TIPOFF

The Portland State women's basketball team got a welcomed reprieve from a grueling road trip when Monday's game at Idaho was postponed to Feb. 14. That allowed the Vikings to sleep in their own beds for the first time in eight days Sunday night, after playing their previous three games on the road. But the reprieve was short-lived as the Vikings kick off another busy stretch with their fourth straight road game this Thursday against Southern Utah.
 
It'll have been five days between games for the Vikings by the time Thursday rolls around, which sounds short, but is actually a luxury the Vikings haven't had since re-starting their season on Jan. 15 following a 27-day hiatus. The five-day off period will be the Vikings' longest break between games at any point from Jan. 15 to Feb. 17, barring further postponements or cancellations.
 
Thursday's game against the Thunderbirds, which tips off at 5:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. MT, kicks off a 10-game stretch that will span 22 days from Jan. 27 to Feb. 17. Two of the first three games in that stretch will come against the Thunderbirds, as the Vikings turn back after Thursday to host Southern Utah Monday, Jan. 31. That game follows a game against Northern Arizona, which comes to Viking Pavilion Saturday.
 
The Thunderbirds will test the improvements the Vikings made on the boards last Saturday against Montana State. The Vikings matched the Bobcats, 41-41, on the glass, marking the first time the Vikings had been level or better with a Division I opponent since they out-rebounded Prairie View A&M, 41-39, on Nov. 20.
 
The Thunderbirds lead the Big Sky in rebounding margin (+8.75) and offensive rebounds per game (13.9), and also rank second in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (42.25). Three different Thunderbirds rank in the top 20 of the conference individually, as Lizzy Williamson, Darri Dotson and Cherita Daughtery rank third, ninth and 17th, respectively, with 8.67, 6.93 and 6.06 rebounds per game.
 
So, a strong rebounding game will be a must for the Vikings, especially since the Thunderbirds also represent the top-scoring team in the Big Sky with 74.4 points per game. The Thunderbird offense has been remarkably balanced this season, as five different players average in double figures, while a sixth – Madelyn Eaton at 9.6 points per game – stands just below double figures. Daugherty leads the Thunderbirds with 11.2 points per game, while Williamson (10.9), Kinsley Barrington (10.6), Dotson (10.3) and Daylani Ballena (10.3) follow her.
 
The Vikings have three players in double figures in Esmeralda Morales (12.8), Savannah Dhaliwal (10.7) and Jada Lewis (10.4), while Alaya Fitzgerald stands just below the benchmark at 9.9 points per game.
 
Lewis will be coming off her best game in Big Sky play when the Vikings face the Thunderbirds. She went 5-of-7 from three-point range and 6-of-9 overall against Montana State last Saturday, the fourth game this season in which she's hit at least five three-pointers. Lewis leads the Big Sky with 2.36 made three-pointers a game after last Saturday, and also ranks fourth in the conference in terms of percentage at .398.
 
The Vikings made eight three-pointers as a team last Saturday, marking their most triples in a game since they went 12-of-19 from three-point range against Pepperdine on Dec. 10. The magic number for the Vikings has been nine makes from beyond the arc, as they are 4-0 this season when they hit that many outside shots. However, the Vikings have only topped nine three-pointers once since their first three games of the season.
 
Outside shooting could help the Vikings keep pace with the Thunderbirds' high-scoring offense, then, as long as they also take care of business on the glass.
 
And considering the Vikings got a break with Monday's postponement, they should have the legs to give it their best effort. 
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (5-9, 0-6) vs. SOUTHERN UTAH (10-6, 6-1)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 27, 5:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. MT, Cedar City, Utah (America First Event Center)
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH: The Southern Utah Thunderbirds bounced back from their first conference loss of the season with an 85-75 overtime win over Weber State Monday. That game followed an 80-60 road loss at Idaho State, which ended the Thunderbirds' run as the last unbeaten team in Big Sky play. The Thunderbirds also won a 67-63 overtime game on the road against Northern Colorado on Jan. 18. The Thunderbirds have the top scoring offense in the Big Sky this season, as they lead the conference with 74.4 points per game. Those 74.4 points per game have come from a remarkably balanced attack, as no Thunderbird ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky individually. Cherita Daugherty leads the Thunderbirds with 11.2 points per game, but four other players average at least 10.0 points per game in Lizzy Williamson (10.9), Kinsley Barrington (10.6), Darri Dotson (10.3) and Daylani Ballena (10.3). Madelyn Eaton also averages just below double figures with 9.6 points per game. Williamson ranks second in the Big Sky with a .535 field goal percentage, while the Thunderbirds rank second in the conference as a team at .430. Besides the efficiency of their offense, the Thunderbirds also rank as the Big Sky's top rebounding team. The Thunderbirds lead the conference in rebounding margin (+8.75) and offensive rebounds per game (13.9), and rank second in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (42.25). Williamson leads the Thunderbirds while ranking third in the conference with 8.67 rebounds per game. Dotson also ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 6.93 rebounds per game, while Daugherty ranks 17th with 6.06 boards a game. Williamson and Dotson rank tied for fifth in the Big Sky with 1.20 blocks per game each, while the Thunderbirds rank second as a team with 4.38 blocks per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Thunderbirds, 16-11. The teams have split their last 10 games, however, and also split their two games in Cedar City last season. The Vikings won the second of their two games against the Thunderbirds, 60-57, erasing a 10-point deficit with 2:54 remaining. Jada Lewis hit the go-ahead three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining in that game. 
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings went 27 days without a game. They made their return against Sacramento State on Jan. 15, which kicked off a stretch of what will be 10 games in a span of 24 days from Jan. 15 to Feb. 7. The Vikings got a reprieve from the hectic schedule Monday, when their game against Idaho was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Idaho program.
• Esmeralda Morales (12.8 ppg), Savannah Dhaliwal (10.7) and Jada Lewis (10.4) all average in double figures, while Alaya Fitzgerald is just below double figures at 9.9 points per game. Morales' 12.8 points per game rank her ninth in the Big Sky, though she was held scoreless in the Vikings' game at Montana State Saturday.
• Thursday's game will be the final game in a four-game road trip that will span 11 days from Jan. 17-27. The Vikings played Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State on the road last week. Thursday would have been the Vikings' fifth straight road game if the Vikings had played their game at Idaho Monday. 
• The Vikings hit a season-high 20 free throws in last Saturday's game at Montana State, going 20-of-25 (.800) from the line. The Vikings rank fifth in the nation with a .798 team free throw percentage. Esmeralda Morales has gone 40-of-43 (.930) from the free-throw line individually, good for second in the Big Sky and fifth in the nation. 
• Montana went 12-of-29 on 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range last Thursday, with both the makes and percentage marking season-highs for a Viking opponent. The Vikings came into the game ranked fifth in the Big Sky in three-point field goal defense, but have fallen to 27th entering Monday's game. The Vikings still lead the Big Sky in the category, as opponents are shooting just 25.9 percent against the Vikings from three-point range.
• The Vikings made eight three-pointers last Saturday against the Bobcats – five of which came from Jada Lewis – giving the Vikings their most makes since they hit 12 against Pepperdine on Dec. 10. Lewis leads the conference with 2.36 three-pointers made per game and stands fourth in terms of percentage (.398).
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 8.93 steals per game, though they only had eight steals combined in their games against Montana and Montana State. Three different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals per game. Mia 'Uhila and Esmeralda Morales rank third and fourth, respectively, with 2.08 and 1.93 steals per game individually. Jada Lewis also ranks tied for 11th in the league with 1.43 steals per game.
• Savannah Dhaliwal has scored in double figures in all but three games this season, and was within a basket of double figures in two of the other three games. Dhaliwal averages 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 46.5 percent overall (59-of-127) and 40.0 percent from three-point range (12-of-30). Dhaliwal's production has provided a feel-good storyline for the Vikings this season after she missed the last two seasons due to back-to-back ACL tears. Dhaliwal played in her first counting game in 985 days when she started the team's season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9.
• The Vikings started three freshmen in Esmeralda Morales, Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele in their first 11 games of the season. Additionally, Mia 'Uhila averages 22.3 minutes per game off the bench, ranking her fifth on the team in minutes. Ogele did not play in the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington Monday due to an injury.
• Head coach Chelsey Gregg is in her first year at the helm of the Vikings after spending the previous six seasons as first an assistant then an associate head coach for the Vikings. The players dumped ice water over Gregg's head following the team's first win of the season on Nov. 9. A photo of the moment was shared by the @NCAAWBB accounts as their photo of the week that week.
• The Vikings have nine underclassmen out of the 14 players on their roster this season, while Savannah Dhaliwal represents the team's lone senior.

 

TEAM-WIDE PERFECTION FROM THE LINE

The Vikings hit a season-high 20 free throws while going 20-of-25 (.800) from the line last Saturday against Montana State. That followed a stretch of four games in which the Vikings were a combined 51-of-56 (.911) from the free-throw line. The recent run means the Vikings have moved up to fifth in the nation with a team free-throw percentage of .798. Four Vikings have made every free throw they've shot this season, including Jada Lewis who is 10-of-10 on the year. None of those players qualify for the Big Sky or national rankings, however. Esmeralda Morales does, and she ranks second in the conference and fifth in the nation as she's gone 40-of-43 (.930) from the line. Morales has a chance to break the single-season school record for free-throw percentage if she maintains that level. Eryn Jones set the current record at .911 during the 2011-12 season, when she went 51-of-56 from the line.
 

STRONG PERIMETER DEFENSE

Montana set season-highs for three-point makes (12) and percentage (.414) by a Viking opponent in their game last Thursday. But that was the exception rather than the rule for the Vikings' perimeter defense this season. Before Montana, no team had shot better than 33.3 percent against the Vikings, and Montana State – the Vikings' opponent last Saturday – fell in line while going 5-of-17 (.294) from three-point range. Eight of the Vikings' 14 opponents have failed to shoot better than 30 percent, while another eight teams have failed to make more than five three-pointers against the Vikings. The high point defensively came against cross-town rival University of Portland on Dec. 12, when the Vikings held the Pilots without a make from three-point range while the Pilots went 0-of-17 in the game. All told, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 27th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 25.9 percent from deep against the Vikings.
 

UP-AND-DOWN OFFENSE

The Vikings made eight three-pointers last Saturday against the Bobcats for their highest total from beyond the arc since the Vikings' game against Pepperdine on Dec. 10. But the Vikings went just 6-of-29 (.207) from inside the arc Saturday, as the offense has been up-and-down all season. Such is life with a young team. The Vikings have shown the ability to light it up with five games in which they've scored 73 points or more, but they also have three games in which they've failed to score at least 50 points. The Vikings have shot less than 30.0 percent in two of their last three games, including a season-low 21.4 percent (12-of-56) against Eastern Washington on Jan. 17. Three-point shooting has been key in the Vikings' wins this season. The Vikings are 4-0 when they hit at least nine three-pointers in a game, but they've only hit that mark once since the Vikings' first three games of the season. Still, the Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky while shooting 32.1 percent from three-point range this season. Jada Lewis leads the Big Sky with 2.36 makes per game, and also ranks fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.398). Morales, meanwhile, ranks 11th in the Big Sky with 1.79 makes per game.
 

THEFT ON THE WING

The Vikings grabbed 11 steals in their game against Eastern Washington on Jan. 17, the eighth time this season the Vikings have finished with at least 10 steals. But the Vikings followed with a season-low three steals against Montana last Thursday, and then finished with five steals last Saturday against Montana State. The Vikings average 8.93 steals per game for the season, an average that ranks them second in the Big Sky. Three different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the conference for steals per game, led by Mia 'Uhila and Esmeralda Morales who rank third and fourth, respectively, with 2.08 and 1.93 steals per game. Jada Lewis also ranks tied for 11th in the conference with 1.43 steals per game.
 

MORE OF MORALES, PLEASE

Esmeralda Morales has had to adjust to being one of the primary targets of opposing teams' defensive plans, which she's been the subject of ever since her record-breaking debut against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Morales tied a single-game record that has stood since 1991 with eight made three-pointers in her debut against Warner Pacific. She also set five other freshman records in the game between the records for points (32), points in a debut (32), field goals made (11), three-point field goals made (8) and three-point field goal percentage (.727). Morales also made the Bank of Hawai'i Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 20, and Hawai'i on Nov. 21. Morales ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 12.8 points per game and also stands among the leaders in a number of other categories as well. Morales ranks second in the Big Sky and fifth in the nation while shooting 93.0 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, Morales ranks fourth in steals per game (1.93), fifth in assists per game (3.93), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.41) and 11th in three-pointers made per game (1.79). 
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis went 5-of-7 from three-point range while scoring 18 points last Saturday against Montana State, the fourth game this season in which she's hit at least five shots from beyond the arc. The previous three times all resulted in wins for the Vikings, including two in back-to-back games against Dixie State and Prairie View A&M on Nov. 12 and 20, respectively. Lewis set a new career-high for points in both games while going a combined 13-of-21 (.619) from beyond the arc. Lewis started with 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from deep against Dixie State, then topped that with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the outside against Prairie View A&M. Lewis also scored over 20 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 10, when she went 5-of-7 from three-point range while totaling 21 points. Lewis has now made at least one three-pointer in the Vikings' last eight games, a stretch in which she's shooting 43.2 percent (19-of-44) from beyond the arc. Lewis also showed a new facet of her game against Sacramento State on Jan. 15, as she recorded her first double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds to go with 13 points. For the season, Lewis leads the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (2.36), while ranking fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.398) and tied for 11th in steals per game (1.43).
 

THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF SAVANNAH DHALIWAL

For someone who went 985 days between counting games, Savannah Dhaliwal has been remarkably consistent for the Vikings since making her return from back-to-back ACL tears. Dhaliwal has scored in double figures in all but three games so far this season, and was within a bucket of double figures in two of the other three games. Dhaliwal hasn't just been a scorer, though, as she's done a little bit of everything for the Vikings. Through 14 games this season, she's averaging 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 46.5 percent (59-of-127) from the field and 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from three-point range. Dhaliwal also ranks 10th in the conference with 2.36 offensive rebounds per game. So, it's been a dream return to play for Dhaliwal, who first tore the ACL in her right knee in the Vikings' home game against Idaho on Feb. 28, 2019. That kept her out of the entire 2019-20 season, and she re-tore her ACL in the fall of 2020, which forced her out of the entire 2020-21 season as well.
 

ROOTING FOR LAY IS A LAY-UP

Alaya Fitzgerald, nicknamed Lay, scored in double figures in the first three games after their season re-started against Sacramento State on Jan. 15. Fitzgerald scored 15 points to go with five rebounds and three steals in the Vikings' game against the Hornets, the first one back following their 27-day hiatus. The freshman wing then followed with 13 points and three rebounds against Eastern Washington on Jan. 17, and added 12 points and three rebounds against Montana last Thursday. Fitzgerald also scored in double figures in the Vikings' final game before their hiatus, when she scored 12 points against Simpson on Dec. 19. She opened the season with four straight double-digit scoring games, a stretch that included her career-high against Hawai'i on Nov. 21, when she scored 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting overall and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
 

OOOOOOOOOO-HEE-LUH

Pixar took the little green aliens saying 'oooooooooo' in Toy Story from watching freshman guard Mia 'Uhila. At least that's the story we're telling ourselves. 'Uhila has the game to make it believable, especially in terms of her perimeter defense. 'Uhila has grabbed at least three steals in five of her 13 appearances this season. That's put 'Uhila third in the Big Sky with 2.08 steals per game. 'Uhila has also helped the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 8.93 steals per game as a team.
 

YOUTHFUL ROSTER

Nine of the Vikings' 14 players this season will be freshmen or sophomores, and neither class has had a normal basketball season due to the pandemic since they were either sophomore or juniors in high school. That should make for a youthful roster at times for the Vikings this season, especially considering the Vikings' only have one senior – Savannah Dhaliwal – to counterbalance that youth. Even the Vikings' juniors had their freshmen years in 2019-20 cut short in March due to the pandemic, and then weren't able to work on their games nearly as much as they would have liked as sophomores during the 2020-21 season.
 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Big Sky coaches and media members picked the Vikings to finish ninth and eighth in their respective preseason polls. The top three in both polls were identical, with Idaho State the clear favorite in both. The Bengals return several key players from last year's team that ran away with the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. Because of that, the Bengals earned all but their own first-place vote in the coaches poll, and picked up 17 of the 22 first-place votes in the media poll. Montana State followed the Bengals at second in both polls, narrowly edging Idaho in third.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Dec. 19, 2021, Portland State 73, Simpson 45: Every player who dressed scored for the Vikings in their game against the Red Hawks. The Vikings assisted on 19 of their 27 field goals in the game, while nine of their 12 players recorded at least one assist.
Dec. 10, 2021, Portland State 75, Pepperdine 71: The Vikings erased a 16-6 deficit early in the game while returning to form from the outside. The Vikings went 12-of-19 (.632) from three-point range after going just 9-of-48 (.188) combined over their previous three games. Jada Lewis and Esmeralda Morales both broke out of individual shooting slumps, as they tied for the game high with 21 points while going 5-of-7 and 5-of-6 from deep, respectively.
Nov. 20, 2021, Portland State 75, Prairie View A&M 61: Savannah Dhaliwal recorded the first double-double of her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jada Lewis set career highs for points (23) and three-pointers (7) to lead the Vikings offensively.
Nov. 12, 2021, Portland State 80, Dixie State 52: The Vikings held a Dixie State team that had just set a new school record with 22 made three-pointers in its season opener to 5-of-34 (.147) shooting from deep. Jada Lewis set a career high with 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Nov. 9, 2021, Portland State 87, Warner Pacific 64: Esmeralda Morales tied a single-game record that's stood since 1991 with eight three-pointers against the Knights, while setting five new freshman records in the game. Morales broke the freshman records for points (32), points in a debut (32), field goals made (11), three-point field goals made (8) and three-point field goal percentage (.727). Savannah Dhaliwal also made her return after missing the last two seasons due to back-to-back ACL tears. Dhaliwal had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting while setting new career highs for assists (6) and steals (2) in her first counting game in 985 days.