PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland State women's basketball players greeted head coach Chelsey Gregg with a post-game ice bath after her first win at the helm of the Vikings. Fans can only hope there are more of those coming her way over the next few years.
 
Tuesday's 87-64 season-opening win over Warner Pacific at Viking Pavilion showed the promise that could develop into more ice baths for Gregg. Three freshmen scored in double figures for the Vikings, led by point guard Esmeralda Morales, who set a bevy of freshman records with 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting overall and 8-of-11 from beyond the arc.
 
Fellow freshmen Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele also scored in double figures, as they finished with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Fitzgerald scored her 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, while adding four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Ogele, meanwhile, added a game-high 11 rebounds to her 10 points, giving her the first double-double of her career.
 
Redshirt senior Savannah Dhaliwal also went into double figures in her first counting game since Feb. 28, 2019. Dhaliwal ended a 985-day wait in between appearances for the Vikings (1-0) while finishing with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
 
"I'm really proud of our team for how we finished that game," Gregg said of her team afterwards. "Respect for [Warner Pacific head coach Matt] Gregg [no relation] and what he's got going on over there.
 
"It's going to take all 14, every single person in their role [this season]. I love the stats, and we talk about wanting to get four or five in double figures and sharing the basketball, but ultimately it's going to be about how we take care of each other." 
 
The freshmen showed their youth early in the game. The Viking offense was humming from the beginning, but the team's defense took some time to kick into gear. Warner Pacific took advantage, going 11-of-18 (.611) from the field and 5-of-7 (.714) from three-point range in the first quarter, while outscoring the Vikings, 28-27.
 
It was still a 33-29 lead for Warner Pacific a few minutes into the second quarter, but the Vikings turned it around from there and finished the half on a 19-3 run. The Vikings' defense picked itself up after the opening quarter, as the Knights shot just 6-of-28 (.214) combined in the second and third quarters as the Vikings grew their lead.
 
"I'm proud of them for finding the way. I'd like to have quicker starts, and we as a staff are going to figure out how we can get there, but I'm really proud of the effort that they gave," Gregg said. "You really saw that intensity pick up as we went a little bit more full-court pressure, and it's always good to see shots go in."
 
Morales punctuated the Vikings' run to end the first half, as she banked in a lengthy three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings momentum going into the break. Morales also hit a three-pointer as the first-quarter buzzer sounded, and went into halftime with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from three-point range. 
 
Morales went 4-of-5 from deep in the second half, giving her eight makes for the game. That tied the Portland State single-game record for three-pointers made in a game, as she matched the record Michele Hughes set in 1991, and Claire Faucher matched in 2010.
 
The single-game three-point record came along with five Portland State freshman records, as Morales set the records for:

• Points (32)
• Points in a debut game (32)
• Field goals made (11)
• Three-point field goals made (8)
• Three-point field goal percentage (.727)

 
"She's an exciting player. She's special, and I think the most special thing about Esme is that she just wants to keep getting better. She's a competitor. She's bought in. She wants to be a great teammate, and she wants to be the leader that she is," Gregg said of Morales.
 
"She joked around a bit after a couple of bank shots, about that touch and clean living. But she's a special player to watch."
 
Dhaliwal led the way in the early going, as she scored seven of the Vikings' first 15 points of the game. Dhaliwal hit a three-pointer from straightaway less than two minutes into the game, then added another shot from deep in the final minute before halftime.
 
"Super excited to see Sav back on the floor, healthy, giving everything she can. She's that emotional leader. She plays with a lot of passion and gets after it. I'm really excited for the performance that she had. She'll just continue to settle in and find her niche, and we'll find spots where she can get her the ball inside," Gregg said of Dhaliwal.
 
Fitzgerald scored 11 of her 16 points by halftime, including five points in the Vikings' 19-3 run to close the first half. 
 
The Vikings completely shut the door with another 12-3 run in the middle of the third quarter that gave them a 67-43 lead with 2:36 to go before the fourth. Morales scored the first eight points of the run behind a pair of three-pointers, while Dhaliwal and Marina Canzobre closed it out with a pair of buckets in the paint.
 
Mia 'Uhila added six points, four assists and two steals off the bench. Canzobre and Jada Lewis added four points each, while Reilly Kelty added a bucket in the fourth.
 
The Vikings have a quick turnaround for their next game, as they host Dixie State Friday at 5 p.m. That game will open a doubleheader with the Portland State men's team, which hosts Evergreen State at 7:30 p.m.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings improved to 4-1 all-time against Warner Pacific with the win…The Vikings assisted on 21 of their 35 field goals Tuesday…They finished 35-of-66 (.530) from the field, while going 12-of-27 (.444) from three-point range…Four different Vikings finished with at least two steals Tuesday between Morales (4), Dhaliwal (2), Lewis (2) and 'Uhila (2).