Vikings Head to Pocatello to Face Big Sky's Last Unbeaten Team in Idaho State

TIPOFF

One thing that this season's Big Sky Conference schedule, where teams play back-to-back games against each other, affords fans is a chance to see how a team grows from game-to-game. Fans of the Portland State women's basketball team saw that last weekend, as the Vikings came back from a Thursday loss to Montana State to beat the Bobcats 72-70 Saturday.

The back-to-back comparison between both games against the Bobcats highlighted one of the Vikings' defining characteristics of the season so far: their fight. Two days after a fourth-quarter run went against them in Thursday's loss, the Vikings took control of the fourth quarter Saturday in beating the Bobcats. It looked initially as if it'd be more of the same when the Bobcats used a mini, 5-0 run to go up 57-51 with 7:37 left in regulation. Desirae Hansen immediately cut the deficit in half with a three-pointer, however, and the Vikings followed with an 11-2 run a few moments later that gave them the lead for good.

The Vikings will need to show similar fight this weekend, as they face the last unbeaten team in Big Sky play, the Idaho State Bengals. The Bengals come into the weekend having won nine games in a row, including all eight of their Big Sky games so far.

Toughness against the Bengals' defense will be particularly key for the Vikings, who after a tough start to the season have emerged as one of the best shooting teams in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have shot 46 percent or better in each of their past three games, and have shot 40 percent or better in all three games as well. The Bengals will counter that with the league's best defense that comes into the weekend holding opponents to conference lows for points per game (60.3) and field goal percentage (.359). The Bengals also rank second in the Big Sky while holding opponents to 29.4 percent shooting from the outside.

Whichever team comes out on top in that push and pull will be key, as well as whoever wins the rebounding battle and by what margin. One of the reasons for the Vikings' win over the Bobcats last Saturday was how they improved their performance on the glass from Thursday. The Bobcats out-rebounded the Vikings 43-30 in their win over the Vikings Thursday, and held an 18-5 advantage on the offensive glass. The Bobcats still won the rebounding battle Saturday, but the Vikings played much tougher while limiting the Bobcats' advantage to 34-30, and held the Bobcats to only five offensive rebounds in the second half.

The Bengals, for their part, lead the Big Sky with 40.5 rebounds per game, and also lead the conference with a +4.7 rebounding margin.

Depth could also become an X-factor for either team this weekend. The Vikings had five players score in double figures for the first time this season in their win over the Bobcats Saturday. Junior Desirae Hansen led the way with 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half, while Kylie Jimenez followed with 15. Besides those two, Jada Lewis chipped in 13 points while Tatiana Streun and Nakia Boston added 10 each. In addition to those five, Jenna Kilty also has two double-digit scoring games already as a Viking.

For the Bengals, three different players average over 10 points per game between Diaba Konate (13.1), Dora Goles (12.7) and Estefania Ors (10.5). Callie Bourne also averages just under 10 points a game with 9.5 while ranking third in the Big Sky with 8.9 rebounds per game. Konate, Bourne and Goles also all rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for assists per game with 3.2, 3.1 and 2.8, respectively.

The Vikings broke through against the Bengals last season, when they snapped a 16-game losing streak to Idaho State that dated back to Jan. 17, 2011. The Vikings snapped the streak with a 69-64 win in Pocatello on Jan. 18 last season, recording the team's first road win against the Bengals since Jan. 10, 2009. The Bengals got their revenge later in the season at Viking Pavilion, beating the Vikings 68-63 on Feb. 27, 2020.

The first game between the Vikings and Bengals tips off at 6 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (MT) Thursday. Whoever wins that game, the other team will then be looking to show its fight and determination when they play each other again Saturday at 11 a.m. (PT) / 12 p.m. (MT).

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (4-4, 3-3 Big Sky) vs. IDAHO STATE (10-1, 8-0 Big Sky)

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GAME #1: Thursday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT, Pocatello, Idaho (Reed Gym)
GAME #2: Saturday, Jan. 23, 11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT, Pocatello, Idaho (Reed Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals come into the weekend having won nine straight, including their first eight Big Sky games. The Bengals have won their first eight conference games by an average of 11.5 points per game, thanks in part to a league-best scoring defense that's allowing close to six points less than the No. 2 defense in the conference. The Bengals also lead the Big Sky while holding opponents to only 35.9 percent shooting from the floor, and rank second in the conference while holding opponents to 29.4 percent from three-point range. The Bengals have a strong offense, as well, ranking second in the Big Sky for points per game (71.0), field goal percentage (.422), rebounds per game (40.5) and rebounding margin (+4.7). Individually, three different Bengals average over 10 points per game between Diaba Konate (13.1), Dora Goles (12.7) and Estefania Ors (10.5). Callie Bourne also averages just under 10 points a game with 9.5 while ranking third in the Big Sky with 8.9 rebounds per game. Konate, Bourne and Goles also all rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for assists per game with 3.2, 3.1 and 2.8, respectively. Konate ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.3 steals per game, as well.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 37-23. The Vikings snapped a 16-game losing streak against the Bengals with a 69-64 win last January in Pocatello. The Vikings hadn't beaten the Bengals in Pocatello since Jan. 10, 2009, and hadn't beaten them anywhere since Jan. 17, 2011. The Bengals got some revenge on the Vikings with a 68-63 win at Viking Pavilion on Feb. 27.

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

Junior Desirae Hansen is the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 for points, rebounds and assists per game. Hansen ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 15.1 points per game, 10th with 6.8 rebounds per game, and ninth with 3.1 assists per game.
The Vikings had five players score in double figures for the first time this season while beating Montana State 72-70 Saturday. Desirae Hansen led the way with 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half, while Kylie Jimenez followed with 15. Besides those two, Jada Lewis chipped in 13 points while Tatiana Streun and Nakia Boston added 10 each.
In five starts this season, sophomore Jada Lewis has gone 18-of-33 (.545) from three-point range. Lewis has made at least three three-pointers in four of her five starts this season, and has hit four or more in three of the five. Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and ninth in the NCAA while making 50 percent of her three-pointers overall this season. Lewis also ranks fourth in the Big Sky with an average of 2.3 three-pointers made per game.
As a team, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 7.8 three-pointers made per game, and stand third in the conference for percentage (.369). Besides Jada Lewis, Desirae Hansen ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 1.9 three-pointers made per game, while Kylie Jimenez ranks tied for 12th with 1.8 makes a game.
The Vikings have shot 46 percent or better in each of their past three games, and have made at least 40 percent of their shots from three-point range in all three games as well.
The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky while forcing 15.75 turnovers per game, and also rank second in the conference with 8.9 steals per game. Individually, Kylie Jimenez ranks third in the Big Sky with 2.4 steals per game, an average that also ranks her 75th in the NCAA. Desirae Hansen also ranks tied for 10th in the conference with 1.6 steals per game.
Kylie Jimenez is 25 assists, eight steals and 19 three-pointers away from becoming the only player in Portland State history to have 1,000 points, 500 assists, 250 steals and 200 three-pointers in her career. Jimenez also needs only 16 more points to move into the top 15 all time at Portland State for scoring, and only 142 more points to move into the top 10.
Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun grabbed her 500th-career rebound in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Jan. 9. She now needs 38 more rebounds to match former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th in career rebounds at Portland State.
The Vikings had six of their first seven games of the season canceled, and did not play their season opener until Dec. 16.
The Vikings played their season opener against Dixie State with only seven 5-on-5 practices under their belts. The Vikings did not have an exemption to practice 5-on-5 until Nov. 25, the official opening date of the season. However, practice was shut down again four days later for a two-week quarantine and didn't resume again until Dec. 10.

LONG-RANGE BOMBERS

Sophomore Jada Lewis has finally gotten to show the player that she is after being limited by injury as a freshman. Since earning her first-career start against Eastern Washington on Jan. 2, Lewis has shot 18-of-33 (.545) from three-point range over the Vikings' past five games. Lewis has made at least three three-pointers in four of her five starts this season, and has hit four or more in three of the five. Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and ninth in the NCAA while making 50 percent of her three-pointers overall this season, and ranks fourth in the Big Sky with an average of 2.3 makes per game. Lewis is not alone as a threat from three-point range, however, as two other Vikings rank in the top 15 of the conference for makes between Desirae Hansen (9th, 1.9) and Kylie Jimenez (T-12th, 1.8). As a team, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 52nd in the NCAA for three-point field goals made per game (7.8), as well as third in the conference and 32nd in the nation while making 36.9 percent of their shots from deep.

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter so far this season. The Vikings stand third in the Big Sky with 15.75 turnovers forced per game, and also rank second in the conference with 8.9 steals per game. Senior Kylie Jimenez ranks third in the Big Sky and 75th in the nation with 2.4 steals per game after grabbing five steals in the Vikings' two games against Montana State last weekend. Junior Desirae Hansen also ranks tied for 10th in the Big Sky with 1.6 steals per game, and came up with a crucial late steal in the Vikings' 72-70 win over Montana State last Saturday.

FINDING DEPTH

The Vikings had five players score in double figures for the first time this season while beating the defending Big Sky champion Montana State 72-70 last Saturday. Desirae Hansen led the way with 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half, while Kylie Jimenez followed with 15. Besides those two, Jada Lewis chipped in 13 points while Tatiana Streun and Nakia Boston added 10 each. Hansen, Jimenez and Streun were all known commodities coming into the season, but the Vikings have found new scoring options in Lewis, Boston and freshman Jenna Kilty. Lewis has averaged 14.4 points per game since earning her first-career start against Eastern Washington on Jan. 2. Boston, meanwhile, has scored in double figures twice already this season, the same number of double-digit games for Kilty, who ranks fifth on the team with 7.4 points per game. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also has a double-digit scoring game under her belt, as she came off the bench for 10 points in the Vikings' win at Sacramento State on Jan. 9.

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has now started 105 straight games to start her Portland State career, and missed all of five seconds of game time in the Vikings' win over Montana State Saturday. Jimenez leads the Big Sky while ranking sixth in the nation with 38.5 minutes played per game this season. Jimenez's durability helped her surpass 1,000 career points against Weber State on Feb. 29 last season, and the senior guard is on the verge of hitting other milestones as a senior. Jimenez needs only 25 assists to become just the third player in Portland State history to record 1,000-career points and 500-career assists as a Viking. Jimenez also needs only eight steals to reach 250 in her career, and only 19 three-pointers for 200 career makes. If she reaches all those milestones, then Jimenez would become the only player to record over 1,000 points, 500 assists, 250 steals and 200 three-pointers in her career at Portland State.

HOT-HAND HANSEN

Desirae Hansen has scored in double figures in 19 of her last 20 games for the Vikings, and now has two 20-point games in her last four after leading the Vikings with 20 points in their 72-70 win over Montana State last Saturday. Hansen is the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 for points, rebounds and assists per game. Hansen ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 15.1 points per game, 10th with 6.8 rebounds per game, and ninth with 3.1 assists per game. Hansen also ranks second in the Big Sky with 6.3 defensive rebounds per game, and also ranks among the Big Sky leaders for field goal percentage (5th, .398), three-pointers made per game (9th, 1.9), assist-to-turnover ratio (8th, 1.1), blocks per game (12th, 0.6), steals per game (T-10th, 1.6) and minutes played per game (9th, 31.8).

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun enters her second year as a starter and first year as a team captain this season, when the Vikings will count on her to lead the team's frontcourt. Streun recorded her second double-double of the season in the Vikings' win over Montana State last Saturday, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals. Streun nearly had another double-double the previous Saturday while scoring a season-high 17 points to go with nine rebounds in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State. Overall this season, Streun ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game, and also ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game.

MILESTONE WATCH

Three different Vikings are waiting on some career milestones this season between Kylie Jimenez, Desirae Hansen and Tatiana Streun. It's up in the air how many games the Vikings will get in this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with any luck, those three will reach the following milestones:

Jimenez needs 25 assists to reach 500 in her career
Jimenez needs 8 steals to reach 250 in her career
Jimenez needs 19 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
Jimenez needs 18 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
Hansen needs 172 points to reach 1,000 in her career
Hansen needs 149 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
Hansen needs 175 assists to reach 400 in her career
Streun needs 304 points to reach 1,000 in her career

Jimenez, having already reached 1,000-career points last season, could become only the third player in Portland State history with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career, joining PSU hall-of-famers Claire Faucher and Kim Manifesto. Hansen and Streun could each become the first Viking to record over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career since Kelli Valentine reached both marks during the 2010-11 season. Whoever is first to both milestones will become just the 11th member of the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club at Portland State.

STREUN DEBUTS WITH SWISS NATIONAL TEAM

Tatiana Streun made her debut with the Swiss National Team in two qualifying games for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 tournament. Streun, who has dual citizenship between the U.S. and Switzerland thanks to her father Boris, appeared in the Swiss team's games against Russia and Estonia on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14, respectively. There's another qualifying period on Feb. 4 and 6, 2021, which Streun could potentially play in as well. Switzerland already played two of their qualifying games within Group C, beating Estonia 73-63 before losing 80-61 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The nine group winners and the five-best second-place teams in each group will advance to the final round of the EuroBasket tournament.

NEWCOMERS

The Vikings added five freshmen this season in Morgan Baird, Nakia Boston, Reilly Kelty, Jenna Kilty and Itziar Ugarte. Of the freshmen, Baird, a 5-11 forward out of Coquille, Ore., was the Oregon State 2A Player of the Year as a junior, and was a unanimous all-state first-team selection as a senior even as Coquille moved up a classification to 3A. Boston, a 5-9 guard from Everett, Wash., regularly scored 30-plus points for Lynnwood High School, and was the 3A/2A WESCO Player of the Year. Kelty, a 6-3 forward out of Cottage Grove, Ore., played her first three years of high school for Cottage Grove before transferring to Sheldon for her senior season. Kilty, a 5-10 guard out of Oakland, Calif., won back-to-back NorCal titles as a junior and senior, and finished as state runners-up as a junior. Finally, Ugarte, a 5-11 guard out of Madrid, Spain, was the MVP of the 2017 International Basket Cup in Benidorm, Spain.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Jan. 16, Portland State 72, Montana State 70: The Vikings had five players score in double figures for the first time during the season. Desirae Hansen led the way with 20 points, 15 coming in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter.
Jan. 14, Montana State 75, Portland State 67: Jada Lewis scored 15 of the Vikings' 19 points in the fourth quarter, and assisted on the team's only other field goal. Lewis' 15 points came within one of the school record for points in a quarter.
Jan. 9, Portland State 74, Sacramento State 64: The Viking bench scored a season-high 25 points, its highest scoring output in nearly two years. Freshman Morgan Baird, who hadn't scored yet coming into the game, led the way with 10 points. Sophomore Syd Schultz added eight points and seven rebounds, while senior Labrea Denson chipped in five points, four rebounds and two assists.
Jan. 7, Portland State 66, Sacramento State 64: The Vikings recorded their first overtime win since Dec. 16, 2017. The Vikings shot just 2-of-17 in the fourth quarter as the Eagles came back, but stayed ahead in overtime thanks to a 26-15 advantage on the boards in the second half and overtime.
Jan. 2, Eastern Washington 73, Portland State 67: Sophomore Jada Lewis scored a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range while making her first-career start. Lewis scored 12 of her 20 points while going 4-of-4 from deep in the third quarter. The Vikings erased 14 of a 16-point halftime deficit in the third quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Dec. 31, Eastern Washington 73, Portland State 71: Freshman Jenna Kilty came within two points of the school record for points in a quarter with 14 in the third quarter. Kilty was 5-of-7 from the field in the quarter, and hit 2-of-3 from deep.
Dec. 16, Portland State 63, Dixie State 53: The Vikings won their long-delayed season opener, 281 days after they last took the court in an official game. The Vikings trailed 37-28 at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter but turned that into a 56-43 advantage with 4:26 left in the fourth behind an extended, 28-6 run.

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