Complete game notes
 

TIPOFF

The 1-2 punch from the outside of Esmeralda Morales and Jada Lewis has led the Portland State women's basketball team to back-to-back wins over Utah Valley and Fresno State.
 
The Vikings now face the test of doing it on the road on a short turnaround, as they'll face Pepperdine at Malibu's Firestone Fieldhouse at 1 p.m. Saturday. The early tipoff means it'll have been less than 48 hours after the Vikings' 62-60 win over Fresno State Thursday night at Viking Pavilion.
 
Then again, considering how the Vikings have been shooting the ball, a short turnaround might not be the worst thing. It might just mean the Vikings continue to drain the ball like they did against a good defensive team in the Bulldogs.
 
The Vikings went 11-of-24 (.458) from three-point range against the Bulldogs, giving them the most makes and highest percentage of any opponent against a Fresno State team that was holding opponents to just 25.5 percent from the outside. Additionally, the Vikings' 62 points against the Bulldogs were the second most against Fresno State this season. The Bulldogs came into the game ranked eighth in the NCAA for scoring defense, as they were giving up less than 50 points a game.
 
Morales and Lewis led the Vikings to their win over the Bulldogs. They combined for 10 of the Vikings' 11 three-pointers in the game, as they both knocked down five from the outside. Four of Lewis' five three-pointers came in the fourth quarter, as she led the Vikings past the Bulldogs after Fresno State took its lone lead of the game early in the fourth.
 
Together, Morales and Lewis have hit 19 of the Vikings' 20 three-pointers between their games against Utah Valley and Fresno State. They're averaging 7.17 three-pointers made per game combined, between 4.00 for Morales and 3.17 for Lewis. Morales leads both the Big Sky and the NCAA with her 4.00 makes per game, while Lewis ranks third in the conference and 17th nationally.
 
And it's not just the volume of makes, either. Both players have been efficient in their shooting, as Morales is hitting 53.3 percent of her shots from the outside while Lewis has made 42.2 percent of hers. Those marks mean Morales also leads the Big Sky in percentage while ranking 15th nationally. Lewis, meanwhile, stands fifth in the conference and 81st nationally.
 
The challenge Saturday will be to continue to do it on the road. Both recent wins have come at Viking Pavilion, so the Vikings will have to find that groove again in a foreign gym.
 
The Waves also present a challenge for the Vikings in terms of their rebounding. They lead the West Coast Conference while ranking 28th nationally with a plus-10.7 rebounding margin. They also stand second in the WCC and 54th in the NCAA with 14.7 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Rebounding has been one of the weaker areas for the Vikings. They rank ninth in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding, and have been out-rebounded in four of their six games this season.
 
The Waves have strong rebounders up and down their roster, as five different players average at least five rebounds per game. Meaali'i Amosa leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game, while Marly Walls (5.7), Theresa Grace Mbanefo (5.6), Jane Nwaba (5.6) and Becky Obinma (5.2) are all above five rebounds a game. Ally Stedman and Helena Friend are also averaging 3.5 and 3.1 rebounds per game, respectively.
 
Stedman leads the Waves with 14.5 points per game this season. She also led the Waves in scoring as a freshman when she was named to the WCC's All-Freshman Team. Walls and Mbanefo, two graduate transfers from Bucknell and Cornell, respectively, are also in double figures with 11.6 points per game each.
 
The Vikings and Waves played each other for the first time in 18 seasons last year, with the Vikings winning 75-71 on Dec. 10, 2021, at Viking Pavilion. It was a contrast of styles in that game, too, as the Waves scored 50 of their 71 points inside the paint, while the Vikings hit a season-high 12 three-pointers.
 
It was Morales and Lewis, again, who led the Vikings past the Waves. Both players hit five shots from deep – just as they did Thursday night against the Bulldogs – while scoring 21 points each.
 
A repeat of that performance would suit the Vikings just fine this Saturday, especially given the short turnaround.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (4-2) vs. PEPPERDINE (2-5)

GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m. PT, Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: The Pepperdine Waves dropped a 56-51 decision to Omaha Thursday night at home. The loss followed a 64-55 defeat to Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 28, giving the Waves a two-game losing streak going into Saturday's game against the Vikings. The two-game losing streak immediately followed a two-game winning streak, as they beat UC Riverside (67-58) and Concordia (71-52) on Nov. 19 and Nov. 22, respectively. The Waves were picked to finish last in the West Coast Conference in the WCC's preseason coaches poll. The Waves are coming off a season in which they went 8-17 overall and finished eighth at 4-11 in the WCC. Ally Stedman led the Waves in scoring as a freshman last season, when she was named to the WCC's All-Freshman Team. Stedman leads the Waves again this season with 14.5 points per game. Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Marly Walls, both graduate transfers from Cornell and Bucknell, respectively, are also averaging in double figures with 11.6 points per game each. But the most elite aspect of the Waves' game is their rebounding. The Waves lead the WCC and rank 28th in the NCAA with a plus-10.7 rebounding margin, while also ranking second in the conference and 54th in the NCAA with 14.7 offensive rebounds per game. Five different players average at least five rebounds per game for the Waves. Meaali'i Amosa leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game, while Walls (5.7), Mbanefo (5.6), Jane Nwaba (5.6) and Becky Obinma (5.2) are all above five rebounds a game. Stedman and Helena Friend are also averaging 3.5 and 3.1 rebounds per game, respectively. Walls leads the Waves with 4.6 assists per game, an average that ranks her second in the WCC and 73rd in the NCAA. Mbanefo ranks second in the WCC and 36th in the NCAA in field goal percentage as she's hitting 59.3 percent of her shots from the floor.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Waves lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 4-1. The Vikings won their latest meeting, however, beating the Waves, 75-71, on Dec. 10, 2021. That was the teams' first meeting since the 2003-04 season, when the Waves beat the Vikings, 67-50, in Malibu.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings have won back-to-back games, beating Utah Valley 73-55 on Nov. 26 and Fresno State 62-60 this past Thursday.
• Jada Lewis hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter after Fresno State took its only lead of the game Thursday. She scored 12 of the Vikings' 20 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 19 points behind five triples in the game.
• Esmeralda Morales and Jada Lewis have combined for 19 of the Vikings' 20 made three-pointers over the past two games. Morales now leads the Big Sky and the NCAA with 4.00 three-pointers made per game, while Lewis ranks third in the Big Sky and 17th in the NCAA with 3.17 makes per game. The pair are also shooting 53.3 (Morales) and 42.2 (Lewis) percent from three-point range, ranking them first and fifth in the Big Sky, respectively.
• The Vikings went 11-of-24 (.458) from three-point range against Fresno State, the most makes and highest percentage of any opposing team against a Fresno State team that came into the game eighth in the NCAA for scoring defense. The Vikings now rank third in the Big Sky and in the top 30 nationally in both three-point field goal percentage (.376) and three-pointers made per game (8.83).
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 43rd in the nation with 11.2 steals per game. The Vikings have forced at least 16 turnovers in all six games, while recording at least 10 steals four times.
• The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky and 94th in the NCAA for scoring defense, giving up only 59.3 points per game. The Vikings have held four of their six opponents to 60 points or under.
• Esmeralda Morales has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in five of the team's six games this season. She's scored at least 19 points in four of the team's six games, and now ranks third in the Big Sky and 56th in the NCAA with 18.3 points per game.
• Jada Lewis has scored in double figures in five of the team's six games this season, including scoring at least 15 points in the last four straight. Lewis now ranks tied for 10th in the Big Sky with 13.8 points per game.
• Mia 'Uhila and Esmeralda Morales rank tied for second in the Big Sky and 57th in the NCAA with 2.67 steals per game. Cinco McCartney ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.67 steals per game.
• Esmeralda Morales ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in nine different statistical categories so far this season. She leads the conference in three different categories between three-pointers made per game (4.0), three-point field goal percentage (.533) and minutes played per game (39.4).
• Jada Lewis passed Sidney Rielly (2016-19) for sixth on the all-time career list for made three-pointers with her five makes against Fresno State Thursday. Lewis now has 145 makes in her PSU career. She needs 39 more to pass Karrin Wilson (1996-2000) for fifth all time.
• The Vikings chose "competitive," "hungry," and "family" as the three words to define their 2022-23 season. The players voted on the words at their team retreat in September.
• The Vikings are coming off a 2021-22 season in which they went 5-24 overall and 0-20 in Big Sky play. The Vikings started three freshmen in all but one game last season, while four of the team's top six scorers were freshmen. Esmeralda Morales, then a freshman, led the Vikings while ranking 11th in the Big Sky with 12.5 points per game last season. Her classmates Alaya Fitzgerald, Mia 'Uhila and Rhema Ogele followed with 9.3, 6.0 and 5.2 points per game, respectively.
• Head coach Chelsey Gregg enters her second year at the helm for the Vikings. Before becoming head coach, she spent the previous six seasons as first an assistant then an associate head coach for the Vikings.
• A season after they started three freshmen, the Vikings will still be young this season as they sport 10 underclassmen between three freshmen and seven sophomores (includes redshirts).

 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING

Esmeralda Morales and Jada Lewis have taken their three-point shooting to another level in the Vikings' past two games. The pair combined for 19 of the Vikings' 20 made three-pointers against Utah Valley and Fresno State. They both hit five Thursday night against Fresno State, with four of Lewis' five coming in the fourth quarter. The two of them are now averaging 7.17 three-pointers made per game between them. Morales leads both the Big Sky and the NCAA with 4.00 makes per game, while Lewis ranks third in the conference and 17th in the NCAA with 3.17 makes per game. Both rank well in terms of percentage, too. Morales is hitting 53.3 percent of her shots from the outside, ranking her first in the Big Sky and 15th in the NCAA. Lewis has hit 42.2 percent of her shots from the outside, ranking her fifth in the Big Sky and 81st in the NCAA. As a team, the Vikings now rank third in the Big Sky and in the top 30 nationally in both three-point field goal percentage (.376) and three-pointers made per game (8.83).
 

DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE

A season after the Vikings ranked last in the Big Sky and 322nd in the NCAA for scoring defense, they've shown vast improvements on the defensive end so far this season. Four of the Vikings' six opponents have scored 60 or less, including their last two opponents, Utah Valley and Fresno State, who scored 55 and 60 against the Vikings, respectively. The Vikings now sit third in the Big Sky and 94th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 59.3 points per game. Strong on-the-ball defense has led the way for the Vikings. They're forcing 18.2 turnovers per game, which ranks them fourth in the Big Sky. They also rank tied for third in the conference with a positive turnover margin of 2.50.
 

SWIPING LEFT AND RIGHT

Gen Z knows how to swipe. Not just on their phones it turns out, as the Vikings have proven over their first six games of the season. The Vikings opened their season with 22 steals against Warner Pacific on Nov. 7, the program's most steals in a single game since they also had 22 in a win over Idaho on Dec. 20, 2006. They've followed with 10+ steals in three of their next five games. As a team, they now rank second in the Big Sky and 43rd in the NCAA with 11.2 steals per game. Individually, Mia 'Uhila and Esmeralda Morales rank tied for second in the Big Sky and 57th in the NCAA with 2.67 steals per game. Cinco McCartney joins them among the Big Sky leaders with 1.67 steals per game herself, ranking her 10th in the conference.
 

MONEY FROM THE LINE

The Vikings shot 36 free throws in their overtime win over Seattle U on Nov. 17, their most free throws in a single game since Nov. 19, 2017, when they had 37 against San Jose State. But it's not just the volume of free throws, the Vikings have also been hitting them as they rank third in the Big Sky and in the top 100 nationally for free throw percentage (.735). The free throw shooting came up big for the Vikings late against Fresno State Thursday. Alaya Fitzgerald went 4-of-4 from the line in the final minute to help the Vikings ice the game. Individually, Esmeralda Morales ranks 10th in the Big Sky while shooting 77.8 percent from the line. That's actually a dip from her freshman season when she set a single-season program record by going 63-of-69 (.913) from the charity stripe. And Morales actually has the lowest free-throw percentage of any of the Vikings' five starters. Fitzgerald is 11-of-14 (.786) from the line, Jada Liews is 6-of-6 (1.000), Cinco McCartney is 4-of-5 (.800) and Rhema Ogele is 7-of-8 (.875).
 

MORE OF MORALES, PLEASE

Esmeralda Morales was a captain in stature if not in name last season when she led the Vikings in scoring as a freshman. Now also a captain in name, Morales has continued to play like one as she's scored in double figures in every game while leading or tying for the team lead in five of their six games this season. Morales has been elite from three-point range all season, but especially the last two games. She's hit five three-pointers in each of the past two games, going a perfect 5-of-5 against Utah Valley on Nov. 26, and then 5-of-9 against Fresno State Thursday. Morales now leads both the Big Sky and the NCAA with 4.00 makes per game this season. She's also shooting 53.3 percent from three-point range, ranking her first in the Big Sky and 15th in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage. Morales actually ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in nine different statistical categories. Besides leading the conference in three-pointers made per game and percentage, she also leads the conference while ranking second in the NCAA with 39.4 minutes played per game. She ranks third in the Big Sky and 56th in the NCAA with 18.3 points per game, having scored at least 19 points in four of the team's six games. Additionally, Morales ranks sixth in the Big Sky for field goal percentage (.500), seventh in assists in assists per game (3.67), 10th in free throw percentage (.778), tied for second in steals per game (2.67) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22).
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Head coach Chelsey Gregg said Jada Lewis has ice in her veins after she hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings past Fresno State Thursday. Lewis' heroics against the Bulldogs were just the latest example. She also came up big late in the Vikings' game against Seattle U on Nov. 17, converting a four-point play with 23.9 seconds left to force overtime. Lewis has now scored at least 15 points in four straight games, including a season-high 19 points behind five three-pointers Thursday night against the Bulldogs. Lewis now ranks tied for 10th in the Big Sky with 13.8 points per game. She ranks third in the conference and 17th in the NCAA with 3.17 three-pointers made per game, while also ranking fifth in the conference and 81st in the NCAA for three-point field goal percentage (.422). From a career perspective, her five three-pointers Thursday moved her past Sidney Rielly (2016-19) for sixth on the all-time career list at Portland State. She needs 39 more to move up another spot, as Karrin Wilson (1996-2000) ranks fifth all time with 183 career makes.
 

OOOOO-HEE-LUH

The Pizza Planet aliens in the Toy Story franchise don't say "ooooooooh" about Buzz Lightyear. They're actually talking about Mia 'Uhila. 'Uhila scored in double figures in the team's first three games of the season and now ranks third on the team with 8.3 points per game. She also ranks tied for second in the Big Sky and 57th in the NCAA with 2.67 steals per game. With her and teammate Esmeralda Morales leading the way, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 43rd in the NCAA with 11.2 steals per game.
 

YOUTHFUL ROSTER

A season after the Vikings started three freshmen in all but one game, the Vikings will again have a youth-heavy roster this season. Ten of the team's 15 players enter the year as underclassmen between three freshmen and seven sophomores (including redshirts). Last year's freshmen – Alaya Fitzgerald, Esmeralda Morales, Rhema Ogele and Mia 'Uhila – got plenty of experience last season, but they'll still only be sophomores this season. Sophomore transfers Sofía Llanos and Paige Winter-Blanchard will join them as underclassmen this season, while Nakia Boston also returns as a redshirt sophomore after sitting all of last season with an ankle injury. Additionally, the Vikings brought in three freshmen in Alani Encinas, Brooklyn Strandy and Kiana Yesiki, all of whom could see time for the Vikings this season.
 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Last season's struggles shaped the preseason expectations for the Vikings among Big Sky coaches and media members. The Vikings were picked to finish last in the conference by both groups, while last year's tournament champion Montana State was picked to finish first in both polls. The Vikings returned five of their top six scorers from a year ago, however, between Esmeralda Morales (12.5 points per game), Jada Lewis (10.0 ppg), Alaya Fitzgerald (9.3 ppg), Mia 'Uhila (6.0 ppg) and Rhema Ogele (5.2 ppg). This year's roster also features a full 15 players, including six newcomers between three freshmen – Alani Encinas, Brooklyn Strandy and Kiana Yesiki – and three transfers – Sofía Llanos (from Marshall), Cinco McCartney (from Northeastern) and Paige Winter-Blanchard (from Centralia/William Jessup).
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Dec. 1, 2022, Portland State 62, Fresno State 60: Jada Lewis hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter after Fresno State took its only lead of the game. Lewis and Esmeralda Morales both hit five three-pointers in the game while matching each other with 19 points to lead the way.
Nov. 26, 2022, Portland State 73, Utah Valley 55: The Vikings avenged a 19-point loss to Utah Valley last season with an 18-point win over the Wolverines on the same weekend of the calendar, Thanksgiving Saturday. Esmeralda Morales went a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range, while she and teammate Jada Lewis combined to go 9-of-13 from deep.
Nov. 17, 2022, Portland State 80, Seattle U 73: The Vikings erased a five-point deficit with 38 seconds remaining thanks in part of a four-point play by Jada Lewis that tied the game with 25 seconds remaining. It was the Vikings' first road win since the end of the 2020-21 regular season, and their first overtime win since Jan. 7, 2021.
Nov. 7, 2022, Portland State 67, Warner Pacific 40: The Vikings recorded 22 steals for their most steals in a single game since Dec. 20, 2006. They also assisted on their first 19 field goals in the game, while finishing with 20 assists on 22 field goals.