1.
 
ASHLEY BOLSTON AMONG BIG SKY, NCAA STAT LEADERS
Senior guard Ashley Bolston stands as one of only four players in NCAA Division I to record multiple triple-doubles this season. Bolston recorded the first triple-double by a Viking since 2013 with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the Vikings' 65-50 win over UC Davis on Nov. 16. Bolston then came within a steal of a quadruple-double with 19 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine steals in the Vikings' 92-79 win over the University of Portland on Dec. 1. Bolston dominates the Big Sky statistical leaders as a result, as she ranks second to teammate Kylie Jimenez with 2.7 steals per game, as well as fourth in the conference with 4.8 assists per game. Bolston also ranks 12th in the conference with 13.3 points per game, as well as seventh in both free throw percentage (.814) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
 
THE BASKETBALL LIFE OF RIELLY
Sidney Rielly moved up to eighth all time in career scoring at Portland State with 13 points in the Vikings' win over Weber State Thursday. Rielly, who became just the third Viking to reach the 1,000-point club in only two years at Portland State, now has 1,303 points in her career, and also moved into a tie for ninth all time with her 124th career three-pointer Thursday. Rielly also ranks sixth all time in scoring average (15.7), and ranks in the top 10 all time for 10-, 20- and 30-point games. Rielly has 63 10-point games in her career (10th all time) to go with 23 20-point games (sixth all time) and three 30-point games (T-6th 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 ninth all time at Portland State with a .490 career field goal percentage.
 
KYLIE JIMENEZ IMPROVING ON 2017-18 BIG SKY FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONOR
Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez – the 2017-18 Big Sky Freshman of the Year – has only improved in her second year at the college level. Jimenez averages 12.8 points per game this season, close to four points per game higher than her average of 8.9 points per game as a freshman. Jimenez also ranks third in the Big Sky with an average of 4.9 assists per game, an improvement over her average of 4.5 assists per game as a freshman. The biggest improvement has come in steals, however, as Jimenez leads the Big Sky and ranks 28th nationally with 2.8 steals per game. That's close to one steal per game better than her average of 1.97 steals per game as a freshman. Jimenez has also maintained her good ball security, as she ranks second in the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), after leading the conference in the category as a freshman.
 
COURTNEY WEST, QUEEN OF THE BLOCK
Senior forward Courtney West broke her own single-game school record with nine blocks in the Vikings' 63-49 win over Southern Utah on Jan. 17. West set the previous record with eight blocks in two different games as a sophomore, and now has the top three games for blocked shots in program history. For the season, West leads the Big Sky and ranks third nationally with 3.2 blocks per game, just behind CSUN's Channon Fluker, who holds the national lead with an average of 3.60 blocks per game. West also holds the triple crown of blocked shot records at Portland State between the records for blocks in a game (9), season (94) and career (226). West surpassed Northern Colorado's Stephanie Lee for fifth all time in blocked shots within the Big Sky Conference in the Vikings' game against Montana State on Jan. 3. West needs just 11 more blocks to tie Montana's Lisa McLeod (1985-89) for fourth all time with 237 career blocks. Outside of blocks, West ranks fourth all time with a .518 field goal percentage, and has moved up to ninth all time with 611 career rebounds. West also ranks tied for sixth all time with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
I WANNE BE LIKE JORDAN…STOTLER THAT IS
Junior forward Jordan Stotler recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' game against Idaho last Saturday, and nearly followed with another double-double against Weber State on Thursday. Stotler had nine points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Wildcats, and went 7-of-10 from the field against the Vandals. Stotler has made 32-of-55 shots from the field in Big Sky play, and ranks second in the conference with a .582 mark from the floor in conference games. Additionally, Stotler ranks third in the Big Sky and 61st nationally with 1.7 blocked shots per game.
 
IRON WOMAN
Senior forward Pia Jurhar played in her 109th career game in the Vikings' game against Weber State Thursday. Jurhar, who has missed only four games in her career, needs to play in six more games this season to enter the top 10 all time at Portland State for games played. With at least 12 more games guaranteed this season, Jurhar could move up to sixth all time at Portland State if she plays in all 12. Jurhar also moved into fifth place all time on her own with her 99th career blocks Thursday, and will enter the top 10 all time for career rebounds with 16 more.
 
THE DES CRAZE HITS PORTLAND STATE
Freshman guard Desirae Hansen has made an instant impact at Portland State, as she ranks third in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage in conference games while shooting .474 (9-of-19) from beyond the arc in Big Sky play. Hansen leads all freshmen in the Big Sky with 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. Hansen made a splash in her Viking debut, as she had 22 points in 22 minutes against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Hansen's 22 points in her debut gave her the most points by a Viking in her first 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, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and added five steals, four rebounds and four assists against the Knights.
 
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.
Nov. 16, Portland State 65, UC Davis 50: Senior guard Ashley Bolston recorded the first triple-double by a Viking in five years with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the Vikings' win over UC Davis. No Viking had recorded a triple-double since Dec. 29, 2013, when Kate Lanz had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Eastern Washington. Additionally, only three other Big Sky players had recorded a triple-double since then, the last coming from Idaho's Mikayla Ferenz, who had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against North Dakota on Jan. 27, 2018.
Nov. 24, Portland State 68, Seattle 43: The Vikings beat their second straight postseason team, handing Seattle U – an NCAA tournament team after winning the WAC tournament last season – a 68-43 loss at the Viking Pavilion. The win moved the Vikings to 4-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season, and gave them their fourth straight double-digit win to open the season – the first time the Vikings had done that since 1976-77.
Dec. 1, Portland State 92, Portland 79: Senior guard Ashley Bolston recorded her second triple-double of the season while coming within a steal of the Vikings' first quadruple-double with 19 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine steals against the Pilots. Bolston became the first Big Sky player to record two triple-doubles in a season since Portland State's own Claire Faucher had two triple-doubles five days aprt on March 8, 2008, and March 13, 2008. Fellow senior Sidney Rielly also tied her career high with 32 points against the Pilots. Rielly scored 25 points in the first half alone, believed to be the most by a Viking in a half since Kelsey Kahle – the Vikings' all-time points leader – had 26 points in the second half against Sacramento State on Jan. 25, 2007.
Dec. 9, Portland State 89, UTEP 61: The Vikings won their first road game of the season for the first time since 2012-13. The 28-point victory over UTEP marked the largest margin of victory in a true road game in the Big Sky era of the Vikings' program. The Vikings hadn't won a road game by that wide of a margin since beating Alaska Fairbanks 107-40 on Jan. 26, 1995 – back when the Vikings were a Division II program.
Jan. 3, Portland State 55, Montana State 53: The Vikings overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the Bobcats, after trailing 16-0 and 20-2 in the first quarter. The 18-point comeback was the biggest in four seasons under head coach Lynn Kennedy, as well as the Vikings' biggest overall since coming back from a 19-point deficit against Eastern Washington on Jan. 27, 2011.
Jan. 5, Portland State 78, Montana 60: The Vikings made their first six shots from the field and went 12-of-15 in the first quarter while outscoring the Lady Griz 29-9 in the opening period. The Vikings finished the first half 21-of-28 for a .750 team field goal percentage, and ended the game with a seasonal-best .571 mark from the field. The Vikings also tied a seasonal best with 27 assists on 32 field goals.
Jan. 12, Portland State 77, Weber State 59: The Vikings recorded their largest Big Sky road victory since the Vikings beat Montana 64-44 on Jan. 19, 2017. Sidney Rielly led the way with 26 points while tying her career highs for three-pointers (6), rebounds (8) and steals (3). The Vikings made a season-high 10 three-pointers in the game.
Jan. 17, Portland State 63, Southern Utah 49: Senior forward Courtney West broke her own school record for blocks in a game with nine, while the Vikings came within one of the team record for blocks in a game with 13 against the Thunderbirds. Senior guard Sidney Rielly also moved into the all-time top 10 for career scoring at Portland State with a game-high 17 points in the game.
Jan. 24, Portland State 76, Eastern Washington 64: The Vikings won their first game in Cheney since 2013, while head coach Lynn Kennedy won his first road game against the Eagles in his tenure at Portland State. Five different Vikings scored in double figures for the Vikings for the first time this season.
Jan. 31, Portland State 65, Weber State 38: The Vikings held Weber State to .194 from the floor – the first time they have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. The 27-point victory over the Wildcats also marked the Vikings' largest margin of victory against a Big Sky opponent since they beat Northern Arizona on Jan. 4, 2009.