Battle-Tested Vikings Ready for Final Big Sky Home Weekend against Northern Colorado

TIPOFF
If the Portland State women's basketball team's 2020-21 season can be boiled down to one word, it'd be battle – fourth-quarter battles in which the Vikings have made up late deficits, to defensive battles.

Both have been true of the Vikings' games in recent weeks. The Vikings overcame three significant fourth-quarter deficits to win in the final moments earlier this month. The Vikings trailed by at least six points in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' last-second win over Montana on Feb. 4 and both wins over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11 and 14. The Vikings also made up an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against Idaho last Saturday, but fell in overtime.

A defensive battle, meanwhile, characterized the Vikings' win over Warner Pacific in a non-conference game Monday. The Vikings beat the Knights 66-30, with the 30 points marking the lowest output for a Viking opponent during the program's Big Sky-era (1996-Present). No Viking opponent had failed to score more than 30 points since the 1975-76 season. Additionally, the Vikings held the Knights to 18.8 percent (12-of-64) shooting from the field, the lowest mark for any Viking opponent since game-by-game records date back through the 2006-07 season.

The Vikings will likely be in for two more battles this weekend, as they host Northern Colorado for their last Big Sky series at home during the regular season.

The Bears represent one of the better defensive and rebounding teams in the Big Sky Conference, as they stand fourth in scoring defense (64.9), field goal percentage defense (.392) and rebounding margin (+2.8). Alisha Davis leads the conference with 9.9 rebounds per game individually, and the sophomore forward also tops the conference with 3.5 offensive rebounds per game.

Davis ranks third in the Big Sky with 15.2 points per game offensively, and also stands third in field goal percentage while hitting 48.9 percent of her shots from the field. Besides Davis, Jasmine Gayles also averages in double figures with 11.7 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds per game.

Gayles and Hannah Simental lead an efficient Bears attack from the outside, hitting 1.82 and 1.78 three-pointers made per game, respectively. The Bears lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage while hitting 37.7 percent of their shots from deep, with Simental best on the team at 49.2 percent. Gayles and Micayla Isenbart also both top 37.5 percent from the outside.

Portland State sophomore Jada Lewis will have some company along the perimeter, then, this weekend. The Viking guard ranks second in the Big Sky while hitting 42.9 percent of her shots from the outside, and also ranks fourth in the conference with 2.1 made triples per game.

Lewis found her stroke again Monday against Warner Pacific following a rough weekend against the Vandals. Lewis hit 4-of-8 from the outside against the Knights, only a couple of days after she went a combined 3-of-15 across both games against Idaho.

Freshman Nakia Boston played well across all three games last week, scoring in double figures each time. Boston is averaging 11.3 points while hitting 11-of-20 (.550) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from three-point range over the Vikings' last three games.

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun also posted a double-double Saturday against Idaho with team-highs for points (14) and rebounds (13). Streun followed with an efficient game against Warner Pacific Monday in which she finished with more points (12) than minutes played (11.5) while going 6-of-8 from the field.

More big games from Lewis, Boston and Streun should help the Vikings against the Bears this weekend, especially if they can add a breakout performance or two from the team's other regular contributors.

No matter what, though, it's going to be a battle. Something the Vikings are well-seasoned for.

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (9-9, 6-8 Big Sky) vs. NORTHERN COLORADO (9-11, 8-7 Big Sky)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME #1: Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
GAME #2: Saturday, Feb. 27, 12 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Northern Colorado Bears had last week off following a sweep of Sacramento State on Feb. 11 and 13. The Bears won five of six games in January during a stretch that included wins over two of the Big Sky's top three teams in Montana State (57-49 on Jan. 9) and Idaho (63-61 on Jan. 14). Overall, the Bears have split four of their seven Big Sky series, excluding the Southern Utah series where the Bears lost the opening game before the second game was canceled. Statistically, the Bears rank fourth in the Big Sky for scoring defense, allowing opponents 64.9 points per game. The Bears don't score a lot of points offensively, but they're one of the more efficient teams in the Big Sky as they rank fourth in field goal percentage (.411) and first in three-point field goal percentage (.377). The Bears also stand fourth in the conference in both field goal percentage defense (.392) and rebounding margin (+2.8). Individually, Alisha Davis leads the Big Sky with 9.9 rebounds per game, and also tops the conference in offensive rebounds (3.5 per game) while ranking third in both scoring (15.2 ppg) and field goal percentage (.489). Besides Davis, Jasmine Gayles also averages in double figures with 11.7 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds per game. Gayles and Hannah Simental lead the Bears from the outside, as they rank eighth and 10th in the Big Sky with 1.82 and 1.78 three-pointers made per game, respectively. Simental hits at a 49.2-percent clip from the outside, while Gayles and Micayla Isenbert both top 37.5 percent as well. Isenbart, a returning starter for the Bears, has 21 triples this season, while fellow 2019-20 starter Alexis Chapman has 18. Chapman was an All-Big Sky third-team selection last season, while Davis was an All-Big Sky honorable mention as well as a preseason All-Big Sky selection before this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 18-10. The Bears have owned the series of late, as they've won 13 of the last 15 meetings dating back to the 2011-12 season. The Vikings' last win came two years ago with an 85-66 win over the Bears on Feb. 10, 2019.

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

The Vikings held Warner Pacific to 30 points in a 66-30 win Monday night, the fewest points the Vikings have allowed during the program's Big Sky era. The Vikings hadn't held an opponent to 30 points or less since holding the University of Oregon to 28 points during the 1975-76 season.
The Vikings posted three last-second victories in a four-game stretch earlier this month, and trailed by six or more in the fourth quarter of all three 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.
Freshman Nakia Boston has scored in double figures in three straight games, during which time she's averaging 11.3 points per game while shooting 11-of-20 (.550) from the field and 4-of-7 (.571) from three-point range.
Tatiana Streun finished with more points (12) than minutes played (11.5) Monday against Warner Pacific. That performance followed a double-double Saturday against Idaho, in which Streun led the Vikings in points (14) and rebounds (13). Streun leads all current Vikings with 10 career double-doubles, and also ranks in the career top 10s for rebounds and field goals percentage. This season, Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game, and stands third with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (11th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (12th, 6.8 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 (14th, 1.6), blocks per game (11th, 0.8) and steals per game (13th, 1.4).
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 42.9 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranks 24th in the nation in the category, and stands fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes a game.
The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 57th in the nation with 9.28 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who ranks second with 2.2 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun ranks 10th with 1.5 steals per game, while Desirae Hansen stands 13th with 1.4.
With 517 career assists now, Kylie Jimenez stands fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (714), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (608) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (596). Jimenez also entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference during the Vikings' game against Idaho last Saturday, and needs only eight more assists to move up to ninth all-time within the Big Sky.
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 earlier this month. The Vikings trailed by at least six points in the fourth quarter of all three victories, and were even trailed by that much 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 this month. 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 Lumberjacks 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 57th in the nation with 9.28 steals per game. Individually, three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez, who stands second in the conference and 89th in the nation with 2.2 steals per game. Besides Jimenez, Tatiana Streun ranks 10th with 1.5 steals per game, while Desirae Hansen stands 13th with 1.4.

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 against the Vandals, while making 3-of-5 shots from three-point range. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also had a strong weekend, 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 conference 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, and finished with career highs for rebounds (7) and steals (3) Monday against Warner Pacific.

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!
Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun finished with more points (12) than minutes played (11.5) Monday against Warner Pacific. That performance followed a double-double Saturday against Idaho, in which Streun led the Vikings in points (14) and rebounds (13). Streun leads all current Vikings with 10 career double-doubles, and also ranks in the career top 10s for rebounds and field goals percentage. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds during the Vikings' weekend in Montana, surpassing former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. After grabbing eight rebounds Monday, Streun now needs only 20 more boards to catch the next player in front of her, Hiedi Hatcher (1997-2001) at 612. This season, Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.3 rebounds per game, and stands third with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. Additionally, Streun, who came up with a crucial steal to set up Kylie Jimenez's game-winning layup at Montana on Feb. 4, also ranks 10th with 1.5 steals per game.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Kylie Jimenez has started all 115 games of her Portland State career, and has played 39 minutes or more in nine of the team's 18 games this season. Jimenez had been leading the Big Sky in minutes played all season, but dropped to second in the conference and 45th in the nation after played less than 10 minutes in Monday's blowout of Warner Pacific. 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 (714), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (608) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (596). Jimenez also entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference during the Vikings' game against Idaho last Saturday, and needs only eight more assists to move up to ninth all-time within the Big Sky.

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 24th in the nation while hitting 42.9 percent of her three-point attempts this season, and ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes per game. The sophomore guard has seven 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 (11th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (12th, 6.8 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, 6.2), free throw percentage (9th, .790), three-pointers made per game (14th, 1.6), blocks per game (11th, 0.8), steals per game (13th, 1.4) and minutes played per game (11th, 31.6).

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 8 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
Hansen needs 68 points to reach 1,000 in her career
Hansen needs 81 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
Hansen needs 153 assists to reach 400 in her career
Streun needs 204 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. 22, Portland State 66, Warner Pacific 30: The Vikings set a Big Sky-era program record by allowing only 30 points to Warner Pacific, the fewest points by a Viking opponent since the 1975-76 season. The Vikings also held the Knights to 18.8 percent (12-of-64) shooting, the lowest mark for a Viking opponent since game-by-game records date back through the 2006-07 season.
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.

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