TIPOFF

The Portland State women's basketball team heads home after a road split at Montana as the Vikings get ready to host one of the preseason conference favorites in Northern Arizona at Viking Pavilion this weekend. 
 
The Vikings earned just their fifth win ever in Missoula Thursday, coming back after trailing for more than 36 minutes to beat the Lady Griz, 61-60, on Kylie Jimenez's game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds remaining. Desirae Hansen scored 18 of her game-high 22 points in the second half of that game, while her three-pointer with 2:23 remaining gave the Vikings their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, and came up with a steal with the Vikings trailing 60-59 with 20 seconds remaining that set up Jimenez's game-winner.
 
The win over the Lady Griz marked another quality win for the Vikings, who are also one of only two teams to beat defending-champion Montana State so far this season. The Vikings erased another fourth-quarter deficit in their win over the Bobcats, coming back from six down in the final period to beat the Bobcats 72-70 on Jan. 16.
 
A win or two over Northern Arizona this weekend would add to that list, as the Lumberjacks were picked third in both Big Sky preseason polls after placing tied for fourth last season.
 
The Lumberjacks had a tough spell in January, losing seven of eight games at one point, but have bounced back with three wins in a row heading into this weekend. Khiarica Rasheed returned to form in last weekend's sweep of Sacramento State, as she posted double-doubles in both games, including a 20-point, 12-rebound performance Saturday in a game in which she hit the game-winning layup as time expired. Rasheed, who was named Big Sky Player of the Week Monday, hadn't played more than 26 minutes in any game this season until last weekend, and missed two of the Lumberjacks' losses in January.
 
Rasheed, who went to Grant High School in Portland, was named the Big Sky preseason MVP before the season after averaging 16.5 points per game last season. Rasheed hasn't dominated the scoring for NAU this year, however, as she's one of six different Lumberjacks to average over 10 points a game. Jacqulynn Nakai leads NAU with 14.9 points per game, while Emily Rodabaugh (11.7 ppg), Rasheed (11.4 ppg), Miki'ala Maio (11.3 ppg), Regan Schenck (10.6 ppg) and Jacey Bailey (10.5 ppg) join her in double figures.
 
The Lumberjacks' depth means they rank fourth in the Big Sky with 71.6 points per game as a team, and rank second in the conference with a team field goal percentage of .431. The Lumberjacks also rank third in the Big Sky for three-point field goal percentage (.340) and fourth in three-point makes per game (7.2).
 
The Vikings also average over seven three-pointers made per game, and hit 8-of-20 (.400) in their game against Montana last Saturday. That was the first time the Vikings had hit 40 percent of their shots from the outside since their win over the Bobcats on Jan. 16. Desirae Hansen went 6-of-15 (.400) from deep across both games last weekend, and has joined sophomore Jada Lewis in the top 100 of the NCAA for three-point field goal percentage. Lewis and Hansen rank 24th and 100th in the nation, respectively, while making 44.4 and 36.6 percent of their shots from the outside this season. Both Lewis and Hansen also rank tied for fourth in the Big Sky with 2.0 makes per game.
 
Freshman Jenna Kilty hit two three-pointers Saturday against the Lady Griz, and led the Vikings with 12 points in the game. Fellow freshman Nakia Boston also had a strong game against the Lady Griz Saturday, recording a career-high five assists to go with nine points. Those performances have been part of several strong ones in a row for the five Viking freshmen, who have started to emerge for the Vikings over the past few weekends.
 
The Vikings could use quality games from both their three-point shooting and freshmen contributors this weekend when they host the Lumberjacks. Thursday's game between the Vikings and Lumberjacks tips off at 7 p.m. (PT), while Saturday's game tips off at 12 p.m. (PT).
 

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER: VIKS VERSUS CANCER

Pledge today to help Portland State Men's and Women's Basketball beat breast cancer! Pledge for every three-pointer made by Portland State Men's and Women's Basketball during the first two weeks of February. February is National Cancer Prevention month. Let's raise some funds to help educate the community on prevention and early detection. Don't forget to schedule your cancer and breast screens on time. Now more than ever, we can save lives together!

Concerned about how many three-pointers the Viks will make? Don't fret. Be sure and place a cap on your pledge amount to ensure your pocketbook is not surprised by the amazing athletes at Portland State University. To learn more and donate, visit pledgeit.org/cvc21-portland-state.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (6-7, 4-6 Big Sky) vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA (9-9, 7-7 Big Sky)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME #1: Thursday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
GAME #2: Saturday, Feb. 13, 12 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA: The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have won three games in a row following a cold spell in which they lost seven of eight to start the month of January. The Lumberjacks are the most seasoned team in the Big Sky with 18 games overall and 14 conference games under their belts this season. Khiarica Rasheed, the preseason Big Sky MVP, was limited during the Lumberjacks' cold spell, as she missed two games and hadn't played 30 minutes in any game this season until last weekend. Rasheed posted two double-doubles last weekend, including a 20-point, 12-rebound performance Saturday against Sacramento State in a game in which she hit the game-winning layup as time expired. Rasheed, who was named Big Sky Player of the Week Monday after her performances last weekend, is one of six different players to average over 10 points a game this season for the Lumberjacks. Jacqulynn Nakai leads NAU with 14.9 points per game, while Emily Rodabaugh (11.7 ppg), Rasheed (11.4 ppg), Miki'ala Maio (11.3 ppg), Regan Schenck (10.6 ppg) and Jacey Bailey (10.5 ppg) join her in double figures. The Lumberjacks' depth means they rank fourth in the Big Sky with 71.6 points per game as a team, and rank second in the conference with a team field goal percentage of .431. The Lumberjacks also rank third in the Big Sky for three-point field goal percentage (.340) and fourth in three-point makes per game (7.2). Schenk leads the Big Sky with 4.8 assists per game, and also ranks in the top 10 for rebounds as she leads the Lumberjacks while standing ninth in the conference with 7.2 rebounds a game. The Lumberjacks were picked to finish third in both the Big Sky coaches and media polls before the season, behind only Idaho State and Idaho.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Lumberjacks, 28-23. The Vikings have won 10 games in a row against NAU. Portland State head coach Lynn Kennedy has never lost to the Lumberjacks as the Vikings' head coach. 
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in both scoring (6th, 14.8 points per game) and rebounding (10th, 7.1 rebounds per game). Hansen also ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in six other statistical categories, including three-pointers made per game (T-4th, 2.0), blocks per game (9th, 0.8) and steals per game (8th, 1.7).
• Senior Kylie Jimenez reached the 250-steal milestone Saturday against Montana, making her just the fourth player in program history to reach that benchmark. Jimenez also needs only five more assists to hit 500 in her career, at which point she will join PSU Hall of Famers Kim Manifesto and Claire Faucher as the only three players to have 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in their Portland State careers. If Jimenez hits 17 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.
• Tatiana Streun entered the career top 10 at Portland State with nine rebounds against Montana Saturday. Streun surpassed former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th-place all-time with 557 rebounds now in her career. Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.5 rebounds per game this season, and also stands second in the conference with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky and 24th in the nation while hitting 44.4 percent of her three-point field goals this season. Lewis also ranks tied for fourth in the conference with 2.0 makes per game. Desirae Hansen moved into a tie with Lewis for makes after last weekend, and ranks fourth in the conference and 100th in the nation for percentage (.366).
• As a team, the Vikings rank fifth in the Big Sky in both three-pointers made per game (7.0) and three-point field goal percentage (.327). The Vikings also rank in the top 100 of the NCAA in both categories, coming in 87th in makes and 99th in percentage.
• The Vikings rank 68th in the NCAA for free throw percentage (.736) while Kylie Jimenez and Desirae Hansen rank seventh and 11th, respectively, in the Big Sky with free throw percentages of .829 and .800. 
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 71st in the nation with 9.15 steals per game. Individually, Kylie Jimenez ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 steals per game, while Desirae Hansen ranks eighth in the conference with 1.7 thefts a game.
• With 495 career assists, Kylie Jimenez ranks tied for fifth among active players in the NCAA, behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (702), Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (590), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (564) and Tiana England of Florida State (510). Jimenez also needs only 30 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.

 

LONG-RANGE BOMBERS

Sophomore Jada Lewis and junior Desirae Hansen rank in the top 100 together for three-point field goal percentage while both players sit tied for fourth in the Big Sky with 2.0 makes per game. Lewis ranks 24th in the nation for percentage while hitting 44.4 percent of her shots from three-point range. Hansen, meanwhile, entered the top 100 at 36.6 percent after going 6-of-15 (.400) from deep last weekend. As a team, the Vikings rank fifth in the Big Sky for both three-point field goal percentage (.327) and makes per game (7.0). 
 

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter this season. The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 71st in the nation with 9.15 steals per game. Senior Kylie Jimenez leads the way while ranking fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 steals per game. Junior Desirae Hansen and fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun also rank eighth and 13th in the conference, respectively, with 1.7 and 1.5 steals per game.
 

FRESHMEN COMING INTO THEIR OWN

The Viking freshmen have started to emerge for the team over the last few weekends. Nakia Boston set a new career high with five assists Saturday against Montana, and has scored nine points or more in four of the Vikings' last six games. Jenna Kilty led the Vikings with 12 points against the Lady Griz Saturday, and has four double-digit scoring games this season. Morgan Baird had a tough weekend at Montana, but averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds a game while shooting .556 from the field over the previous three games. Reilly Kelty played a season-high 21 minutes in the Vikings' win over Montana last Thursday, recording a season-high five rebounds to go with one block and one steal. Additionally, the trio of Kilty, Boston and Baird led the Vikings to a first-half lead against league-leading Idaho State on Jan. 21. Kilty, Boston and Baird combined for 22 of the Vikings' 31 first-half points, and all three finished in double figures.
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has now started all 110 games of her Portland State career, and has played 39 minutes or more in seven of the team's 13 games this season. Jimenez leads the Big Sky while ranking eighth in the nation with 37.8 minutes played per game this season. Jimenez's durability helped her surpass 1,000 career points against Weber State on Feb. 29 last season, and the senior guard hit another milestone Saturday against Montana when she recorded her 250th career steal. Jimenez also needs only five more assists to reach 500 in her career, at which point she will join PSU Hall of Famers Kim Manifesto and Claire Faucher as the only three players to have 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in their PSU careers. If Jimenez hits 17 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 tied for fifth among active players in the NCAA, behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (702), Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (590), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (564) and Tiana England of Florida State (510). Jimenez also needs only 30 more assists to enter the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference.
 

HOT-HAND HANSEN

Desirae Hansen has scored in double figures in 23 of her last 25 games for the Vikings, and has three 20-point games in Big Sky play this season. Hansen scored 18 of her game-high 22 points in the second half of the Vikings' win over Montana Thursday, when the Vikings won in Missoula for just the fifth time in program history. Hansen ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 14.8 points per game overall this season, and ranks in the top 10 of the conference for rebounding, too, coming in 10th with 7.1 boards a game. Hansen also ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in six other statistical categories, between defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 6.4), three-point field goal percentage (4th, .366), three-pointers made per game (T-4th, 2.0), blocks per game (9th, 0.8), steals per game (8th, 1.7) and minutes played per game (7th, 32.9).
 

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun has scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' past four games, including season highs for points (23) and rebounds (12) in the team's game at Idaho State on Jan. 23. Streun finished a rebound away from a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds while tying her career high with five steals. Streun has three double-doubles this season, and is now averaging 12.75 points and 9.0 rebounds per game over the Vikings' past four games. Streun ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.5 rebounds per game overall this season, and also stands second in the conference with 3.1 offensive rebounds a game. Streun entered the career top 10 at Portland State with nine rebounds Saturday, surpassing her former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. Streun now has 557 rebounds in her Portland State career, leaving her 56 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 5 assists to reach 500 in her career
• Jimenez needs 17 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 13 starts to break the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 101 points to reach 1,000 in her career
• Hansen needs 111 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 168 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 251 points to reach 1,000 in her career

Jimenez would become only the third player in Portland State history with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career if she reaches all three milestones, joining PSU hall-of-famers Claire Faucher and Kim Manifesto. 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. 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.