Complete Season Stats/Notes/Box Scores (PDF)

The defining play of the 2018-19 Portland State women's basketball season isn't hard to find. With 3.1 seconds left in the Big Sky championship game against Eastern Washington, freshman Desirae Hansen hit a high-arching fadeaway over the Eagles' Bella Cravens to deliver the Vikings' first Big Sky tournament title since 2010 and send the Vikings to the NCAA tournament for only the second time in program history.
 
Fourth-year head coach Lynn Kennedy said afterwards that there were actually three options on the play.
 
"We had Des coming off. We used Ashley [Bolston] on the screen so they'd overload on the screen, but we were still going to slip her out of that. And then we had our 6-4 post Courtney [West] open on the back side as well. The idea was if she did miss, Courtney was going to rebound, put it in with no time left," Kennedy said in the post-game press conference after the championship game.
 
The other two options – Ashley Bolston and Courtney West – were the Big Sky's Tournament MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. However, it's fitting that Hansen, a freshman whereas Bolston and West were each redshirt seniors, took the shot since it was the perfect way to close the first chapter of Kennedy's tenure at Portland State while simultaneously beginning the next.
 

---

The Vikings knew before the 2018-19 season that it was the last hurrah for a senior class that came in with Kennedy before the 2015-16 season. The Vikings had made it to back-to-back Big Sky semifinals in 2016-17 and 2017-18, but with the core from both of those teams back for their final seasons, the team wanted more.
 
Conference coaches and media picked the Vikings to finish second in the Big Sky before the season, and the team looked every bit like a conference favorite during the non-conference schedule.
 
The Vikings won their first eight games of the season, the program's best start to a season since turning Division I. The Vikings lost their non-conference finale to UC Irvine, but the 8-1 non-conference record was the best ever in the program's Division I history, as well as the third-best ever across all divisions.
 
Defense became an early theme for the Vikings' season during the team's dominating run in the non-conference. The Vikings held their first four opponents to under 30 percent shooting from the floor, and the Vikings would finish the year ranked first in the Big Sky and 13th in the nation with a field goal percentage defense of .356.
 
The strong start to the season earned the Vikings' national recognition, as ESPN's Graham Hays twice ranked the Vikings eighth in the espnW Mid-Major Poll – something Kennedy still lists as a highlight of the season.
 
The Vikings originally put themselves on people's radar with a 65-50 win over UC Davis on Nov. 16. The Aggies made the WNIT quarterfinals the year before, and were one of three 2017-18 postseason teams that the Vikings beat during the non-conference season. Bolston led the Vikings to the win over the Aggies, as she recorded the first triple-double by a Viking since 2013 with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
 
Bolston topped herself with an even better performance against cross-town rival University of Portland just two weeks later. Bolston came within a steal of a quadruple-double against the Pilots, finishing with 19 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine steals in a 92-79 win at the Viking Pavilion. 
 
No Viking had ever come so close to a quadruple-double, while only one player within NCAA Division I has recorded a quadruple-double in the past 25 years. Additionally, only one other player in Big Sky history had recorded two triple-doubles in a season, as Bolston joined the Vikings' own Claire Faucher (2006-10), who had two triple-doubles during the 2007-08 season.
 
Two straight losses that bridged the end of the non-conference schedule and the start of Big Sky play raised the first doubts of the season for the Vikings, but the Vikings would answer that with a dramatic sweep of the Montana schools at home on Jan. 3 and Jan. 5.
 
The Vikings were in serious trouble of losing a third in a row when they went down 16-0 and 20-2 in the first quarter against Montana State, but the Vikings came all the way back to beat the Bobcats 55-53. The Vikings never led against the Bobcats until the final moments of the game, going up for the first time when Bolston hit the game-winning free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining. 
 
It was the Vikings' largest comeback in four seasons under Kennedy, as well as the largest since the Vikings overcame a 19-point deficit against Eastern Washington on Jan. 27, 2011.
 
The Vikings atoned for their poor start against the Bobcats with their best opening half of the season in a 78-60 win over Montana. The Vikings went 12-of-15 from the field in the first quarter against the Lady Griz, two days after they shot 2-of-12 in the opening period against the Bobcats. The Vikings went into halftime shooting 21-of-28 (.750) from the field, which would have set a new single-game record within the Big Sky Conference if the Vikings had maintained it in the second half.
 
The Montana sweep kicked off a run of six straight wins for the Vikings during which senior guard Sidney Rielly emerged as the Vikings' leading scorer. Rielly – who would go on to become the Vikings' first All-Big Sky first-team selection since the 2010-11 season by the end of the year – scored in double figures in 12 straight games from the Vikings' win over Montana on Jan. 5 to their win over Southern Utah on Feb. 16. Rielly averaged 18.3 points per game during that stretch, and finished the season as the Vikings' leading scorer with 14.0 points per game.
 
The six-game win streak in January also included a record-breaking performance from West, who broke her own school record for blocks in a game with nine against Southern Utah on Jan. 17. West had previously recorded eight blocks in two different games as a redshirt sophomore, giving her the top three single-game performances for blocked shots in program history.
 
A late, two-point loss to Idaho snapped the Vikings' win streak, and another one-point loss to Idaho State followed a week later. Idaho and Idaho State had emerged as two of the other front runners with the Vikings in the Big Sky Conference by that point, along with defending champion Northern Colorado. The Vikings picked up a crucial win over the Bears – 85-66 on Feb. 9, the Bears' worst Big Sky loss since 2013 – but the Vikings followed with another pair of losses to Idaho and Idaho State, this time both by double digits.
 
By the time the Vikings lost 73-70 in overtime to a Montana team that had lost four straight and seven of their last nine, the Vikings had fallen to fourth in the Big Sky standings. The loss to the Lady Griz came on the final weekend of the regular season, as well – not a good lead-in to the Big Sky tournament.
 
Things would soon change for the Vikings, however, and it would start in the Vikings' final regular season game against Montana State.
 

---

Hansen teased everyone at the start of the season while scoring 22 points in her Viking debut against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Hansen took a back seat to the Vikings' seniors from that point on, however, and did not score in double figures again during the non-conference season. Hansen picked it up in Big Sky play to score in double figures in eight of the Vikings' 20 Big Sky games, but she still hadn't scored more than 15 points since the team's season opener.
 
Hansen scored 15 points in a home loss to Idaho on Feb. 28. Hansen's performance got lost in the disappointing loss to the Vandals, but the performance kickstarted a late-season run for the freshman. Hansen scored in double figures in five of the Vikings' next six games, and scored nine points in the one other game in that stretch.
 
Hansen's emergence peaked in the Vikings' regular-season finale against the Bobcats when she matched her season-opening performance with a game-high 22 points. The 22 points were the most in a Big Sky game by a Viking freshman since Kian McNair scored 22 points against Montana on Feb. 6, 2016. Hansen scored 20 of her 22 points in the first half, when she went 8-of-10 from the field.
 
The breakout performance righted the ship for the Vikings ahead of the Big Sky tournament, and the Vikings would go on to beat the Bobcats again in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament, just 72 hours after their previous win over them.
 
That set up a semifinal matchup against regular-season champion Idaho, who the Vikings hadn't beaten since Dec. 8, 2007. Three of the Vandals' previous four wins over the Vikings had come by three points or less, including a 102-99 win over the Vikings in the Big Sky semifinals the year before.
 
The Vikings conjured up their best defensive game of the season against Vandals this time around, as they held the Vandals – the nation's top three-point shooting team with an average of 11.6 three-pointers made per game coming into the game – to only six three-pointers in a 75-59 win. Three of the Vandals' six three-pointers came in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter when the Vandals were trying to make up a double-digit deficit.
 
It was a far cry from the Vikings' first two games against the Vandals during the season, when the Vandals hit 13 three-pointers against the Vikings on Jan. 26, and 15 three-pointers on Feb. 28. 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 in the Big Sky semifinals.
 
The emotional victory took its toll on the Vikings in the Big Sky championship game, however, and the Eagles, who had been on their own Cinderella run with upsets of Idaho State in the quarterfinals and Northern Colorado in the semifinals, took advantage by leading for much of the game. The Eagles led for nearly 30 minutes in the game, and trailed for all of 90 seconds in the second half.
 
That was all the Vikings needed to steal the game from the Eagles, as the Vikings turned a 57-50 deficit with 5:35 remaining into a 61-59 win with an 11-2 run to close the game. Rielly opened the run with a huge three-pointer from straightaway, while the Viking defense forced a turnover on the Eagles' next possession. Junior forward Jordan Stotler followed with a layup to make it a two-point game at 57-55 with 4:11 remaining.
 
The Viking defense forced two more turnovers from the Eagles on their next two possessions, and sophomore point guard Kylie Jimenez tied it up with a baseline jumper with 2:28 left in the game.
 
A fourth straight turnover from the Eagles gave the ball back to the Vikings, and Bolston put the Vikings up for the first time in the second half at 59-57 with a contested jumper along the right baseline.
 
Eastern Washington missed a shot the next time down the court, but the Vikings couldn't add to their lead and gave the ball back to the Eagles with 28.2 seconds remaining. The shot clock was off at that point, but the Eagles elected to shoot the ball early as Jessica McDowell-White tied it up with a floater with 20.3 seconds left.
 
That gave the Vikings the ball back, and Kennedy called a timeout to set up the final shot. The Vikings held the ball until there were about 10 seconds remaining, at which point Jimenez passed to Hansen, who delivered the game-winner with 3.1 seconds left on the clock.
 
The Vikings went on to lose 78-40 to second-seeded Oregon (now in the Final Four) in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but just the fact that the Vikings were in the tournament in only their fourth year under Kennedy was something remarkable. 
 

---

Beyond winning the game and sealing the Big Sky tournament title, Hansen's game-winner against the Eagles completed a four-year process for Kennedy and the Vikings' five seniors in Bolston, Rielly, West, Pia Jurhar and Corey James. It was only four years ago that James and Jurhar were wrapping up a 4-26 campaign while Bolston, Rielly and West sat out as transfers during the 2015-16 season.
 
Now, three seasons after winning only four games, the five seniors go out as Big Sky champions.
 
"Anytime you win a championship it's a special moment, but to do it the way we did it this year and after the four seasons of getting to this point makes it even more special," Kennedy said of his seniors' legacy. "They believed in our philosophy and style, and they've built our program's culture with their hard work, commitment and dedication. We have a great foundation in place to get to the next level."
 
The seniors led the Vikings to a bevy of historical performances during the season. Among them, the Vikings set a new Big Sky-era record for wins with 25. The Vikings also tied a program record with 14 Big Sky wins during the season, and matched their best home win total with 14 wins at the Viking Pavilion.
 
"Our seniors leave having led us to the best Division I season in program history," Kennedy said. "It was a process for four years, but it was their and the rest of the team's commitment to each other that saw us through. At several times during the year, we could have started playing individual basketball, but we stuck together and finished the season as a strong team."
 
Bolston and Rielly leave with their names scattered all over the Portland State record book. By the end of the year, both ranked in the career top 10 for scoring, with Rielly ranked fourth with 1,501 points, while Bolston finished ninth with 1,334 points. Rielly and Bolston also finished their careers ranked tied for sixth and eighth, respectively, with scoring averages of 15.3 and 14.8 points per game. Additionally, the pair rank in the career top 10s for 10-point games (Rielly fourth with 74, Bolston 10th with 67) and 20-point games (Rielly fourth with 26, Bolston seventh with 22).
 
Bolston also joined Faucher and Kim Manifesto (1992-96) as the only three Vikings to rank in the career top 10s for points, assists (Bolston seventh with 381) and steals (Bolston fifth with 216).
 
West was already the best shot blocker in program history going into the season, but only added to her legacy as a senior. West led the Big Sky in blocks per game for the third straight season, and moved up to third all time within the Big Sky Conference for career blocks.
 
West also now holds the three-best single-season totals for blocked shots at Portland State, while her 260 career blocks are more than twice that of the No. 2-ranked player on the school's career list.
 
Jurhar, meanwhile, entered the career top 10 for games played during the season, and joined West in the top 10 for rebounds while moving up to fourth all time with 103 career blocks.
 

---

 
Besides delivering a Big Sky title to a deserving group of seniors, however, Hansen's game-winner also signaled what is to come for the Vikings. Hansen will come back as a sophomore next season, and will be part of a new core for the Vikings that will take the Vikings into their next chapter under Kennedy.
 
Besides Hansen, who was named the Big Sky's Co-Top Reserve after the season, Jimenez will return as an upperclassman following a freshman season when she was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and a sophomore season in which she was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention.
 
Jimenez joined Rielly, Bolston and West as one of four Vikings to average in double figures during the season, and improved her averages for points per game (11.5 ppg as a sophomore vs. 8.9 ppg as a freshman) and assists per game (4.7 vs. 4.5) in her second year on the Park Blocks. Jimenez's biggest improvement came in steals, as she led the Big Sky with 2.6 steals per game, well ahead of her freshman-year average of 1.97 steals per game.
 
"Kylie stepped up her game this year and became more of a court leader," Kennedy said of Jimenez. "We asked her to do so many things, sometimes looking to score and sometimes looking for her teammates, and she always stepped up. I think her season is evident with our assist records and national ranking. She starts the offense and leads us in that category."
 
The Vikings finished with 569 assists as a team this season, the most assists in a season in the program's Big Sky era. The Vikings averaged more than 17 assists per game, ranking them atop the Big Sky and in the top 20 of the nation.
 
Stotler will also return in the post for the Vikings after starting 32 of the Vikings' 33 games during the season. The only start Stotler missed was on Senior Day when Jurhar started in her place. Stotler averaged 6.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in her first season as a Viking, and will be a senior next year.
 
"Jordan accepted her role this year, but she will need to be a major threat and contributor next year," Kennedy said of Stotler. "She is a No. 1-option-type player and we are excited for her to step into that next role."
 
Savannah Dhaliwal and Tatiana Streun should also join Stotler as returners in the post next season. Streun sat out the entire 2018-19 season after suffering an ACL tear, while Dhaliwal will work to get back from her own ACL tear, which she suffered during the Vikings' home game against Idaho on Feb. 28.
 
Dhaliwal had emerged as a new star for the Vikings before her injury, as she had a better February than just about anybody else on the team. Dhaliwal scored only 25 points through the Vikings' first 19 games of the season, but then scored 81 points in the next seven games. From Feb. 7-28, Dhaliwal averaged 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .620 (31-of-50) from the floor.
 
"Sav's injury was tough, especially because she had been playing so well. She is a competitor and will get back to work as soon as she is cleared. Tatiana continues to progress in her training and she will again be asked to give us valuable minutes and be a leader on this team," Kennedy said of Dhaliwal and Streun.
 
The Vikings will also bring in a six-player recruiting class that Kennedy has compared favorably to the class they'll replace in Bolston, James, Jurhar, Rielly and West. Kennedy's called this year's senior class the best recruiting class in the program's Division I history, but thinks the new class can carry on the seniors' legacy.
 
"This summer will be important for us in that transition time where new players work out with the returning players and we start to build our team chemistry," Kennedy said. "With social media today a lot of them already are connected and talking about next season. It is exciting to think about the future and the new players we have coming for next season. It will be a new team, who can't rely on what happened this year. It will be up to them to come in and work and compete and define their season and eventual place in PSU history."
 
And with any luck, next year's team will carve out their place in PSU history right next to the 2018-19 Vikings as Big Sky champions.