Complete Game Notes (PDF)

NOTE: All statistical rankings are based on stats coming into the Big Sky tournament.
 
TIPOFF
The Big Sky tournament's new schedule allows that includes a bye Thursday after the semifinals Wednesday allows for all fans of the Portland State women's basketball team to catch their breath ahead of Friday's Big Sky championship game against Eastern Washington.
 
The fans need it after the Vikings upset top-seeded Idaho 75-59 in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament Wednesday. It was the Vikings' first win over Idaho since Dec. 8, 2007, and advanced the Vikings to their first Big Sky championship game since 2011. Win again on Friday, and the Vikings will make the NCAA tournament for only the second time as a Division I program, and the first time since 2010.
 
The Vikings pulled off the upset after holding the Vandals – the nation's top three-point shooting team with an average of 11.6 three-pointers made per game – to only six three-pointers Wednesday. Idaho's Taylor Pierce  who came into the game leading the nation with 4.55 three-pointers made per game, and had hit 11 three-pointers between the Vandals' two regular-season wins over the Vikings – went 0-of-12 from beyond the arc Wednesday.
 
Free throw shooting helped the Vikings stay ahead, as they were a perfect 19-of-19 from the line, including a perfect 10-of-10 in the fourth quarter. The Vikings were also 23-of-25 from the free throw line in their 68-56 quarterfinal win over Montana State Tuesday, making them 42-of-44 from the line so far in the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings also out-rebounded the Vandal 44-33 – something they failed to do in their two previous games against the Vandals – and held them to only five second-chance points.
 
The Vikings now face the Eagles, who will also welcome the off day Thursday, after playing on the first three days of the tournament. The Eagles beat 11th-seeded Weber State 81-74 in the first round of the tournament Monday, and then followed with close, upset wins over third-seeded Idaho State and second-seeded Northern Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Eagles didn't lead until overtime against Idaho State on Tuesday, but still ended up with a 67-65 win over the Bengals. The Eagles' Jessica McDowell-White then hit a game-winning three-point play in the final seconds against Northern Colorado Wednesday, leading the Eagles to a 59-57 upset of the defending-champion Bears.
 
The win over the Bears was the Eagles' fifth game in the past seven days, as they also closed the regular-season at home with losses to Idaho State and Weber State on March 7 and 9, respectively. Those losses came as a run of three in a row to end the regular season, starting with a 76-57 loss to the Vikings at the Viking Pavilion on March 2. The Vikings held the Eagles to .311 (19-of-61) from the floor in that game – their second-worst field goal percentage in a Big Sky game at the time.
 
The Eagles had been one of the hottest teams in the Big Sky before that game, as they had won five of their previous six, with the only loss during that stretch being a last-second, 75-74 loss to eventual regular-season champion Idaho.
 
The Vikings also beat the Eagles 76-64 in Cheney, Wash., earlier in the season, their first win in Cheney since Dec. 29, 2013. The win at home on March 2 also gave the Vikings their first regular-season sweep of the Eagles since the 2008-09 season.
 
The Vikings have played good defense on the Eagles' leading scorer Violet Kapri Morrow – an All-Big Sky secnd-team selection – both times this season. Morrow finished with 11 points in the Vikings' first game against the Eagles, while the Vikings held her to eight points in their game at the Viking Pavilion on March 2. Both of those totals were well below her season average of 18.3 points per game.
 
Morrow has played well in the tournament, however, as she's averaged 19.0 points per game in the Eagles' three wins, and scored a game-high 22 points in the Eagles' upset of Idaho State. Freshman Grace Kirscher – an All-Big Sky honorable mention – has scored in double figures in two of the Eagles' three wins at the tournament so far, and ranks second on the team with 10.5 points per game.
 
The Vikings and Eagles faced each other in the quarterfinals of last season's Big Sky tournament, with the Vikings upsetting the third-seeded Eagles 82-73. Senior guards Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly each scored 20 points for the Vikings in that game, while senior forward Courtney West and sophomore point guard followed with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Tipoff between the Vikings and Eagles will be at 1 p.m. (MT) / 12 p.m. (PT) Friday at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.
 
VIKINGS' BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY (1-3 Record)
• 2008: No. 1 Montana 94, No. 4 Portland State 80 (in Missoula, Mont.)
• 2009: No. 1 Montana 69, No. 2 Portland State 62 (in Missoula, Mont.)
• 2010: No. 5 Portland State 62, No. 6 Montana State 58 (in Cheney, Wash.)
• 2011: No. 4 Montana 62, No. 1 Portland State 58 (in Portland, Ore.)
 
A WIN WOULD…
• Give the Vikings just their second Big Sky tournament title in program history, and first since the 2009-10 season.
• Advance the Vikings to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
• Give the Vikings 25 wins in a season for the first time since the 1995-96 season, back when the Vikings were an NCAA Division II program.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Five Vikings earned all-conference or individual honors Monday:
• Courtney West was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, making her only the second Viking to earn the honor in program history. Kelsey Kahle was the first Viking to be named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year following the 2008-09 season, 10 years before West.
• Desirae Hansen was named the Big Sky Co-Top Reserve alongside Eastern Washington's Uriah Howard. Like West, Hansen was only the second Viking to earn her award, as she joined Robbie Nix as the only two Vikings to be named the Big Sky's Top Reserve. Nix was named the Big Sky's Top Reserve following the 1998-99 season, 20 years before Hansen.
• Sidney Rielly was named to the All-Big Sky first team, making her the Vikings' first first-team selection since Eryn Jones earned first-team honors following the 2010-11 season.
• Ashley Bolston was named to the All-Big Sky second team for the third straight season.
• Kylie Jimenez was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention, after being named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year last season.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Vikings broke the program's Big Sky-era record with their 24th win of the season Wednesday, upsetting top-seeded Idaho 75-59 in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings broke the record set during the 2008-09 season, when they went 23-10. This season also marks the Vikings' first 20-win season since 2010-11, and only the fourth 20-win season in the program's Big Sky era.
• The Vikings have won their first two neutral-site games of the season, and went 8-4 in true road games during the regular season. The 8-4 road record gave the Vikings their best road winning percentage in the program's Big Sky era.
• Senior guard Ashley Bolston moved into the career top 10 for scoring with eight points against Idaho on Feb. 28, giving the Vikings two active players in the all-time top 10. Besides Bolston, fellow senior guard Sidney Rielly has moved up to fourth all time with 1,489 points, while Bolston ranks ninth all time with 1,299 points.
• The Vikings came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked 11th nationally with a field goal percentage defense of .350. The Vikings have held 14 of their 31 opponents this season to under 35 percent shooting from the floor, while 23 of the Vikings' 31 opponents have failed to shoot over 40 percent.
• The Vikings came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked 35th in the nation with a plus-12.1 scoring margin.
• Senior forward Courtney West came into the conference tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked fifth nationally with 2.9 blocks per game. West needs two more blocks to tie Montana's Carly Selvig (2011-14) for third all time within the Big Sky Conference at 258 career blocks. As a team, the Vikings also led the Big Sky and ranked ninth nationally with 5.5 blocks per game.
• Senior guard Sidney Rielly came into the tournament as the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 for both overall field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Rielly ranked sixth in the Big Sky with an overall field goal percentage of .465 during the regular season, and ranked fourth with a .408 three-point field goal percentage.
• The Vikings came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked 11th in the nation with 17.7 assists per game. Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez ranked third in the Big Sky with 4.8 assists per game, while senior guard Ashley Bolston ranked right behind her at fourth with 4.7 assists per game.
• Sophomore Kylie Jimenez and senior Ashley Bolston came into the tournament 1-2 in the Big Sky with 2.7 and 2.6 steals per game, respectively. As a team, the Vikings led the Big Sky and ranked 42nd in the nation with 10.0 steals per game.
• The Vikings came into the tournament leading the Big Sky in nine different statistical categories, and ranked second in the league in five more. The Vikings led the Big Sky in scoring margin (+12.1), field goal percentage defense (.350), free throw percentage (.776), three-point field goal percentage defense (.298), defensive rebounds per game (28.6), assists per game (17.7), turnover margin (+1.62), steals per game (10.0) and blocks per game (5.5).
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (24-7)
72.1 PPG | 43.6 FG% | 35.5 3FG%
Notable:The Portland State Vikings upset top-seeded Idaho 75-59 Wednesday, advancing the Vikings to their first Big Sky championship game since 2011. The Vikings pulled off the upset after holding the Vandals – the nation's top three-point shooting team at 11.6 three-pointers made per game – to only six three-pointers Wednesday. Idaho's Taylor Pierce, who led the nation with 4.55 three-pointers made per game and had hit 11 three-pointers in the Vandals' two regular-season wins over the Vikings, went 0-of-12 from beyond the arc. Free throw shooting helped the Vikings stay ahead, as they were a perfect 19-of-19 from the line, including a perfect 10-of-10 in the fourth quarter. The Vikings were also 23-of-25 from the free throw line in their 68-56 quarterfinal win over Montana State Tuesday, making them 42-of-44 from the line so far in the Big Sky tournament.  The Vikings out-rebounded the Vandal 44-33 – something they failed to do in their two previous games against the Vandals – and held them to only five second-chance points. The Vikings now face Eastern Washington for a third time this season, after sweeping them in the regular season. The Vikings beat the Eagles 76-64 in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 24, and followed with a 76-57 win at the Viking Pavilion on March 2 on what was the Vikings' Senior Day. The Eagles came into their second game against the Vikings having won five of their previous six games, but the Vikings held the Eagles to .311 (19-of-61) from the floor for their second-worst field goal percentage in a Big Sky game at the time.
 
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (13-19)
63.2 PPG | 38.8 FG% | 34.4 3FG%
Notable: The Eastern Washington Eagles won three straight games to advance to Friday's championship game. The Eagles beat 11th-seeded Weber State 81-74 in the first round of the tournament Monday, and then followed with close, upset wins over third-seeded Idaho State and second-seeded Northern Colorado Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Eagles didn't lead until overtime against Idaho State on Tuesday, but still ended up with a 67-65 win over the Bengals. The Eagles' Jessica McDowell-White then hit a game-winning three-point play in the final seconds against Northern Colorado Wednesday, leading the Eagles to a 59-57 upset of the defending-champion Bears. Friday will be the Eagles' first conference tournament championship game since March 12, 1988. The Eagles lost that game, but won the championship game the year before to earn the program's only NCAA tournament appearance to date. Violet Kapri Morrow – an All-Big Sky second-team selection – has led the Eagles in scoring in all three tournament games, including a game-high 22 points against Idaho State Tuesday. Morrow averages a team-best 18.3 points per game for the season, while also leading the Eagles with 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Freshman Grace Kirscher – an All-Big Sky honorable mention – ranks second on the team with 10.5 points per game, and has scored in double figures in two of the Eagles' three tournament wins so far. Kirscher scored 16 against the Vikings in the teams' first game against each other, while the Vikings held Morrow to only 11 points. Morrow and Kirscher combined for only 16 points in the Eagles' second game against the Vikings, while Uriah Howard led the Eagles with 17 points.
 
EASTERN WASHINGTON SERIES HISTORY
The Eagles lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 37-31, but the Vikings have three in a row and four of the last five in the series. The Vikings lead the Eagles 2-1 in Big Sky tournament games, including an 82-73 win over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of last season's Big Sky tournament.
 
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available from the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington. 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 Eastern Washington on Pluto TV and 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 upset top-seeded Idaho 75-59 in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament Wednesday, setting off a number of historical tick marks in the process. It was the Vikings' first win over the Vandals since Dec. 8, 2007, snapping a 10-game losing streak for the Vikings against Idaho. The win also advanced the Vikings to their first Big Sky championship game since 2011, where they'll play for their first NCAA tournament berth since 2010. The Vikings earned their 24th win of the season, as well, breaking the program's Big Sky-era record for wins in a season, which the 2008-09 Vikings set while going 23-10. The Vikings pulled off the upset after holding the Vandals – the nation's top three-point shooting team at 11.6 three-pointers made per game – to only six three-pointers Wednesday. Additionally, three of those six came in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter when the Vandals were trying to make up a double-digit deficit. The Vandals finished 6-of-29 for a .207 three-point field goal percentage in the game – their worst three-point field goal percentage against any Big Sky opponent this season. It was a far cry from the Vikings' first two games against the Vandals this season, when the Vandals hit 28 combined three-pointers between their wins on Jan. 26 (13 three-pointers) and Feb. 28 (15 three-pointers). Idaho's Taylor Pierce, who came into the game leading the nation with 4.55 three-pointers made per game, totaled 11 three-pointers between those two wins for the Vandals, but went 0-of-12 from beyond the arc Wednesday. Free throw shooting helped the Vikings stay ahead, as they were a perfect 19-of-19 from the line, including a perfect 10-of-10 in the fourth quarter. The Vikings' 19 makes set a new program record for makes without a miss in a single game, and came a day after the Vikings went 23-of-25 from the line in their 68-56 quarterfinal win over Montana State Tuesday. Sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez went 8-of-8 from the line – all coming in the fourth quarter – giving her a game-high 22 points to go along with nine assists and two steals. Senior guard Ashley Bolston also went 7-of-7 from the free throw line, and finished with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Senior guard Sidney Rielly came alive in the second half, as she hit her final five shots from the field to finish with 11 points – all in the second half – after starting the game 0-of-6 from the field. Freshman guard Desirae Hansen battled through some early foul trouble to score in double figures for the second straight game, finishing with 10 points to match her total against the Bobcats on Tuesday. Senior forward Courtney West did not score in double figures, but led the Vikings with 11 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. West's presence inside helped the Vikings out-rebound the Vandals 44-33, while the Vikings held the Vandals to only five second-chance points.
 
UPCOMING
If the Vikings win, then they'll advance to the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season. The Vikings wouldn't know their opponent or the location of their game until the NCAA selection show, which is scheduled for a 4 p.m. (PT) broadcast Monday on ESPN.
 
BEST SEASON EVER
The Vikings broke the program's Big Sky-era record with their 24th win of the season Wednesday while upsetting top-seeded Idaho 75-59 in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings bettered the record set during the 2008-09 season, when they went 23-10. This season also marks the Vikings' first 20-win season since 2010-11, and only the fourth 20-win season in the program's Big Sky era.
 
Most Wins in a Season (Big Sky era)
Overall Record      Season
24-7                       2018-19
23-10                     2008-09
22-9                       2007-08
20-12                     2010-11
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Vikings guaranteed themselves the best road winning percentage in program history with their 68-55 win over Montana State last Saturday. That win upped the Vikings' road record to 8-4 for a .667 road winning percentage on the season, bettering the previous record of .556 that the 2008-09 Vikings set while going 10-8 away from home. This season is also just the third year that the Vikings will finish with a winning record on the road during the program's Big Sky era.
 
RISING PROGRAM
The Vikings' 20th win of the season against Sacramento State on Feb. 23 guaranteed that they would improve their win total for the fourth straight season under head coach Lynn Kennedy. The Vikings won just four games during their first year under Kennedy in 2015-16, but then jumped up to 16 wins in 2016-17. The Vikings improved on that total with 19 wins last season, and have now surpassed that by five wins in 2018-19.
 
Growth Under Head Coach Lynn Kennedy
Record       Season      Kennedy's Year at PSU
4-26           2015-16     1st
16-17         2016-17     2nd
19-13         2017-18     3rd
24-7           2018-19     4th
 
THAT'S DEPTH, BRO
Six different Vikings have either led the team or tied for the team lead in scoring this season between Sidney Rielly (13 games), Ashley Bolston (eight games), Kylie Jimenez (eight games), Desirae Hansen (three games), Courtney West (two games) and Savannah Dhaliwal (one game). Four Vikings also average in double figures between Rielly (14.5 ppg), Bolston (12.3 ppg), Jimenez (11.8 ppg) and West (10.5 ppg), while Hansen and junior Jordan Stotler averaged 8.3 and 7.0 points per game, respectively, in Big Sky play.
 
CLOSE GAMES
Four of the Vikings' seven losses this season have come by five points or less. The Vikings are just 2-4 this season in games decided by five points or less, and 3-4 in games decided by 10 points or less. Those records might be a little unfair to the Vikings, however, as the Vikings are 21-3 in games decided by 10 points or more.
 
UNSELFISH BASKETBALL
The Vikings had 21 assists on 31 field goals in their win over Eastern Washington on March 2, the sixth time the Vikings have recorded more than 20 assists in a Big Sky game this season. Overall, the Vikings came into the tournament leading the conference and ranked 11th in the nation with 17.7 assists per game this season. 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 ranked third and fourth in the Big Sky, respectively, with 4.8 and 4.7 assists per game.
 
MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Vikings came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked eighth in the nation for free throw percentage, and upped their mark to .791 from the line after going 19-of-19 against Idaho Wednesday. The .791 mark is just one-thousandth of a percent below the current single-season record for free throw percentage, which the Vikings set while shooting .792 from the line during the 2011-12 season. Senior guard Ashley Bolston came into the tournament ranked fifth in the Big Sky with an .810 individual free throw percentage, and has upped that to .818 during the tournament. Additionally, the worst free throw percentage of the team's regular rotation players is still 69.6 percent, meaning the entire team shoots it well from the line.
 
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 came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked fifth in the nation with 2.9 blocks per game. The Vikings also led the Big Sky and ranked ninth in the nation with 5.5 blocks per game as a team, while junior forward Jordan Stotler ranked fourth in the conference and 93rd nationally with 1.5 blocks per game.
 
HOT SHOOTING IN BIG SKY PLAY
The Vikings shot over 44 percent as a team in 12 of their 20 Big Sky games, a mark they bettered in only three of their nine non-conference games. Senior forward Courtney West, junior forward Jordan Stotler and senior guard Sidney Rielly all ranked in the top 10 of the Big Sky for field goal percentage in conference games as a result. West led the group at fourth in the conference with a .535 mark from the field, while Stotler followed at seventh (.488) and Rielly followed at 10th (.473). Rielly also ranked third in the Big Sky while shooting .488 from three-point range in Big Sky play, having made 39-of-87 shots from deep. Freshman Desirae Hansen ranked seventh in the Big Sky with a .414 (24-of-58) mark from deep in conference games, and also ranked 13th with an overall field goal percentage of .462.
 
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 on Jan. 31 – the first time the Vikings have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting since game-by-game records go back through the 2006-07 season. The 38 points given up to the Wildcats were also the fewest points the Vikings have conceded to a Big Sky opponent since they held Eastern Washington to 36 points on Jan. 25, 1997 – the Vikings' first year in the conference. The Vikings hadn't held a Division I opponent to under 25 percent from the floor in 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 came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked 11th in the nation with a .350 field goal percentage defense. The Vikings have held 14 of their 31 opponents this season to under 35 percent shooting from the floor, while 23 of their 31 opponents have failed to shoot over 40 percent.
 
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 came into the tournament ranked 1-2 in the Big Sky while averaging 2.7 and 2.6 steals per game, respectively. Jimenez has recorded at least three steals in 14 games this season, and had her third game with five or more steals against Eastern Washington on March 2. 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 entered the top 10 for career scoring at Portland State with eight points against Idaho on Feb. 28. Bolston now ranks ninth all time with 1,299 points, putting her in six different career top 10s in program history. Bolston is only the third Viking to rank in the career top 10s for points, assists (7th, 374) and steals (5th, 214), joining Kim Manifesto (1992-96) and Claire Faucher (2006-10). Bolston also ranks in the top 10 for scoring average (8th, 14.8), free throw percentage (6th, .831) and 20-point games (7th, 22). Bolston also had two triple-doubles during the non-conference schedule earlier this season, tying Faucher for the most by a Viking in a single 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.
 
THE BASKETBALL LIFE OF RIELLY
Senior guard Sidney Rielly passed Kim Manifesto (1992-96) for fourth all time on the career scoring at Portland State with 11 points against Montana last Thursday. Rielly, who became just the third Viking to reach the 1,000-point club in only two years at Portland State, now has 1,489 points in her career, and also ranks in the top 10 all time for scoring average as well as 10-, 20- and 30-point games. Rielly ranks sixth all time with a career scoring average of 15.5 points per game, and has 73 10-point games (T-4th all time), 26 20-point games (4th all time) and three 30-point games (T-6th all time). Additionally, Rielly ranks fifth all time in career three-pointers made with 142. 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 just outside the top 10 all time at Portland State with a .482 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 collegiate level. Jimenez averages 11.8 points per game this season, nearly three points per game higher than her average of 8.9 points per game as a freshman. Jimenez also came into the tournament ranked third in the Big Sky with an average of 4.7 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 led the Big Sky and ranked 28th nationally with 2.7 steals per game during the regular season. 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 ranked third in the Big Sky and 41st nationally with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2 coming into the tournament, 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 came into the tournament leading the Big Sky and ranked fifth nationally with 2.9 blocks per game. West now has 256 career blocks, more than twice that of any other player in Portland State history. West holds the triple crown of blocked-shot records at Portland State between the records for blocks in a game (9), season (94) and career (256). West also moved past Montana's Lisa McLeod for fourth all time in career blocks within the Big Sky Conference after recording six blocks against Sacramento State on Feb. 23. Outside of blocks, West ranks fourth all time at Portland State with a .526 career field goal percentage, and has moved up to sixth all time with 715 career rebounds. West also ranks sixth all time with an average of 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
I WANNE BE LIKE JORDAN…STOTLER THAT IS
Junior forward Jordan Stotler recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington on March 2. Stotler has also missed a double-double by a single point three other times, including against Sacramento State on Feb. 23, when she finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. Stotler averaged 7.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in Big Sky play.
 
IRON WOMAN
Senior forward Pia Jurhar played in her 120th career game in the Vikings' semifinal upset over Idaho Wednesday, moving her up to sixth all time in games played at Portland State. Jurhar has missed only six games in her career. Jurhar also ranks fourth all time with 103 career blocks, and ranks 10th all time with 555 career rebounds.
 
THE DES CRAZE HITS PORTLAND STATE
Freshman guard Desirae Hansen tied her career high with 22 points in the Vikings' 68-55 win over Montana State last Saturday, and has gone into double figures in the Vikings' first two games of the Big Sky tournament. Hansen scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the first half against Montana State Saturday, while going 8-of-10 from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Hansen's 22 points were the most by a Viking freshman in a Big Sky game since Kian McNair scored 22 against Montana on Feb. 6, 2016. Hansen also had one of the best debuts ever by a Viking, as she scored 22 points in 22 minutes played against Warner Pacific in the Vikings' first game of the season 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 38 points given up to the Wildcats were also the fewest points the Vikings have conceded to a Big Sky opponent since they held Eastern Washington to 36 points on Jan. 25, 1997 – the Vikings' first year in the conference. Additionally, the 27-point victory over the Wildcats marked the Vikings' largest margin of victory against a Big Sky opponent since they beat Northern Arizona on Jan. 4, 2009. 
Feb. 9, Portland State 85, Northern Colorado 66: The Vikings handed the defending-champion Northern Colorado Bears their worst Big Sky loss since Jan. 19, 2013, with a 19-point win. The Vikings also held last season's Big Sky MVP in the Bears' Savannah Smith to only five points in the game, and shut her out entirely in the second half. Smith hadn't scored as few as five points in a Big Sky game since she was a redshirt freshman and scored three points against Montana State on Jan. 16, 2016.
Feb. 16, Portland State 81, Southern Utah 56: The Vikings completed their first Big Sky weekend road sweep since 2012, and matched their first win total from last season with their 19th win. The Vikings won their 19th game of the season in nine fewer games than they played last year, when they went 19-13.
Feb. 23, Portland State 75, Sacramento State 57: The Vikings won their 20th game of the season, giving them their first 20-win season since the 2010-11 season, and just the fourth 20-win season in the program's Big Sky era. The Vikings also guaranteed themselves a winning road record with their seventh victory away from home this season, just the third time the Vikings will finish with a winning record on the road during the program's Big Sky era.
March 2, Portland State 76, Eastern Washington 57: The Vikings clinched a first-round bye at the Big Sky tournament with a win over the Eagles on Senior Day. The win also marked the Vikings' 14th victory at home this season, tying the program record for home wins during the Big Sky era that the Vikings originally set during the 2010-11 season.
March 9, Portland State 68, Montana State 55: The Vikings tied a program record with their 14th Big Sky win of the season, and guaranteed themselves the best road winning percentage in a season during the program's Big Sky era with their win over the Bobcats. Desirae Hansen scored a game-high 22 points against the Bobcats, the most by a Viking freshman in a Big Sky game since Kian McNair had 22 against Montana on Feb. 6, 2016. Hansen scored 20 of her 22 points in the first half when she was 8-of-10 from the field.
March 12, Portland State 68, Montana State 56: The Vikings tied the program's Big Sky-era record for wins in a season with their 23rd victory Tuesday. The win also advanced the Vikings to their third straight Big Sky semifinal, something the Vikings have only accomplished once before between the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Sidney Rielly went 12-of-12 from the free throw line in the game, setting a school record for most makes from the line without a miss in a Big Sky tournament game.
March 13, Portland State 75, Idaho 59:The Vikings knocked out the Big Sky tournament's top seed in Idaho, earning their first win over the Vandals since Dec. 8, 2007. The Vikings also advanced to the Big Sky championship game for the first time since 2010-11, and set a new program record for wins in a season during the program's Big Sky era with their 24th victory of the season.