TIPOFF

The unique Big Sky schedule that was necessitated this season due to the pandemic left the Portland State women's basketball team with an open week. Rather than face a 12-day dead period in the middle of the year, the Vikings opted fill the void with a home game against The College of Idaho Wednesday (6 p.m. tip).
 
Without the game, the Vikings would have gone close to four weeks without playing at Viking Pavilion, as their next scheduled home game wasn't until Feb. 11 against Northern Arizona.
 
The game also gives an improving Viking team a chance to practice the lessons they've learned over the past couple of weeks. The Vikings dropped both games last weekend to Idaho State, but showed signs of advancing in areas that had been issues before.
 
Rebounding had been chief among those issues, but the Vikings put together their best rebounding game of the season Saturday against the Big Sky's top rebounding team in Idaho State. The Bengals, who remain a perfect 10-0 in Big Sky play after last weekend, came into the weekend leading the conference on the glass while out-rebounding opponents by an average of 4.7 a game. The Vikings handed the Bengals their worst loss on the boards to date, however, out-rebounding them 43-37.
 
Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun led the effort, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds as part of a double-double with 23 points. Streun scored 21 of her 23 points in the second half, including 15 in the third quarter that put her one off the program record for points in a quarter. Additionally, Streun went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line Saturday, becoming just the 14th player in program history to hit every shot from the line while recording at least 10 attempts.
 
It was by far Streun's best game of the season to date, and marked her second double-double in the past three games for the fifth-year senior.
 
If the Vikings had just shot the ball better – they went 15-of-63 (.238) from the field – the rebounding effort led by Streun may have allowed the Vikings to hand Idaho State its first conference loss of the season. Shooting hadn't been an issue in the Vikings' previous four games, however, and wouldn't appear to be an issue going forward. The Vikings had shot 40 percent or better in four straight games before Saturday, including Thursday in their first game against the Bengals, who came in leading the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense.
 
Still, the Vikings never got their three-point shooting going in either game last weekend, and that had been an important engine in the Viking offense all season. The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky for three-point field goal percentage, hitting 34.3 percent of their shots from distance this season. The Vikings also rank fourth in the Big Sky with 7.1 makes from deep a game.
 
Sophomore Jada Lewis had a tough shooting weekend against the Bengals – as all Viking perimeter players did – but remains one of the premier three-point shooters in the Big Sky Conference. Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and 31st in the nation while hitting 44.4 percent of her three-point field goals this season. Lewis also ranks sixth in the conference with 2.0 makes per game, though she's been even more prolific since starting her first game of the season on Jan. 2. In her seven starts since that game, Lewis has made 2.86 three-pointers a game, while converting at a rate of 47.6 percent.
 
The College of Idaho Yotes have had success holding opponents to some poor shooting nights so far this season. The Yotes played the Vikings' Big Sky rivals Eastern Washington and Montana earlier this season, and held both teams to under 40 percent despite losing both games. The Lady Griz shot just 31.7 percent against the Yotes, though still they beat them 61-33.
 
Offense has been the struggle for the Yotes, as they average only 49.1 points per game. No player averages in double figures for the Yotes, though they have four players averaging seven or more points in Kaylee Krusemark (8.3), Allie Cannon (7.9), Kiersten Rasmussen (7.9) and Lexi Mitchell (7.2).
 
The Yotes have had to scrape together a season for themselves, as their conference – the Cascade Collegiate Conference out of the NAIA – has called off conference-wide play until March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Yotes have played three Division I schools in their patchwork season, including the two previous games against Big Sky schools in Eastern Washington and Montana.
 
The Yotes won back-to-back games against Simpson – another NAIA school – last weekend, sweeping the Redhawks between a 64-45 win Friday and a 53-36 win Saturday.
 
Wednesday's game comes ahead of an eight-day break for the Vikings, as the team is not scheduled to play again until they head to Montana on Feb. 4. A win over the Yotes Wednesday would be just the right way to lead into that break.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (4-6) vs. THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO (3-7)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME DETAILS: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The College of Idaho Yotes have scraped together 10 games already this season despite their conference delaying any conference-wide play until March. The Yotes have played three Division I schools in their patchwork season, including two Big Sky schools in Eastern Washington and Montana. The Yotes lost 59-46 to the Eagles on Dec. 17, and dropped a 61-33 game to Montana on Jan. 10. The Yotes won back-to-back games against Simpson – another NAIA school – last weekend, sweeping the Redhawks between a 64-45 win Friday and a 53-36 win Saturday. The Yotes also split a series against William Jessup, winning 58-56 on Dec. 12 before losing 64-52 on Dec. 13. Overall, the Yotes have been a stronger defensive team than they have been an offensive team so far this season. They average only 49.1 points per game offensively, but have held opponents to 38.4 percent shooting, and 29.1 percent from three-point range. The Yotes have also out-rebounded their opponents by an average of 1.4 rebounds a game, though they lost the rebounding battle in each of their games against Division I opponents. Individually, Kaylee Krusemark leads the Yotes with 8.3 points per game while three other players average at least seven points a game in Allie Cannon (7.9), Kiersten Rasmussen (7.9) and Lexi Mitchell (7.2). Mitchell also leads the Yotes with 7.1 rebounds per game. Rasmussen and Cierra Dvorak also average 5.0 rebounds per game or more at 5.9 and 5.0, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Wednesday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Yotes.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in both scoring (5th, 14.7 points per game) and rebounding (9th, 6.9 rebounds per game). Hansen also ranked in the top for assists per game until last week, but still ranks 12th with 2.8 helpers a game.
• The Vikings had their best rebounding game of the season despite losing to Idaho State Saturday. The Vikings out-rebounded the Bengals – who came into the weekend as the Big Sky's top rebounding team – 43-37. The +6 margin marked the largest of any opponent against the Bengals this season.
• Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun recorded her third double-double of the season Saturday while posting game highs for points (23) and rebounds (12) against the Bengals. Streun scored 21 of her 23 points after halftime, and went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to become just the 14th player in program history to go perfect from the line while attempting at least 10 shots in a game.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and 31st in the nation while hitting 44.4 percent of her three-point field goals this season. Lewis also ranks sixth in the conference with 2.0 makes per game, though she's been even more prolific since starting her first game of the season on Jan. 2. In her seven starts since that game, Lewis has made 2.86 three-pointers a game, while converting at a rate of 47.6 percent.
• As a team, the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with 7.1 three-pointers made per game, and stand third in the conference for percentage (.343). Besides Jada Lewis, Desirae Hansen ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.7 three-pointers made per game, while Kylie Jimenez ranks tied for 14th with 1.5 makes a game.
• The Vikings rank in the top 50 of the Big Sky for free-throw percentage (.749) after going 27-of-30 from the line Saturday against the Bengals. The Vikings' 27 makes Saturday marked a new season high.
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 79th in the nation with 9.0 steals per game. Individually, Kylie Jimenez ranks third in the Big Sky with 2.1 steals per game, while Desirae Hansen ranks 10th in the conference with 1.6 thefts a game.
• Kylie Jimenez is 22 assists, six steals and 18 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 five more points to move into the top 15 all time at Portland State for scoring, and only 131 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 23 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 ranks second in the Big Sky and 31st in the nation while hitting 44.4 percent of her three-pointers this season. Lewis also ranks sixth in the conference with 2.0 makes per game, though she's been even more prolific since starting her first game of the season on Jan. 2. In her seven starts since that game, Lewis has made 2.86 three-pointers a game, while converting at a rate of 47.6 percent. Lewis hasn't been alone from beyond the arc, however, as the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with 7.1 three-pointers made per game as a team, and stand third in the conference for percentage (.343). Besides Lewis, Desirae Hansen ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.7 three-pointers made per game, while Kylie Jimenez ranks tied for 14th with 1.5 makes a game.
 

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter this season. The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 79th in the nation with 9.0 steals per game. Senior Kylie Jimenez leads the way while ranking third in the Big Sky with 2.1 steals per game. Junior Desirae Hansen also ranks 10th in the conference with 1.6 steals per game.
 

IMPROVING ON THE BOARDS

The Vikings had their best rebounding game of the season despite losing to Idaho State Saturday. The Vikings out-rebounded the Bengals – who came into the weekend as the Big Sky's top rebounding team – 43-37, with the +6 margin marking the largest of any opponent against the Bengals this season. Additionally, the Vikings grabbed a season-high 19 offensive rebounds Saturday, another new record for an ISU opponent this season. Overall, the Vikings have won the rebounding battle in three of their previous six games, and two of their three losses were by four rebounds or less. 
 

FRESHMEN COMING INTO THEIR OWN

The Viking freshmen have started to emerge for the team over the last couple of weekends. Reilly Kelty saw her most extensive action of the season Saturday, while the trio of Jenna Kilty, Nakia Boston and Morgan Baird led the Vikings to a first-half lead against Idaho State last Thursday. Kilty, Boston and Baird combined for 22 of the Vikings' 31 first-half points, and all three finished in double figures. For Kilty and Boston, it was the third double-digit scoring game for the freshmen this season, while it was the second for Baird. Boston has scored in double figures in two of the Vikings' previous three games, after also being one of five players to score in double figures in the team's 72-70 win over defending Big Sky champion Montana State on Jan. 16.
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has now started 107 straight games to start her Portland State career, and played every second of Saturday's game against the Bengals. Jimenez leads the Big Sky while ranking fifth in the nation with 38.4 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 22 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 six steals to reach 250 in her career, and only 18 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 21 of her last 22 games for the Vikings, and has two 20-point games in Big Sky play. Hansen ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 14.7 points per game as a result, and also ranks in the top 10 of the conference for rebounding, coming in ninth with 6.9 boards a game. Hansen also ranked in the top for assists per game until last week, but still ranks 12th with 2.8 helpers a game. Hansen remains the Viking who is best represented in the Big Sky leaders statistically. Besides points, rebounds and assists, Hansen also ranks third in the Big Sky in defensive rebounds per game (6.1), free throw percentage (12th, .800), three-pointers made per game (10th, 1.7), steals per game (10th, 1.6) and minutes played per game (8th, 32.2).
 

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 played her best to date Saturday against Idaho State, when she posted game highs for points (23) and rebounds (12). Streun scored 21 of her 23 points after halftime, and went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to become just the 14th player in program history to go perfect from the line while attempting at least 10 shots. Streun now has three double-doubles this season, and ranks seventh in the Big Sky for rebounds per game (7.3), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (2.9) and 11th in defensive rebounds per game (4.4). Streun needs only 23 more rebounds to to match former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th in career rebounds at Portland State.
 

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 22 assists to reach 500 in her career
• Jimenez needs 6 steals to reach 250 in her career
• Jimenez needs 18 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 16 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 146 points to reach 1,000 in her career
• Hansen needs 134 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 172 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 279 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. 23, Idaho State 70, Portland State 62: The Vikings out-rebounded the Big Sky's top rebounding team in Idaho State, 43-37. Tatiana Streun scored 21 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, while adding a game-high 12 rebounds, too. Streun also went went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to become just the 14th player in program history to go perfect from the line while attempting at least 10 shots.
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.