TIPOFF

As far as a lead-in to a conference tournament, the Portland State women's basketball team couldn't have asked for a better one than it got Friday, overcoming an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 60-57 win over Southern Utah.
 
The Vikings trailed 54-43 with 5:36 remaining, and still trailed by 10 points with 2:54 left in the game. The game flipped from there, however, as the Vikings scored 14 of the final 15 points of the game, and out-scored the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the final minute.
 
Never before had the Vikings overcome as much as an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, making Friday's win the largest comeback in program history.
 
The comeback should give the Vikings plenty of confidence that they can pull off a similar feat should they need to at next week's Big Sky tournament. The Vikings now have five comeback wins this season in which they've trailed by at least six points in the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter went against the Vikings in their two games against Eastern Washington – the team's opponent in Monday's first-round game – earlier this season. The Vikings out-scored the Eagles by a combined 27 points in the third quarter of both games, but the Eagles pulled away in the fourth each time, beating the Vikings 73-71 on Dec. 31 and 73-67 on Jan. 2.
 
The Vikings are a different team since that weekend, however. The Vikings had only played two games before their first game against the Eagles, while the Eagles had already played seven games by that point.
 
One player who emerged for the Vikings in that previous series against the Eagles was sophomore guard Jada Lewis. Lewis made her first career start in the Vikings' game against the Eagles on Jan. 2, and responded with a career-high 20 points while going 6-of-8 from three-point range.
 
Lewis hit her second last-second or game-winning three-pointer in Friday's comeback win, knocking down the go-ahead triple with less than 10 seconds remaining that gave the Vikings their first lead of the fourth quarter. Lewis also hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in the Vikings' 75-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. 
 
The true Eagle-killer for the Vikings the past few seasons has been Desirae Hansen, however. Hansen hit the game-winning shot against the Eagles in the 2019 Big Sky championship game, and followed with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting while going 5-of-6 from three-point range in the team's first-round win over the Eagles last season.
 
The Vikings won both of those games, thanks to Hansen, and also beat the Eagles at the quarterfinal stage of the 2018 Big Sky tournament. Monday's first-round game will then mark the fourth straight season in which the Vikings and Eagles have faced each other at the Big Sky tournament, with the Vikings 3-0 in the previous three meetings.
 
The Eagles will hope Monday's first-round game follows the script from earlier this season rather than their previous meetings at the Big Sky tournament. Freshman Maisie Burnham led the Eagles in scoring in both of their earlier games against the Vikings, scoring 16 points in the win on Dec. 31, and 21 points on Jan. 2. Burnham leads the Eagles with 14.3 points per game in all games this season, an average that ranks her seventh in the Big Sky this season.
 
Kennedy Dickie averages 11.3 points per game, and ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.8 three-pointers made per game. Jenna Dick ranks eighth in the conference with 1.9 three-pointers while averaging 8.4 points per game. Aaliyah Alexander and Grace Kirscher also average in double figures with 10.7 and 10.0 points per game, respectively.
 
The Eagles have had a tougher lead-in to the tournament than the Vikings, as they've lost their last seven straight and 10 of their last 11. Four of the Eagles' five Big Sky wins this season came over back-to-back weekends as the Eagles followed up their sweep of the Vikings with a sweep of 10th-place Weber State. The Eagles' other Big Sky win came three weekends later, when they split a series at last-place Sacramento State.
 
The winner of Monday's first-round game will have a tight turnaround, as they face Idaho State in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament less than 24 hours later. Both teams will first have to focus on Monday, however, as the teams tip off at 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT.
 

GAME NOTES: #8 PORTLAND STATE (11-12, 7-11 Big Sky) vs. #9 EASTERN WASHINGTON (6-16, 5-12 Big Sky)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME INFO: Monday, March 8, 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT, Boise, Idaho (Idaho Central Arena)
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles head into the Big Sky tournament having lost their last seven games and 10 of their last 11. The Eagles beat the Vikings twice during the regular season, however, as the teams played a pair of close games at Viking Pavilion. Eastern Washington topped the Vikings 73-71 on Dec. 31, and beat the Vikings 73-67 on Jan. 2. The Vikings outscored the Eagles by a combined 27 points in the third quarter of both games, but the Eagles pulled away from the Vikings in the fourth quarter of both games. The Vikings had only played two games before their first game against the Eagles, however, while the Eagles had already played seven games. The Eagles went on to sweep Weber State the weekend after they faced the Vikings. The team's only other Big Sky win came three weekends after that, as they split their series at Sacramento State. Overall, the Eagles rank in the middle of the conference in field goal percentage, coming in sixth at .399. The Eagles also rank fifth in both three-point field goal percentage (.326) and three-pointers made per game (7.0). The Eagles shoot the ball well from the line, as well, ranking third in the conference at .767. That was a big part of their second win over the Vikings when they went 31-of-40 (.775) from the charity stripe. Individually, Maisie Burnham leads the Eagles while ranking seventh in the Big Sky with 14.3 points per game. Burnham led the Eagles in scoring in both of their previous games against the Vikings, scoring 16 points on Dec. 31 and 21 points on Jan. 2. Kennedy Dickie averages 11.3 points per game, and ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.8 three-pointers made per game. Jenna Dick ranks eighth in the conference with 1.9 three-pointers while averaging 8.4 points per game. Aaliyah Alexander and Grace Kirscher also average in double figures with 10.7 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. 
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 40-34. The Eagles won both meetings earlier this season at Viking Pavilion, though the Vikings had won six of their previous seven meetings before that. The Vikings have won four of the teams' five meetings in the Big Sky tournament, including all three of their meetings over the previous three years.
 

A WIN WOULD…

• Advance the Vikings to the Big Sky quarterfinals for the fifth straight season.
• Give the Vikings a win over the Eagles at the Big Sky tournament for the fourth straight season.
• Set up a quarterfinal matchup against Big Sky regular-season champion Idaho State that would tip off at 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT Tuesday.

 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings posted their largest fourth-quarter comeback in program history Friday, overcoming an 11-point deficit with 5:36 remaining while beating Southern Utah 60-57. It was the fifth time this season that the Vikings have come back to win after trailing by at least six points in the fourth quarter. The other comebacks came against Montana State on Jan. 16, Montana on Feb. 4, and Northern Arizona on both Feb. 11 and 14.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis hit the go-ahead three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the Vikings' comeback win over Southern Utah Friday. Lewis also hit the game-winning three-pointer in the Vikings' 75-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11, giving her two last-second game-winning or go-ahead shots this season.
• Kylie Jimenez moved up to ninth all-time in steals within Big Sky history with two Friday, passing Montana's Sherri Brooks (1992-96). Jimenez passed current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford for 10th all-time during the Vikings' game against Warner Pacific on Feb. 28. Jimenez also ranks ninth all-time in Big Sky history for assists, having moved into the career top 10 during the Vikings' game against Idaho on Feb. 20. 
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 9.57 steals per game as a team. Four different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez who ranks second in the conference with 2.4 steals per game. Nakia Boston, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen all average 1.4 steals per game, themselves, with Boston tied for 13th in the conference, and Streun and Hansen tied for 15th.
• Junior Desirae Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (13th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (13th, 6.0 rpg) and assists (9th, 2.9 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in seven other statistical categories, including three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.7), blocks per game (8th, 1.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 1.4).
• Tatiana Streun led the Vikings with 19 points in their comeback win Friday, and has averaged 14.3 points per game in the Vikings' last three Big Sky games. Streun ranks 11th in the Big Sky with 6.5 rebounds per game, and also stands fifth with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds at Portland State earlier this season, and will pass Hiedi Hatcher (1997-01) for ninth all-time with four more rebounds.
• 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 five more three-pointers, Jimenez will stand alone as the only one of those three to also hit 200 three-pointers in her career.
• With 536 career assists now, Kylie Jimenez stands fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (726), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (613) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (611).
• Sophomore Jada Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 41.2 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranks 37th in the nation in the category, and stands fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes per game.
• Freshmen Nakia Boston and Jenna Kilty have combined for 13 double-digit scoring games, between seven for Boston and six for Kilty.
• 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

Friday's comeback win at Southern Utah proved no lead is safe against the Vikings this season. Down by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings closed Friday's game on a 14-1 run to beat the Thunderbirds 60-57. The Vikings trailed by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining, and out-scored the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the final minute. The Vikings had never before come back from as many as 11 points down in the fourth quarter, making Friday's comeback the largest in program history. The comeback didn't come from nowhere, though, as the Vikings now have five comebacks, after Friday, in which they've erased at least a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit. The first fourth-quarter comeback came against defending champion Montana State on Jan. 16, when the Vikings trailed by six with 7:37 remaining. The Vikings then came back to beat Montana on Feb. 4 despite trailing by seven with 8:28 left. Poor Northern Arizona saw the Vikings post back-to-back comebacks from sizeable fourth-quarter deficits as the Vikings swept the Lumberjacks on Feb. 11 and 14. The Vikings came back after trailing by six with 4:35 left on the 11th, and then overcame an eight-point deficit with 4:30 left on the 14th. 
 

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter this season. The Vikings have forced their last six opponents into an average of 20.5 turnovers per game, while the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 9.57 steals per game. Four different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez who ranks second in the conference with 2.4 steals per game. Nakia Boston, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen all average 1.4 steals per game, with Boston tied for 13th in the conference, and Streun and Hansen tied for 15th.
 

GET READY FOR BOISE DES

As we enter March, one sight should strike fear into every Big Sky Conference head coach, and that's Desirae Hansen in Boise, Idaho. Boise Des will re-emerge at the Big Sky tournament, starting March 8. Eastern Washington should fear Boise Des more than anyone, as she hit the game-winning shot against the Eagles in the 2019 Big Sky championship game. Des followed that up with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting overall and 5-of-6 from three-point range in the team's first-round win over the Eagles last season. Hansen has been rounding into her Boise form over the past few weekends, scoring in double figures in the Vikings' past five Big Sky games after failing to do so in the previous four. Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (13th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (11th, 6.5 rpg) and assists (9th, 2.9 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in seven other statistical categories between defensive rebounds per game (5th, 6.0), free throw percentage (11th, .806), three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 1.4), blocks per game (8th, 1.0), steals per game (T-15th, 1.4) and minutes played per game (13th, 31.1).
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis' go-ahead three-pointer in the final 10 seconds of Friday's comeback win over Southern Utah gave her the second last-second game-winning or go-ahead three-pointer this season. In addition to Friday's crucial three, Lewis also hit the game-winning triple in the Vikings' 75-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. Those two game-winning plays have provided the high points of a season full of knockdown three-pointers for the sophomore guard. Lewis ranks second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 41.2 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranks 37th in the nation in the category, and stands fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes per game. The sophomore guard has 10 games this season with at least three triples, including a career-high six against Eastern Washington on Jan. 2 when she made her first career start. 
 

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun led the Vikings with 19 points in their comeback win over Southern Utah Friday. Streun also recorded her fifth double-double of the season on Feb. 27 with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Northern Colorado. Streun leads all current Vikings with 11 career double-doubles, and ranks in the career top 10 at Portland State for rebounds and field goal percentage. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds during the Vikings' weekend at Montana, surpassing former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. Streun needs only four more rebounds to pass Hiedi Hatcher (1997-2001) for ninth all-time with 613 career rebounds. This season, Streun ranks 11th in the Big Sky with 6.5 rebounds per game, and stands fourth with 2.4 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 tied for 15th in the Big Sky with 1.4 steals per game. 
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has started all 120 games of her Portland State career, and will tie the career record for games started if the Vikings advance to the Big Sky quarterfinals this week in Boise. Jimenez will match the record Kelsey Kahle (2005-09) set at 122 games started if the Vikings make it to the quarterfinals and Jimenez starts both games. 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 season. 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 five 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 (726), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (613) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (611). Jimenez has also entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference for assists and steals this season. Jimenez entered the top 10 for assists during the Vikings' game against Idaho on Feb. 20, and now ranks ninth all-time. Jimenez entered the career top 10 for steals against Warner Pacific on Feb. 28, passing current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford. Jimenez moved up to ninth all-time with two steals Friday against Southern Utah.
 

FRESHMEN SENSATIONS

Freshman Nakia Boston scored 11 points in Friday's comeback win over Southern Utah, giving her the seventh double-digit scoring game of her first collegiate season. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also had one of her strongest games all season against the Thunderbirds, finishing with season and career highs for rebounds (14), blocks (3) and minutes played (35). Freshman Jenna Kilty was forced to sit the Vikings' series at Southern Utah, but still leads all Viking freshmen with 6.3 points per game and 18 starts this season. 
 

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 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 2 starts to tie the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 6 points to reach 1,000 in her career
• Hansen needs 64 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 133 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 150 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

March 5, Portland State 60, Southern Utah 57: The Vikings set a program record for largest fourth-quarter comeback, overcoming an 11-point deficit with 5:36 remaining. The Vikings closed the game on a 14-1 run, and out-scored the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the final minute. 
Feb. 28, Portland State 83, Warner Pacific 41: Labrea Denson and Ruchae Walton started for the first time in their careers while playing in their last home games. Kylie Jimenez also entered the career top 10 for steals within the Big Sky Conference during the game, passing current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford.
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.