TIPOFF

If the Portland State women's basketball team thought it had a delayed start to the season – waiting three weeks after the official start to the season to play Dixie State on Dec. 16 – the Vikings have nothing on their next opponent, the Warner Pacific Knights.
 
The Knights, an NAIA team that plays in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, weren't allowed to seek the same exemption the Vikings received from Oregon Governor Kate Brown until Feb. 10, just 11 days ago.
 
What amount of preparation the Knights will have gotten in before the Vikings face them Monday is anyone's guess. Even still, both teams will be thankful to be playing when they tip off at 6 p.m. at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings will be thankful as they get a chance to reinforce the turnaround they saw from Thursday to Saturday against Idaho. The Vikings got blown out at Idaho Thursday, but had a shot to win at the end of regulation Saturday after playing a dramatically better game against the Vandals.
 
Saturday nearly became the Vikings' fourth late comeback and game-winner in the Vikings' past six games. The Vikings trailed by eight at 59-51 with 4:20 remaining before ending regulation on an 11-3 run to force overtime. Jenna Kilty and Tatiana Streun both hit shots in the final minute of regulation to give the Vikings the lead. The Vikings also had a shot to win with the game tied at 62-62 at the end of regulation, but an open shot didn't fall and the Vandals ran away from the Vikings in the extra period.
 
The Vikings had three similar comebacks go their way over the previous 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. 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. The comeback against NAU on Feb. 14 was the biggest of the three, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run.
 
Streun was at her best against Idaho Saturday, as she tied a career-high with 13 rebounds to go along with a team-high 14 points. It was the fourth double-double of the season for Streun, who also leads all active Vikings with 10 double-doubles in her career.
 
Freshman Nakia Boston played the best across both games against the Vandals, as she averaged 12 points while going 8-of-12 (.667) from the field and 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range last weekend. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also had a strong weekend against the Vandals, averaging 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while going a combined 6-of-12 from the field across both games.
 
Kilty, another freshman, has been playing well for the last few weekends, as she's averaged 9.8 points and 1.4 three-pointers made per game while hitting 45.2 percent of her shots over the Vikings' last five games. Kilty had two critical three-pointers late in the Vikings' comeback against Northern Arizona, and hit a go-ahead three-pointer – following an offensive rebound from Baird – in the final minute of regulation against Idaho Saturday.
 
The Knights have a lot of unknowns heading into Monday, though they returned their two leading scorers from last season in Gabriella Bruno and Courtney Jackson. Bruno led the Knights with 15.2 points per game while she was a first-team all-conference selection and an honorable mention NAIA All-American. Jackson, meanwhile, averaged 14.1 points per game last season, when she was an all-conference honorable mention.
 
The Vikings limited Bruno to only nine points in a 79-51 exhibition win over the Knights last season. Streun led the Vikings with 20 points and 16 rebounds in that game to go with four assists and three steals. Desirae Hansen also had a near triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
 
Hansen had 22 points against the Knights when the teams faced each other to open the 2018-19 season. That was Hansen's first-ever game as a Viking back when she was freshman. Hansen went 8-of-10 from the field as well as 4-of-5 from three-point range in her debut, and tied the record for most points in a debut since freshman records date back through the 2010-11 season.
 
More record may fall Monday night when the Vikings and Knights face each other for the third straight season. This year's game will be an exhibition for the Knights, though it will be a counting game for the Vikings.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (8-9) vs. WARNER PACIFIC (0-0)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME DETAILS: Monday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING WARNER PACIFIC: The Warner Pacific Knights have yet to play a game this season. The team didn't have the opportunity to even submit for a waiver until Feb. 10, meaning the Knights will be untested when they meet the Vikings Monday. The game will serve as an exhibition for the Knights, though it'll be a counting game for the Vikings. The Knights returned their two leading scorers from last season, when they went 13-16 overall and 10-10 within the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Gabriella Bruno led the Knights with 15.2 points per game last season, when she was a first-team all-conference selection and an honorable mention NAIA All-American. Courtney Jackson ranked second on the team with 14.1 points per game last season, when she was an all-conference honorable mention. Bruno and Jackson also tied fellow senior Kali Kruger with 4.5 rebounds per game to lead the team. Kruger led the Knights with 61 blocks last season. Celeste Pantoja, who has since graduated, led the Knights with 16 points when the Vikings and Knights faced each other in an exhibition at the beginning of last season. Jackson followed with 11 points, while the Vikings held Bruno to nine points. Tatiana Streun led the Vikings with 20 points and 16 rebounds in that game to go with four assists and three steals. Desirae Hansen had a near triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Hansen also had 22 points against the Knights when the teams faced each other to open the 2018-19 season. That was Hansen's first-ever game as a Viking back when she was freshman. Hansen went 8-of-10 from the field as well as 4-of-5 from three-point range in her debut, and tied the record for most points in a debut since freshman records date back through the 2010-11 season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The series between the Vikings and Knights is tied, 1-1, heading into Monday's game. The Knights beat the Vikings 76-64 on Nov. 21, 2015, in head coach Lynn Kennedy's first year on the Park Blocks. The Vikings, meanwhile, beat the Knights 102-49 to open their 2018-19 season on Nov. 9, 2018. 
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings have posted three last-second victories in the past three weeks, 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 trailed by six or more in the fourth quarter of all three of their last-second victories. 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. The comeback against NAU on Feb. 14 was the biggest of the three, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run. The Vikings also made up an eight-point deficit with 4:20 remaining against Idaho last Saturday, ending regulation on an 11-3 run to force overtime. The Vandals out-scored the Vikings 13-2 in overtime, however.
• Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (10th, 13.2 ppg), rebounding (12th, 6.9 rpg) and assists (13th, 2.6 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in six other statistical categories, including three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.6), blocks per game (10th, 0.8) and steals per game (T-11th, 1.5).
• 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 between Claire Faucher (2006-10) and Kim Manifesto (1992-96). With 10 more three-pointers, Jimenez will stand alone as the only one of those three to also hit 200 three-pointers in her career.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 42.1 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranks 29th in the nation in the category, and ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.0 makes a game.
• Tatiana Streun led the Vikings in points (14) and rebounds (13) against Idaho last Saturday, posting her fourth double-double of the season and the 10th of her career. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds in the Vikings' game against Montana on Feb. 6, passing former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th-place all-time. Streun ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game this season, and also stands fourth in the conference with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game.
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 75th in the nation with 8.94 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who ranks fourth with 2.2 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen both rank tied for 11th with 1.5 steals per game each.
• With 516 career assists now, Kylie Jimenez stands fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (707), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (608) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (594). Jimenez also entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference during the Vikings' game against Idaho Saturday.
• Freshmen Nakia Boston and Morgan Baird both had strong weekends against Idaho last week. Boston averaged 12.0 points between both games while going a combined 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. Baird averaged 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 50.0 from the field. Fellow freshman Jenna Kilty has also been on a good run of late, as she's averaged 9.8 points and 1.4 three-pointers made per game while hitting 45.2 percent of her shots over the Vikings' last five games.
• 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 preceded all three of the Vikings' last-second victories over the last three 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. 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. The comeback against NAU on Feb. 14 was the biggest of the three, as the Vikings trailed by eight with 4:30 remaining before ending on a 12-2 run. The Vikings also made up an eight-point deficit with 4:20 remaining against Idaho last Saturday, ending regulation on an 11-3 run to force overtime. The Vandals out-scored the Vikings 13-2 in overtime, however. Three different players have accounted for the team's game-winning plays over the past three 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 late against the Lumerbjacks on Feb. 14, and hit another go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute left Saturday against Idaho.
 

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter this season. The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 75th in the nation with 8.94 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who stands fourth in the conference and 96th in the nation with 2.2 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen both rank tied for 11th with 1.5 steals per game each.
 

FRESHMEN COMING INTO THEIR OWN

The Viking freshmen have started to emerge for the team over the last few weekends. Nobody had a better weekend against Idaho than freshman Nakia Boston, who set a career high with 14 points Thursday and then followed it up with 10 points Saturday. Boston went a combined 8-of-12 from the field, too, while making 3-of-5 shots from three-point range. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also had a strong weekend against the Vandals, averaging 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while going a combined 6-of-12 from the field across both games. Meanwhile, Jenna Kilty, another freshman, has been playing well for the last few weekends, as she's averaged 9.8 points and 1.4 three-pointers made per game while hitting 45.2 percent of her shots over the Vikings' last five games. Kilty also had two critical three-pointers late in the Vikings' comeback against Northern Arizona, and hit a go-ahead three-pointer – following an offensive rebound from Baird – in the final minute of regulation against Idaho Saturday. Reilly Kelty also set a new career high with four blocks in the Vikings' win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11.
 

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun tied a career high with 13 rebounds in the Vikings' overtime loss to Idaho Saturday, and led the team with 14 points as well. That gave Streun her fourth double-double of the season, as well as the 10th of her career – the most of any current Viking. Streun now ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game, and stands fourth in offensive rebounds (2.8) and 13th in defensive rebounds per game (4.5). Streun, who came up with a crucial steal to set up Kylie Jimenez's game-winning layup at Montana on Feb. 4, also ranks tied for 11th with 1.5 steals per game. Streun entered the career top 10 at Portland State during the Vikings' weekend in Montana, surpassing former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. Streun, who also ranks in the career top 10 for field goal percentage at .509, now has 584 rebounds in her Portland State career, leaving her 28 away from catching the next player in front of her, Hiedi Hatcher (1997-2001) at 612.
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has started all 114 games of her Portland State career, and has played 39 minutes or more in nine of the team's 16 games this season. Jimenez leads the Big Sky while ranking fifth in the nation with 37.9 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 milestones earlier this month. 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 on Feb. 11. 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 10 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 fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (707), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (608) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (594). Additionally, Jimenez entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference with six assists against Idaho Saturday.
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer against Northern Arizona on Feb. 11 provided a standout moment in a season full of knockdown three-pointers for the sophomore guard. Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and 29th in the nation while hitting 42.1 percent of her three-point attempts this season, and ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.0 makes per game. The sophomore guard has six games this season with at least three triples, including a career-high six against Eastern Washington on Jan. 2 when she was making her first career start. 
 

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

Desirae Hansen created something out of nothing in delivering the game-winning play against Northern Arizona on Feb. 14. With the Vikings down one and their play breaking down, Hansen rose amid a crowd for a potential game-winning three-pointer. She 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 the Lumberjacks. Creating something out of nothing is what Hansen has done throughout her Viking career. Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (10th, 13.2 ppg), rebounding (12th, 6.9 rpg) and assists (13th, 2.6 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in six other statistical categories between defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 6.3), free throw percentage (9th, .790), three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.6), blocks per game (10th, 0.8), steals per game (T-11th, 1.5) and minutes played per game (6th, 32.5).
 

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 10 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 9 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 68 points to reach 1,000 in her career
• Hansen needs 85 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 156 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 216 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.