TIPOFF

Even without snow on the ground, Decembers in Portland make us want to be home as much as possible. The Portland State women's basketball team gets that luxury for most of December. After three straight games on the road, the Vikings return home for four straight and five of their next six, starting with an early conference weekend against Idaho State and Weber State this Thursday and Saturday.
 
The Vikings' December opponents won't defer to the Vikings' coziness at home, however. It's as challenging a slate as any on the schedule, and it starts with a bang as the Vikings host the defending conference champions in the Idaho State Bengals Thursday at 6 p.m. PT.
 
No one should be fooled by the Bengals' record so far during the non-conference schedule. While just 1-5, two of the Bengals' five losses came against then-No. 10 Oregon and Gonzaga, another perennial tournament team. Additionally, the Bengals lost to another team from a Power Five Conference in Missouri.
 
Fans only need to look back one year to know what the Bengals are capable of. Idaho State returned all four players that started at least 25 games last season, when they swept the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles – a run that included a 35-point win the tournament title game against Idaho. The group of four returning starters include two six-year seniors in Dora Goles and Estefania Ors, and the Bengals have five other seniors on their team as well. 
 
Thursday's game should be a matchup of youth and experience, then, as the Vikings will counter with a starting five that has featured three true freshmen since the first game of the season. That lineup led the Vikings to three straight wins to open the season, and nearly added a fourth with a ferocious comeback against Hawai'i on Nov. 21.
 
The youthful energy has especially paid off on defense for the Vikings. The team has forced at least 15 turnovers in every game they've played so far this season, and dominate all the ball-handling categories within the Big Sky statistically. The Vikings lead the conference in steals per game (10.4), turnover margin (+5.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22).
 
Five different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals per game, led by two of the team's four freshmen in Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila. Those two rank tied for second in the Big Sky and 94th in the nation with 2.4 steals per game this season. Additionally, Jada Lewis ranks seventh in the conference with 2.0 steals per game, while Savannah Dhaliwal and Alaya Fitzgerald – another freshman – rank tied for 15th together with 1.2 steals per game.
 
The offense had been humming for the Vikings, too, despite the team's youth, until Utah Valley shut them down last Saturday. The Vikings scored only 43 points in a 62-43 loss to Utah Valley, an NCAA tournament team out of the Western Athletic Conference last season. But even after that game, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 70.6 points per game, and also stand second in scoring margin at +8.6.
 
Three-point shooting has been what's fueled the Viking offense this season. It partly explains the Vikings' low output against Utah Valley, as the Wolverines held the Vikings to just 1-of-13 from deep after Portland State had made at least eight shots from the outside in each of their first four games of the season. The Vikings still lead the Big Sky while ranking 47th in the nation while shooting .364 from the outside this season. They also rank third in the conference with 8.0 makes per game, while Lewis and Morales stand second and third individually with 2.8 and and 2.6 makes per game, respectively.
 
Both Lewis and Morales have lit it up from deep during the Vikings' three wins this season. Morales kicked it off while tying a record that's stood since 1991 with eight three-pointers in the team's season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Lewis followed with a 6-of-9 performance from deep against Dixie State on Nov. 12, then topped that while going 7-of-12 from the outside against Prairie View A&M at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic.
 
Morales' outside shooting has boosted her overall scoring, as she ranks second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 18.4 points per game. Lewis and Alaya Fitzgerald also rank among the Big Sky leaders in scoring, as they both rank tied for 14th in the conference with 12.0 points per game.
 
The statistical rankings for the Bengals don't mean much considering their competition. Callie Bourne leads the Bengals with 8.7 points per game, while Goles and Ors rank closely behind her with 8.3 and 7.5 points per game, respectively. Bourne also leads the Bengals in rebounds and assists, averaging 6.3 boards and 3.0 assists per game.
 
But once again, the preseason numbers don't mean anything once Big Sky play starts, and that comes Thursday, when the Vikings host the defending-champion Bengals.
 
And for the Vikings, that conference opener is thankfully at home this season.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (3-2, 0-0) vs. IDAHO STATE (1-5, 0-0)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals have gone through the gauntlet to start the season. The Bengals have already played powerhouses Oregon and Gonzaga, and also played at Missouri. No one should read too much into the Bengals' 1-5 record, then, nor many of the team's statistical rankings. The Bengals were the unanimous pick to repeat as Big Sky champions in the Big Sky coaches poll during the preseason. That was an obvious choice for coaches considering the team returns all four players that started at least 25 games for a team that went 22-4 overall and 15-2 in Big Sky play. Included in that was the returns of All-Big Sky first-team selection Dora Goles and All-Big Sky second-team selection Diaba Konate. However, while Goles has started all six games so far this season, Konate has yet to play for the Bengals. Regardless, the Bengals should have more experience on the floor than pretty much any other team in the Big Sky Conference this season. Several players utilized the extra year of eligibility they received due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including Goles and Estefania Ors, who are both sixth-year seniors for the Bengals this season. Additionally, Ellie Smith is a fifth-year senior for the Bengals this season, while the team has four other seniors, including leading scorer Callie Bourne. Bourne leads the Bengals with 8.7 points per game so far this season, while Goles and Ors rank closely behind her with 8.3 and 7.5 points per game, respectively. Tomekia Whitman also averaged 7.0 points per game for the Bengals, while she ranks second to Bourne with 5.0 rebounds per game. Bourne leads the Bengals with 6.3 rebounds per game, and also leads the team with 3.0 assists per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 40-23. The Bengals have owned the series of late, as they've won 20 of the past 21 games in the series. The Vikings' last win in the series came on the road on Jan. 18, 2020, which snapped a 16-game losing streak in the series for the Vikings.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• After topping 75 points in their first three games, the Vikings have been held to 68 and then 43 points in their past two games, both losses. The Vikings' 43 points against Utah Valley last Saturday marked their lowest total since scoring 40 points in the team's NCAA first-round game against Oregon on March 22, 2019.
• Despite the two lower outputs, recently, the Vikings still rank second in the Big Sky in both scoring offense (70.6 ppg) and scoring margin (+8.6).
• The Vikings hit at least eight three-pointers in their first four games of the season, before going just 1-of-13 from deep against Utah Valley last Saturday. Despite that performance, the Vikings still lead the Big Sky and rank 47th in the nation with a three-point field goal percentage of .364. Additionally, the Vikings still average 8.0 three-pointers made per game despite last Saturday's game, ranking them third in the Big Sky and 52nd in the nation.
• Jada Lewis and Esmeralda Morales rank second and third in the Big Sky with 2.8 and 2.6 three-point makes per game, respectively. The pair also rank fifth and ninth in the conference in terms of percentage, with Lewis hitting 41.2 percent of her shots from deep, while Morales has hit 34.2 percent of her own shots.
• The Vikings have forced at least 15 turnovers in all five games so far this season, and had recorded at least 10 steals in every game until last Saturday, when they still had seven against Utah Valley. As a result, the Vikings lead the Big Sky in steals per game (10.4), turnover margin (+5.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22).
• Five different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals per game, led by Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila, who both rank tied for second with 2.4 steals per game. Besides them, Jada Lewis ranks seventh in the conference with 2.0 steals per game, while Alaya Fitzgerald and Savannah Dhaliwal both rank tied for 15th with 1.2 thefts a game.
• Esmeralda Morales was held to a season-low 10 points in the Vikings' loss to Utah Valley last Saturday, but she still ranks second in the Big Sky and 49th in the NCAA with 18.4 points per game this season.
• Freshman Alaya Fitzgerald scored in double figures in each of her first four games as a Viking, before being held to five points in last Saturday's game at Utah Valley. Fitzgerald still ranks tied for 14th in the Big Sky with 12.0 points per game.
• Savannah Dhaliwal has done a little bit of everything for the Vikings this season, as she averages 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 three-pointers per game this season. Dhaliwal's production has provided a feel-good storyline for the Vikings this season, after she missed the last two season due to back-to-back ACL tears. Dhaliwal played in her first counting game in 985 days when she started the team's season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9.
• Rhema Ogele had a double-double in each of her first two games of the season, and now ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.6 rebounds per game. Ogele has only played 14.7 minutes per game, however, as she's gotten into foul trouble in some games.
• The Vikings have started three freshmen in Esmeralda Morales, Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele in each game so far this season. Additionally, Mia 'Uhila averages 22.2 minutes per game off the bench, ranking her fifth on the team in minutes.
• Head coach Chelsey Gregg is in her first year at the helm of the Vikings after spending the previous six seasons as first an assistant than an associate head coach for the Vikings. The Viking players dumped ice water over Gregg's head following the team's first win of the season on Nov. 9. A photo of the moment was shared by the @NCAAWBB accounts as their photo of the week that week.
• 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

Last Saturday's game against Utah Valley notwithstanding, the offense has flowed for the Vikings at the start of the season. The team scored at least 80 points in their first two games of the season, and hit 75 points in a 75-61 neutral-site win over Prairie View A&M in Hawai'i last Saturday. The Vikings have shown that they can light it up from the outside this season, as they lead the Big Sky with a .364 three-point field goal percentage while ranking third in the conference and 52nd in the nation with 8.0 makes per game. Jada Lewis and Esmeralda Morales have led the assault from the outside. Both have produced games where they hit at least six three-pointers for the Vikings this season. Morales opened it by tying a single-game record that had stood since 1991 with eight three-pointers (on only 11 attempts) in the Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Lewis followed with a 6-of-9 performance from deep against Dixie State on Nov. 12, then topped that while going 7-of-12 from the outside against Prairie View A&M at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic. Lewis enters the Vikings' game against Idaho State Thursday ranked second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 2.8 three-point makes per game. Morales, meanwhile, ranks right behind Lewis at third in the conference and 67th in the nation with 2.6 makes per game. The pair also rank fifth and ninth in the conference in terms of percentage, as Lewis is shooting .412 from deep so far this season, while Morales is shooting .342. Additionally, Morales' outside shooting has boosted her overall scoring, to where she ranks second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 18.4 points per game. Lewis and Alaya Fitzgerald also rank among the Big Sky leaders in scoring, as they both rank tied for 14th in the conference with 12.0 points per game.
 

THEFT ON THE WING

While the offense didn't fire up at any point last Saturday against Utah Valley, the perimeter defense was still just as active as it has been all season. The Vikings forced 15 turnovers for the fifth straight time to open the season last Saturday, and had seven steals between three each for Jada Lewis and Mia 'Uhila, and one for Esmeralda Morales. The Vikings' seven steals actually marked a season low for the team, as they had topped 10 steals in their first four games of the season. The Vikings lead the Big Sky with 10.4 steals per game as a result, while they also lead the conference by a healthy margin with a +5.2 turnover margin. Five different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals per game. Morales and 'Uhila lead the way as they both rank tied for second and 94th in the nation with 2.4 steals per game. Lewis, meanwhile, ranks seventh with 2.0 steals per game, while Savannah Dhaliwal and Alaya Fitzgerald rank tied for 15th with 1.2 thefts a game. The perimeter defense has also bled into other statistical categories, as well. The Vikings also lead the Big Sky and rank 30th in the nation with a 1.22 assist-to-turnover ratio. Additionally, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage defense (.263), as well as fourth in overall field goal percentage defense (.376).
 

SHARING IS CARING

It's been a simple formula for the Vikings so far this season. If they assist on 55 percent or more of their field goals, they win. If not, they lose. The Vikings started that streak with back-to-back 20-assist games, as they assisted on 21 of 35 field goals against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9, and then followed with 23 assists on 30 field goals against Dixie State on Nov. 12. As a result, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 15.4 assists per game, and also lead the Big Sky while ranking 30th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. Freshman point guard Esmeralda Morales leads the way, as she ranks fourth in the conference with 4.4 assists per game. Fellow freshman Mia 'Uhila stands 10th in the conference with 3.4 assists per game, while the pair of them also rank in the top 10 for assist-to-turnover ratio. 'Uhila leads the conference with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.13, while Morales ranks eighth at 1.38.  
 

MORE OF MORALES, PLEASE

It took freshman point guard Esmeralda Morales all of two weeks to earn the first honor of her Viking career. Morales was named to the Bank of Hawai'i Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 20, and Hawai'i on Nov. 21. The honor provided a tangible representation for what's been a standout start to the season for Morales that started with a record-breaking debut in the Vikings' season opener on Nov. 9. Morales tied a single-game record that has stood since 1991 with eight made three-pointers against Warner Pacific. She also set five other freshman records in the game between the 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). Morales now ranks second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 18.4 points per game through the first five games of the season. She also ranks fourth in the Big Sky in assists per game (4.4), as well as tied for second in steals per game (2.4). It doesn't end there, though, as Morales ranks third in three-point field goals made per game (2.6), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38), ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.342), 11th in field goal percentage (.364) and second in minutes played per game (36.26).
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Every defense the Vikings face this season should know that Jada Lewis can fill it up from the outside. She showed that while posting two of her best games ever as a Viking in back-to-back contests against Dixie State on Nov. 12 and Prairie View A&M on Nov. 20. Lewis set a new career high for points in both games, while going a combined 13-of-21 (.619) from beyond the arc between both contests. Lewis started with 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from deep against Dixie State, then topped that with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the outside against Prairie View A&M. As a result, Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 2.8 three-pointers made per game. She also ranks fifth in the Big Sky for three-point field goal percentage, as she's hit 41.2 percent of her shots so far. All of it has added up to 12.0 points per game for Lewis so far this season, an average that ranks her tied for 14th in the Big Sky in scoring.
 

ROOTING FOR LAY IS AS EASY AS A LAY-UP

Freshman Alaya Fitzgerald, nicknamed Lay, scored in double figures in her first four games as a Viking, giving her a strong start to her collegiate career. Fitzgerald played the best game of her young career in the team's near comeback against Hawai'i on Nov. 21. Despite eventually losing the game, Fitzgerald helped lead the Vikings back from a 17-2 deficit at the start of the game, as well as a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, as the Vikings led by five with less than two minutes remaining. Fitzgerald scored 12 of her 17 points after halftime, while she and fellow freshmen Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila combined for 24 of the Vikings' 30 points in the fourth quarter. Fitzgerald's 17 points in the game marked a new career high, while she also set career highs for rebounds (5) and three-pointers made (3). Fitzgerald now ranks tied for 14th in the Big Sky with 12.0 points per game this season. She also ranks tied for 15th in the conference with 1.2 steals per game.
 

THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF SAVANNAH DHALIWAL

Savannah Dhaliwal hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 38 seconds left in the Vikings' game against Hawai'i on Nov. 21 that could have made for a storybook ending for the redshirt senior. Unfortunately, Hawai'i immediately responded with its own three-pointer to take back the lead, and the Rainbow Wahine went on to win the game. Still, the storybook element for Dhaliwal has been the simple fact that she's back out there playing for the Vikings, and playing well. The Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9 marked the first counting game for Dhaliwal in 985 days. Dhaliwal first tore the ACL in her right knee in the Vikings' home game against Idaho on Feb. 28, 2019, which kept her out of the entire 2019-20 season. She re-tore her ACL in the fall of 2020, which forced her out of the entire 2020-21 season as well. But ever since her return, Dhaliwal has showed no ill-effects of the injuries as she scored in double figures in the first four games of the season. She recorded the first double-double of her Viking career in the team's win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 20, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebound (five offensive). Dhaliwal's done a little bit of everything for the Vikings this season, as she's averaging 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 three-pointers made per game while shooting .478 from the field and .545 (6-of-11) from three-point range. Dhaliwal ranks 13th in the Big Sky with her 6.6 rebounds per game, while she also ranks tied for 15th in steals per game (1.2).
 

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. 20, 2021, Portland State 75, Prairie View A&M 61: Savannah Dhaliwal recorded the first double-double of her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jada Lewis set career highs for points (23) and three-pointers (7) to lead the Vikings offensively.
Nov. 12, 2021, Portland State 80, Dixie State 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.