TIPOFF

If you walked into Viking Pavilion ahead of the Portland State women's basketball team's Tuesday' morning practice, you wouldn't have heard the usual shootaround music. Instead of Drake – Savannah Dhaliwal's favorite as everyone should know – you would have heard Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Over the Rainbow blasting over the stadium's loudspeakers.
 
Good taste, first of all. Second of all, that song, paired with the Vikings shooting around before a practice, probably couldn't illustrate any better how this weekend will be for the Vikings. It's a fun trip with your teammates, but it's also a business trip. You're going to Hawaii, but you're also going there to win a couple of basketball games.
 
The Vikings traveled to Oahu Wednesday morning, and will get a chance to explore a bit outside of their practice on shootaround times Thursday and Saturday. The business element comes Friday and Sunday, when the Vikings face Prairie View A&M and Hawaii as part of the Bank of Hawaii Classic. The Vikings open the tournament against Prairie View A&M Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. HT, before wrapping it up against Hawaii Sunday at 7 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. HT.
 
The Vikings head into the tournament with a bit of momentum, having gone 2-0 at home during the first week of the season. The improvement from game-to-game was noticeable for a young Viking team, especially on defense. In the first quarter of their season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9, the Vikings allowed 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting overall and 5-of-7 from deep. Over the next seven quarters, however, the Vikings held their two opponents to just 35-of-109 (.321) overall from the floor and 8-of-52 (.154) from three-point range.
 
The defensive energy was most impressive in the Vikings' 80-52 win over Dixie State last Friday. Dixie State came into the game having just set a school record with 22 three-pointers in their season opener three days before. The Vikings held Dixie State to just 5-of-34 (.147) shooting from deep, however, while out-rebounding them 52-to-37 and winning the turnover battle, 17-to-8.
 
Just as impressive as the Vikings' defensive energy against Dixie State has been the team's ability to get out and run and open up their offense. The Vikings have scored 80 points or more in both games this season, while their average of 83.5 points per game gives them the Big Sky lead in the category and ranks them 48th in the nation. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage (.429), while ranking second in field goal percentage (.458) and second in three-point field goals made per game (10.5).
 
It would appear that either Esmeralda Morales or Jada Lewis could light it up on any given night. The Vikings haven't had both of them stroking it in the same game yet this season, but last week's games should have assured everyone that that will happen at some points this season. Morales tied a single-game record with eight made three-pointers while also setting a freshman record with 32 points in the team's 87-64 win over Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Lewis then set a new career high with 22 points while going 6-of-9 from deep against Dixie State last Friday.
 
Alaya Fitzgerald and Savannah Dhaliwal also hit a few shots from deep last week, while both players scored in double figures in both games. Rhema Ogele joined the others in double figures in both games as part of back-to-back double-doubles for the freshman center to open the season. Ogele's second double-double came about as she totaled 14 points and 13 rebounds in only 16 minutes, 38 seconds of game time against Dixie State. To put that in perspective, if Ogele had played all 40 minutes at that level of production, she would have finished with 33.7 points and 31.3 rebounds.
 
Ogele, Fitzgerald and Morales all started both games last week, giving the Vikings' three freshmen in their starting five. The team's fourth freshman, Mia 'Uhila, was also quick off the bench in both games, and heads into this weekend tied with Morales for the Big Sky lead with 3.0 steals per game.
 
How the team's youth will handle their first road trip remains to be seen. The Vikings at least don't face host Hawaii in their first game at the tournament, as they'll instead square off against Prairie View A&M out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Lady Panthers split their games last week, beating Paul Quinn College, 83-70 before losing to Nebraska, 102-47. They opened this week with an 88-71 loss to New Mexico Tuesday night.
 
Hawaii dropped both games of a California road trip last week, but both losses came against some tough opponents. The Rainbow Wahine fell 86-53 to San Diego on Nov. 9, then lost 90-50 to USC two days later on Nov. 11.
 
Before the season began, Hawaii was picked to finish in the top half of the Big West Conference in both the preseason media and coaches polls. The media picked Hawaii to finish fourth out of 11 teams in the conference, while the coaches picked them to finish fifth.
 
The Rainbow Wahine will likely be eager to prove themselves in their return home for their home tournament, then, making Sunday's game especially tricky. It's why head coach Chelsey Gregg has always been quick to note that this is will be a business trip to Hawaii, not a vacation.
 
But even business trips need a backing track. And Over the Rainbow was a perfect choice for this one.
                              

GAME #1: PORTLAND STATE (2-0) vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (1-2)

LIVE STATS
GAME INFO: Friday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. HT, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Stan Sheriff Center)
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M: The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers dropped an 88-71 game to New Mexico Tuesday night before heading to Hawaii. That loss dropped the Lady Panthers to 1-2 on the year, though their other loss came against Nebraska out of the Big 10 Conference, which beat the Lady Panthers, 102-47. Prairie View A&M's win this season came over Paul Quinn College, which the Lady Panthers beat 83-70. The team is coming off a 3-13 season in 2020-21, when they went 2-11 and finished ninth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Junior guard/forward Diana Rosenthal returned off of that team, and leads the Lady Panthers in scoring this season with 16.3 points per game so far. Rosenthal has gone 11-of-23 from three-point range through the Lady Panthers' first three games, giving her a three-point field goal percentage of .478. Sophomore forward Gerlyn Smith is the only other Lady Panther in double figures, as she's averaged 11.0 points per game while leading the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. Kirdis Clark follows those two with 8.7 points per game, while Kennedi Heard and Kennedy Paul – the other two key returners off last year's team – average 7.3 and 5.7 points per game, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and the Lady Panthers.
 

GAME #2: PORTLAND STATE (2-0) vs. HAWAII (0-2)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME INFO: Sunday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. HT, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Stan Sheriff Center)
SCOUTING HAWAII: The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine dropped a pair of games in California on the opening weekend of the regular season. Hawaii fell 86-53 to San Diego on Nov. 9, and then fell 90-50 to USC on Nov. 11. Before the season, Big West media picked Hawaii to finish fourth in the conference in their preseason poll, while Big West coaches picked the Rainbow Wahine to finish fifth. Senior forward Amy Atwell made both the media and coaches' preseason All-Big West teams after leading Hawaii with 12.6 points per game last season. Atwell was held to 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the team's first two games of the season, as opposing defenses keyed on her and forced her into shooting 4-of-23 from the field (.174) and 2-of-14 (.143) from three-point range. Those numbers will drastically improve when she and the Rainbow Wahine return to the islands for their first home game. The Rainbow Wahine open the Bank of Hawaii Classic with a game against the Vikings' cross-town rivals, the Portland Pilots, at 7 p.m. HT Friday. Kallin Spiller and Daejah Phillips led the Rainbow Wahine last week while averaging 12.5 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Spiller also leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game. 
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings and Rainbow Wahine are 4-4 all-time against each other heading into Sunday's game. The teams haven't played since Dec. 18, 2011, when Hawaii won on its home floor, 78-66. The Vikings' last win in the series came the year before, when the Vikings won, 77-66, at the old version of the Peter W. Stott Center on Dec. 2, 2010.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• Two games into the season, the Vikings have the top scoring offense in the Big Sky, as they've topped 80 points in both games. The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 48th in the nation with 83.5 points per game.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 30th in the nation with a .429 three-point field goal percentage as a team. Four different Vikings average at least 1.5 three-pointers made a game, led by Esmeralda Morales, who leads the Big Sky and ranks eighth in the NCAA with 4.5 makes per game.
• New head coach Chelsey Gregg is 2-0 in her first two games at the helm of the Vikings. The Viking players dumped ice water over her head following the team's first win of the season over Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. A photo of the moment was shared by the @NCAAWBB accounts as their photo of the week.
• Esmeralda Morales tied a single-game record with eight three-pointers in last Tuesday's season opener against Warner Pacific, while also setting five different freshman records. Morales set the freshman records for points (32), points in a debut (32), field goals made (11), three-point field goals made (8) and three-point field goal percentage (.727).
• Esmeralda Morales ranks second in the Big Sky and 39th in the nation with 21.5 points per game through her first two games as a Viking. Morales also leads the conference in assists per game (5.5), three-point field goal percentage (.529) and three-point field goals made per game (4.5), while she and classmate Mia 'Uhila rank tied for the conference lead in steals per game (3.0).
• Rhema Ogele had a double-double in each of her first two games of the season. Ogele's double-double against Dixie State Friday came in only 16 minutes, 38 seconds of game time. Despite the managed minutes, Ogele leads the Big Sky while ranking 17th in the nation with 12.0 rebounds per game.
• Jada Lewis followed a quiet season opener with a career-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc last Friday against Dixie State. Lewis now ranks tied for 12th in the Big Sky for points per game (13.0) while standing tied for fourth in three-pointers made per game (3.0) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.462).
• Savannah Dhaliwal played in her first counting game in 985 days when she started the team's season opener against Warner Pacific. Dhaliwal missed the last two seasons after tearing her ACL against Idaho on Feb. 28, 2019. Dhaliwal was set to make her return during the 2020-21 season, but tore her ACL again that fall. So far in her return, Dhaliwal has done a little bit of everything for the Vikings, as she averages 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 three-pointers per game while shooting .529 from the field and .750 (3-of-4) from three-point range.
• Freshman Alaya Fitzgerald has scored in double figures in each of the Vikings' first two games of the season. Fitzgerald scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9, then followed with 10 points to go with four assists, three rebounds and three steals in the Vikings' win over Dixie State last Friday.
• The Vikings recorded 12 steals in both games last week, while five different players currently rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals. Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila rank tied for the conference lead with 3.0 steals per game, while Savannah Dhaliwal and Alaya Fitzgerald rank tied for ninth with 2.0 steals per game. Jada Lewis, meanwhile, ranks tied for 13th with 1.5 steals per game.
• The Vikings have started three freshmen in Esmeralda Morales, Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele in each game so far this season. Together with Mia 'Uhila, the team's four freshmen all rank in the team's top six in terms of minutes played this season.
• The Vikings have nine underclassmen out of the 14 players on their roster this season, while Savannah Dhaliwal represents the team's lone senior.

 

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

Head coach Chelsey Gregg said she wanted the team to run and open up its offense more in her first season at the helm. If anything, she may have undersold that a bit as the Vikings have scored at lead 80 points in both games. The true proof will come at the end of the season, but through two games, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 48th in the nation with 83.5 points per game. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage (.429), and rank second in the conference in overall field goal percentage (.458). Outside shooting has been a feature of both wins so far for the Vikings. Esmeralda Morales tied a single-game record with eight three-pointers against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9, while setting a freshman record with 32 points in her Viking debut. Jada Lewis then took the hot hand against Dixie State, going 6-of-9 from deep while scoring a career-high 22 points. Five different Vikings scored in double figures against Dixie State, as Rhema Ogele (14), Esmeralda Morales (11), Savannah Dhaliwal (11) and Alaya Fitzgerald (10) joined Lewis. 
 

SHARING IS CARING

Both wins last week featured at least 20 assists for the Vikings, as the team shared the ball as well as it shot it in its first two games. The Vikings assisted on 23 of their 30 field goals against Dixie State last Friday, after assisting on 21 of their 35 field goals against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. The Vikings now head into this weekend tied for the Big Sky lead and 15th in the nation with 22.0 assists per game. What's more, the Vikings didn't just pass well last week, they also took care of the ball well. The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank fifth in the nation with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, and also lead the conference with a plus-7.0 turnover margin. Esmeralda Morales recorded nine of the Vikings' 23 assists against Dixie State last Friday, and now leads the Big Sky with 5.5 assists per game. Mia 'Uhila ranks tied for second in the Big Sky with 4.5 assists per game, while Alaya Fitzgerald and Savannah Dhaliwal rank tied for seventh and 12th, respectively, with 4.0 and 3.5 assists per game.
 

STIFLING DEFENSE

The Vikings gave up 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting overall and 5-of-7 from deep in the first quarter of their season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. In the seven quarters since then, the Viking defense has been stifling. No game could show that better than Friday's 80-52 win over Dixie State. The Trailblazers had just tied a school record with 107 points in their own season opener on Nov. 9, while setting a pair of school records for three-pointers made (22) and attempted (51). It was a different story against the Vikings, however, as they held Dixie State to 5-of-34 shooting (.147) from deep. Both wins so far this season have also seen the Vikings force at least 15 turnovers, while the team has swiped 12 steals in both games. Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila rank tied for the Big Sky lead with 3.0 steals per game, while Savannah Dhaliwal and Alaya Fitzgerald stand tied for ninth behind them with 2.0 steals per game. Jada Lewis also ranks tied for 13th with 1.5 steals per game through the opening week of the season. As a team, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky for steals (12.0 per game), third in field goal defense (.362) and fourth in three-point field goal defense (.220).
 

MORE OF MORALES, PLEASE

Freshman point guard Esmeralda Morales might want to put out a cover of Shallow on TikTok because A Star was Born in the Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific. Morales tied a single-game record that has stood since 1991 with eight made three-pointers against the Knights. She also set five other freshman records in the game between points (32), points in a debut (32), field goals made (11), three-point field goals made (8) and three-point field goal percentage (.727). Morales followed up with only 11 points against Dixie State last Friday, but still stuffed the stat sheet with nine assists, four rebounds and two steals. Through the first two games of her collegiate career, Morales already ranks second in the Big Sky with 21.5 points per game, while she leads the conference in assists per game (5.5), three-point field goal percentage (.529) and three-point field goals made per game (4.5). Additionally, Morales ranks tied with classmate Mia 'Uhila for the Big Sky lead in steals per game, as they both average 3.0 thefts after the opening week of play.
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis answered a quiet season opener with a career-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc while leading the Vikings to an 80-52 win over Dixie State last Friday. The explosion against Dixie State was a reminder of Lewis' potency from the outside, which first emerged last season. Lewis hit two game-winning triples as a sophomore last season, when she ranked second in the Big Sky and 40th in the nation with a three-point field goal percentage of .402. After her explosion Friday, Lewis now ranks tied for fourth in the Big Sky with 3.0 three-pointers made per game, while she ranks seventh in the Big Sky with a three-point field goal percentage of .462. She also ranks tied for 12th with 13.0 points per game and eighth in field goal percentage (.526).
 

SERVING UP A DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Rhema Ogele had 14 points and 13 rebounds in only 16 minutes, 38 seconds of game time last Friday against Dixie State. To put that in perspective, if Ogele had played all 40 minutes at that level of production, she would have finished with 33.7 points and 31.3 rebounds. Regardless, it's been an impressive collegiate debut for Ogele, who also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Through the first week of the season, Ogele leads the Big Sky while ranking 17th in the nation with 12.0 rebounds per game. Ogele also leads the conference with 8.5 defensive rebounds per game, while she ranks tied for fourth with 3.5 offensive rebounds per game.
 

THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF SAVANNAH DHALIWAL

The Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9 marked the first counting game for redshirt senior Savannah Dhaliwal in 985 days. Dhaliwal tore the ACL in her right knee in the Vikings' home game against Idaho on Feb. 28, 2019. That injury kept her out of the entire 2019-20 season, and she re-tore her ACL in the fall of 2020, which forced her out of the entire 2020-21 season as well. Dhaliwal has played well since making her return, however, as she's been an all-around player for the Vikings. Through two games this season, Dhaliwal is averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 three-pointers made per game while shooting .529 from the field and .750 from three-point range. Dhaliwal ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky for rebounds per game (6.0), assists per game (3.5), steals per game (2.0) and three-pointers made per game (1.5). 
 

YOUTHFUL ROSTER

Nine of the Vikings' 14 players this season will be freshmen or sophomores, and neither class has had a normal basketball season due to the pandemic since they were either sophomore or juniors in high school. That should make for a youthful roster at times for the Vikings this season, especially considering the Vikings' only have one senior – Savannah Dhaliwal – to counterbalance that youth. Even the Vikings' juniors had their freshmen years in 2019-20 cut short in March due to the pandemic, and then weren't able to work on their games nearly as much as they would have liked as sophomores during the 2020-21 season.
 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Big Sky coaches and media members picked the Vikings to finish ninth and eighth in their respective preseason polls. The top three in both polls were identical, with Idaho State the clear favorite in both. The Bengals return several key players from last year's team that ran away with the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. Because of that, the Bengals earned all but their own first-place vote in the coaches poll, and picked up 17 of the 22 first-place votes in the media poll. Montana State followed the Bengals at second in both polls, narrowly edging Idaho in third.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Nov. 12, 2021, Portland State 80, Warner Pacific 52: The Vikings held a Dixie State team that had just set a new school record with 22 made three-pointers in its season opener to 5-of-34 (.147) shooting from deep. Jada Lewis set a career high with 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Nov. 9, 2021, Portland State 87, Warner Pacific 64: Esmeralda Morales tied a single-game record that's stood since 1991 with eight three-pointers against the Knights, while setting five new freshman records in the game. Morales broke the freshman records for points (32), points in a debut (32), field goals made (11), three-point field goals made (8) and three-point field goal percentage (.727). Savannah Dhaliwal also made her return after missing the last two seasons due to back-to-back ACL tears. Dhaliwal had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting while setting new career highs for assists (6) and steals (2) in her first counting game in 985 days.