TIPOFF

Three last-second wins in the past two weeks have the Portland State women's basketball team riding high heading into a showdown with one of the Big Sky's top teams – the Idaho Vandals – this weekend in a home-and-home series that starts at Idaho's Memorial Gym Thursday.
 
It's appropriate that the Vikings have gotten used to close games before facing the Vandals since games between the two teams have so often gone down the wire in recent years. The Vikings and Vandals have played four one-possession games over the previous three seasons, including two in the Big Sky tournament. The Vandals won a pair of one-possession games at the 2018 and 2020 Big Sky tournaments, eliminating the Vikings in the semifinals in 2018 and quarterfinals in 2020. The Vikings exacted some revenge in 2019, however, beating the Vandals 75-59 in the semifinals en route to a Big Sky tournament title.  
 
Both teams head into this weekend's series with loads of confidence.
 
The Vikings, of course, head in as winners of four of their last five with three of those wins coming in the final seconds. The Vikings trailed by at least six points in the fourth quarter of all three of their last-second wins. Against Montana on Feb. 4, the Vikings trailed by seven near the start of the fourth quarter before out-scoring the Lady Griz 17-9 the rest of the way. Meanwhile, in the team's first game against NAU on Feb. 11, the Vikings trailed by six with less than five minutes to go before ending on a 13-5 run. Sunday's second game against NAU marked the biggest comeback yet, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run.
 
What's more, three different Vikings have delivered the team's three game-winning plays over the past two weeks. Kylie Jimenez hit a game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds left to beat Montana, 61-60, on Feb. 4. Jada Lewis then hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat Northern Arizona, 75-73, on Feb. 11. Desirae Hansen followed with three game-winning free throws with 4.5 seconds left to beat NAU again, 58-56, on Feb. 14.
 
The Vandals, meanwhile, handed rival Idaho State its first Big Sky loss of the season in their last game, beating the Bengals 73-56 last Saturday. Gabi Harrington led the Vandals with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting overall and 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range, giving Harrington her fourth straight 20-point game. Harrington missed about a month of games earlier in the season, but would lead the Big Sky Conference with 16.8 points per game if she had played in enough games to meet the minimum requirements.
 
The Bengals beat the Vandals in their other game against each other last weekend, but that was the Vandals' only loss in their past seven games. The Vandals only have three Big Sky losses out of 14 games this season, with the other two coming to Northern Colorado (63-61 on Jan. 14) and Northern Arizona (84-62 on Dec. 31).
 
The Vandals represent one of the more prolific offenses in the Big Sky, as they stand second in the conference with 71.2 points per game. The Vandals put up a higher volume of shots than any other Big Sky team as they create more possessions for themselves than most any other team.
 
Besides Harrington, Beyonce Bea – who does meet the minimum to be ranked statistically, coming in second in the Big Sky in scoring – averages 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Additionally, Gina Marxen is the Jimenez of the Vandals as she averages 13.0 points per game as the team's starting point guard. Marxen leads the Big Sky with a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, just ahead of Jimenez at 2.6. Marxen and Jimenez also each average 4.5 assists per game, and rank 1-2 in minutes played per game.
 
Harrington and Marxen also lead the Vandals with 2.5 and 2.2 three-pointers made per game, respectively.
 
Three-point shooting has been a big feature of every Portland State-Idaho game over the past few seasons, and should be again this year. The Vandals rank third in the Big Sky with 8.2 triples made a game this season, while the Vikings stand fourth with 7.3 makes a game.
 
Lewis leads the Vikings' efforts from the outside, and again, should have confidence after hitting the game-winning three against Northern Arizona last Thursday. Lewis leads the Big Sky while hitting 44.9 percent of her three-point field goals this season, and ranks fourth in the conference with 2.2 makes a game. Hansen also ranks in the top 10 of the conference for three-point makes, standing ninth with 1.8 triples a game.
 
Thursday's game between the Vikings and Vandals will tip at 6 p.m. at the Vandals' Memorial Gym in Moscow, Idaho. The teams then head to Viking Pavilion Saturday, when they'll tip off at 12 p.m. 
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (8-7, 6-6 Big Sky) vs. IDAHO (12-6, 11-3 Big Sky)

LIVE STATS (Thursday) | LIVE VIDEO (Thursday) | LIVE STATS (Saturday) | LIVE VIDEO (Saturday)
GAME #1: Thursday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m. PT, Moscow, Idaho (Memorial Gym)
GAME #2: Saturday, Feb. 20, 12 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Idaho Vandals handed rival Idaho State its first Big Sky loss of the season in their last game, beating the Bengals 73-56. The Bengals won their other game against the Vandals last weekend, which stands as the Vandals' only loss out of their past seven games. The Vandals only have three Big Sky losses out of 14 games this season, with the other two coming to Northern Colorado (63-61 on Jan. 14) and Northern Arizona (84-62 on Dec. 31). Statistically, the Vandals rank second in the Big Sky with 71.2 points per game despite standing ninth in both field goal percentage (.385) and three-point field goal percentage (.294). The Vandals make up their lower percentage by shooting a high volume of shots, both on the inside and outside. On the outside, the Vandals rank third in the Big Sky with 8.2 three-pointers made per game, while Gina Marxen and Sydney Gandy rank third and seventh, respectively, with 2.2 and 1.8 makes per game, individually. Additionally, Gabi Harrington, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, doesn't meet the minimum games played to be ranked, but would rank second with 2.5 makes per game if she did. Harrington leads the Vandals with 16.8 points per game to go with 7.0 rebounds per game, and has scored 20 or more points in four straight games. Beyonce Bea does meet the minimum to be ranked among the conference leaders, and she stands second in the Big Sky currently with 15.8 points per game. Bea also stands sixth in the Big Sky and second on the team with 7.3 rebounds per game. The Vandals rank third in the Big Sky with 39.9 rebounds per game as a team, thanks in part to their high volume of possessions. The Vandals also limit their turnovers, as they rank second in turnover margin at +1.56, and stand third with a 1.01 assist-to-turnover ratio. Marxen leads the Big Sky with a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio individually, just ahead of the Vikings' Kylie Jimenez at 2.6. Marxen and Jimenez also each average 4.5 assists per game, and rank 1-2 in minutes played per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vandals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 28-14. The teams have split their last four games, after the Vandals had won the previous 10 meetings. The Vikings and Vandals have faced each other at the last three Big Sky tournaments, with the Vandals winning in the semifinals in 2018 and the quarterfinals in 2020. The Vikings won in the semifinals in 2019 en route to the Big Sky tournament title that season.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings have posted three last-second victories in their past four games, with three different players accounting for the game-winning plays. Kylie Jimenez hit a game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds left to beat Montana, 61-60, on Feb. 4. Jada Lewis then hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat Northern Arizona, 75-73, on Feb. 11. Desirae Hansen followed with three game-winning free throws with 4.5 seconds left to beat NAU again, 58-56, on Feb. 14.
• The Vikings have trailed by six or more in the fourth quarter of all three of their last-second victories in the past two weeks. Against Montana on Feb. 4, the Vikings trailed by seven near the start of the fourth quarter before out-scoring the Lady Griz 17-9 the rest of the way. In the team's first game against NAU on Feb. 11, the Vikings trailed by six with less than five minutes to go before ending on a 13-5 run. Sunday's second game against NAU marked the biggest comeback yet, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run.
• Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in both scoring (ninth, 13.9 ppg) and rebounding (10th, 6.9 rpg), and ranks just outside the top 10 in assists (11th, 2.7 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in five other statistical categories, including three-pointers made per game (9th, 1.8) and blocks per game (8th, 0.9).
• Senior Kylie Jimenez recorded her 500th career assist on Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer against Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. The epic context of the assist was appropriate, as it also made Jimenez only the third player in program history to reach 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career at Portland State. Jimenez joined two PSU Hall of Famers in the elite club, joining Claire Faucher (2006-10) and Kim Manifesto (1992-96). With 11 more three-pointers, Jimenez will stand alone as the only player out of those three to also hit 200 three-pointers in her career.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis, after hitting the game-winner against NAU last Thursday, leads the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 44.9 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranks 15th in the nation in the category, and ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.2 makes a game. Desirae Hansen joins Lewis in the top 10 for makes, ranking ninth with 1.8 per game.
• As a team, the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky in both three-pointers made per game (7.3) and three-point field goal percentage (.336). The Vikings also rank in the top 100 of the NCAA in both categories, coming in 70th in makes and 72nd in percentage.
• Tatiana Streun entered the career top 10 at Portland State with nine rebounds against Montana on Feb. 6. Streun surpassed former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th-place all-time with 570 rebounds now in her career. Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game this season, and also stands third in the conference with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 64th in the nation with 9.20 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who ranks third with 2.1 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen rank ninth and 11th, respectively, with 1.7 and 1.6 thefts a game.
• With 507 career assists now, Kylie Jimenez stands fifth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (707), Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (594), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (588) and Tiana England of Florida State (513). Jimenez needs only 18 more assists to enter the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference.
• 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.

 

FOURTH-QUARTER VIKS

Fourth-quarter deficits have preceded all three of the Vikings' last-second victories over the last two weeks. The Vikings have trailed by at least six points in the fourth quarter of all three victories, and even trailed by six or more with less than five minutes remaining in both victories over Northern Arizona last weekend. Against Montana on Feb. 4, the Vikings trailed by seven near the start of the fourth quarter before out-scoring the Lady Griz 17-9 the rest of the way. In the team's first game against NAU on Feb. 11, the Vikings trailed by six with less than five minutes to go before ending on a 13-5 run. Sunday's second game against NAU marked the biggest comeback yet, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run. What's more, three different players have accounted for the team's game-winning plays over the past two weeks. Kylie Jimenez hit the game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds remaining against Montana, while Jada Lewis and Desirae Hansen hit the game-winners in the Vikings' games against Northern Arizona. Freshman Jenna Kilty also came up with two crucial three-pointers on back-to-back possessions Sunday against the Lumerbjacks, turning a seven-point deficit into a one-point deficit with less than three minutes left.
 

LONG-RANGE BOMBERS

Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer against Northern Arizona last Thursday provided a standout moment in a season full of made shots from the outside for the sophomore guard. Lewis leads the Big Sky while hitting 44.9 percent of her three-point attempts, an average that also ranks her 15th in the nation. Lewis ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.2 makes per game, as well, while the Vikings rank fourth in the conference with 7.3 makes and a .336 percentage as a team. Junior Desirae Hansen joins Lewis in the top 10 of the Big Sky for makes, ranking ninth with 1.8 made triples 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 64th in the nation with 9.20 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who stands third with 2.1 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen rank ninth and 11th, respectively, with 1.7 and 1.6 thefts a game.
 

FRESHMEN COMING INTO THEIR OWN

The Viking freshmen have started to emerge for the team over the last few weekends. Jenna Kilty led the Vikings with 16 points Sunday against Northern Arizona, and hit two critical three-pointers late in the game that turned a seven-point deficit into a one-point deficit. Kilty has now scored in double figures in three straight games, and is averaging 12.67 points per game during that stretch. Nakia Boston, meanwhile, sat Thursday's game against Northern Arizona with an injury, but had scored nine or more points in four of the six games before that. Boston set a new career high with five assists against Montana on Feb. 6. Reilly Kelty set a new career high with four blocks in the Vikings' win over Northern Arizona last Thursday. Morgan Baird also scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting Thursday, and has three double-figure scoring games this season. Itziar Ugarte has also seen time in five straight games, after only seeing the court for less than five total minutes over the previous four games.
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has started all 112 games of her Portland State career, and has played 39 minutes or more in eight of the team's 15 games this season. Jimenez leads the Big Sky while ranking seventh in the nation with 38.1 minutes played per game this season. Jimenez's durability has helped her hit milestone after milestone during her Viking career. Jimenez surpassed 1,000 career points against Weber State on Feb. 29 last season, and hit two more over the previous two weekends. Jimenez recorded her 250th career steal against Montana on Feb. 6, and recorded her 500th career assist on Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer to beat Northern Arizona Thursday. Only two other players at Portland State have reached 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in their career, and they're both PSU Hall of Famers in Kim Manifesto and Claire Faucher. If Jimenez hits 11 more three-pointers, then she'll separate herself from Manifesto and Faucher as the only one of the three with 200-career three-pointers in addition to the other three milestones. Jimenez ranks well against her contemporaries, as well, as she stands fifth among active players in the NCAA, behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (707), Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (594), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (588) and Tiana England of Florida State (513). Jimenez needs only 18 more assists to enter the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference.
 

NEED TO CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING? PASS IT TO DES

Desirae Hansen created something out of nothing late Sunday against Northern Arizona. With the Vikings down one and their play breaking down, Hansen rose amid a crowd for a potential game-winning three-pointer. Hansen got fouled as her feet got taken out from under her, and the junior guard hit all three subsequent free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining to give the Vikings a 58-56 win over Northern Arizona. Creating something out of nothing is what Hansen has done throughout her Viking career. Hansen ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in both scoring (ninth, 13.9 ppg) and rebounding (10th, 6.9 rpg), and ranks just outside the top 10 in assists (11th, 2.7 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in five other statistical categories between defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 6.2), free throw percentage (9th, .811), three-pointers made per game (9th, 1.8), blocks per game (8th, 0.9) and minutes played per game (6th, 33.1).
 

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun has scored in double figures in four of the Vikings' past six games, including season highs for points (23) and rebounds (12) in the team's game at Idaho State on Jan. 23. Streun finished with 14 points and eight rebounds Sunday against Northern Arizona, while adding three steals. The steals have been perhaps the most impactful part of Streun's game of late, as she has 10 in the Vikings' last three games. Streun came up with a crucial steal against Montana on Feb. 4, diving to the ground for the ball with 20 seconds left to set up teammate Kylie Jimenez's game-winning layup. Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game overall this season, and also stands third in the conference with 2.9 offensive rebounds a game. Streun entered the career top 10 at Portland State during the Vikings' game against Montana on Feb. 6, surpassing her former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. Streun, who also ranks in the career top 10 for field goal percentage at .510, now has 570 rebounds in her Portland State career, leaving her 42 away from catching the next player in front of her, Hiedi Hatcher (1997-2001) at 612.
 

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 11 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 11 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 85 points to reach 1,000 in her career
• Hansen needs 100 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 159 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 232 points to reach 1,000 in her career

Jimenez, who has already become only the third player in Portland State history with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career, would stand alone as the only player to add 200 career three-pointers if she reaches the milestone. Hansen and Streun, meanwhile, 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

Feb. 14, Portland State 58, Northern Arizona 56: Desirae Hansen hit three game-winning free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining, giving the Vikings their third last-second win out of their last four. The Vikings trailed by eight with less than five minutes left, but out-scored the Lumberjacks 12-2 the rest of the way.
Feb. 11, Portland State 75, Northern Arizona 73: Jada Lewis hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left off a dish from Kylie Jimenez. The assist gave Jimenez 500 in her Portland State career, making her just the third player to reach 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals for the Vikings.
Feb. 4, Portland State 61, Montana 60: The Vikings won in Missoula for just the fifth time in program history as Kylie Jimenez hit a game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds remaining. The Vikings led for less than three minutes of game time, but won despite being out-shot and out-rebounded in the game. 
Jan. 27, Portland State 59, The College of Idaho 37: The Vikings grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds against the Yotes, bettering their previous best by 11. The 56 rebounds tied last season's opener against Multnomah as the highest total in a game over the past four seasons.
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.