TIPOFF

The Portland State women's basketball team deserves a break. Both a break for rest after playing four games in seven days, but also a break of fortune. The Vikings will get the former as they have two days off before playing Idaho State on the road Saturday at 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT. Whether they get the latter will depend on if the Vikings can summon the same fight against the Bengals that they showed in the second half of their game against Weber State Wednesday.
 
The Vikings trailed by as many as 15 points to Weber State in the second half and by 10 points early in the fourth quarter, only to come back and tie it at 63-63 with just over two minutes left on back-to-back three-pointers from Jada Lewis. The Vikings went cold from there, however, so their comeback went unrewarded as the Wildcats won 73-65.
 
Still, the Vikings' improved fight over their last two games has been encouraging, as has been the team's breakthrough on the boards. The Vikings out-rebounded Montana State, 39-37, Monday night, the first time the Vikings had out-rebounded a Big Sky opponent this season. the Vikings matched Weber State, 32-32, on the glass Wednesday, which was a stark contrast from the Vikings' first game against the Wildcats when Weber State out-rebounded the Vikings 43-21 back on Dec. 4.
 
The Vikings have also been on fire from three-point range over the team's last three games, especially Lewis. The Vikings have hit at least eight three-pointers in their past three games, during which time they're averaging 9.67 makes per game on 29-of-79 (.367) shooting from deep. Lewis, meanwhile, has averaged 4.0 makes per game individually over the team's last three games, while going 12-of-27 (.444) from the outside. Lewis went 6-of-10 (.600) from three-point range Wednesday, including her two treys that tied the game up late.
 
The part of the Vikings' game recently that they'll have to improve, especially against a tough Idaho State defense, has been their turnovers. The Vikings have given up 18.75 turnovers per game over their last four games, and opponents have turned that into 22.5 points per game on average during that stretch.
 
The Vikings' turnovers will be especially under the microscope Saturday, as the Bengals come into the weekend leading the Big Sky in steals per game (9.19) while also ranking second in turnover margin (+2.77). They're also strong on the ball, themselves, as they lead the Big Sky in both assists per game (15.96) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08).
 
The Bengals will host Northern Arizona Thursday night before hosting the Vikings Saturday. If the Bengals beat NAU Thursday, then they'll have a half-game lead over Montana State for first in the Big Sky standings entering Saturday, which will be their penultimate game of the regular season.
 
The Bengals have found themselves at the top of the conference thanks to one of the most balanced offenses in the Big Sky. The Bengals' leading scorer, Estefania Ors at 12.2 points per game, only ranks as the 14th highest scorer within the Big Sky Conference. Additionally, six different players average at least seven points per game.
 
Besides Ors, Tomekia Whitman has stuffed the staff sheet with 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.4 assists and 0.6 blocks per game. Diaba Konate also averages in double figures with 10.8 points per game to go with 3.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Callie Bourne ranks tied with Whitman for the team lead in rebounds (6.9 per game), while also averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 assists per game.
 
Montana Oltrogge led the Bengals with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting overall in the Bengals' 83-40 win over the Vikings in the teams' first game against each other on Dec. 2. Three other Bengals scored in double figures in that game between Finley Garnett (16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals), Anaya Bernard (13 points) and Whitman (12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals). Bourne and Konate did not play in that game for the Bengals.
 
Savannah Dhaliwal was the lone Viking in double figures against Idaho State, as she finished with 12 points to go with two rebounds and two assists. That game was part of a strong opening stretch to the season for Dhaliwal. She scored in double figures in 13 of the Vikings' first 16 games, and was within a bucket of double figures in two of the other three games.
 
Dhaliwal had a quiet six games after that opening stretch, but has broken out of her slump over the Vikings' last two games. Dhaliwal has been especially effective in the third quarter, as she's scored 10 points in the first five minutes after halftime both times. Dhlaliwal scored the Vikings' first 10 points of the second half Wednesday against Weber State, while 15 of her 17 points came in the second half. Dhaliwal went 7-of-10 from the field in scoring her 17 points, and also added 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. All told, Dhaliwal has averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over the last two games while shooting 12-of-21 (.571) from the field.
 
The Vikings will need Dhaliwal, as well as Lewis and several other players, in form against Idaho State Saturday if they hope to pull off the upset. The Vikings certainly deserve a break in the game, but they also know they'll have to go out and earn it.
                                                                                               

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE (5-19, 0-16) vs. IDAHO STATE (17-9, 13-4)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT, Pocatello, Idaho (Reed Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals currently sit tied for the Big Sky lead at 13-4 in conference play going into their home game against Northern Arizona Thursday night. The Bengals bounced back from a shocking 53-52 road loss to Northern Colorado on Feb. 17 with a 67-56 win last Saturday over a streaking Sacramento State team. The Bengals' road win over the Hornets avenged an earlier home loss to them that snapped the Bengals' 10-game winning streak at the time. Statistically, the Bengals lead the Big Sky in many of the ball-control categories. The Bengals rank first in assists per game (15.96), steals per game (9.19) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08). They also rank second in the Big Sky with a +2.77 turnover margin. Individually, the Bengals are a remarkably balanced team. The Bengals' leading scorer, Estefania Ors at 12.2 points per game, only ranks as the 14th highest scorer within the Big Sky Conference. Additionally, six different players average at least seven points per game, while four players average 4.0 rebounds per game or more and five different players average at least 2.0 assists per game. Besides Ors, Tomekia Whitman has stuffed the staff sheet with 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.4 assists and 0.6 blocks per game. Diaba Konate also averages in double figures with 10.8 points per game to go with 3.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Callie Bourne ranks tied with Whitman for the team lead in rebounds (6.9 per game), while she also averages 7.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. Montana Oltrogge led the Bengals with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting overall in the Bengals' 83-40 win over the Vikings in the teams' first game against each other on Dec. 2. Three other Bengals scored in double figures in that game between Finley Garnett (16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals), Anaya Bernard (13 points) and Whitman (12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals). Bourne and Konate did not play in that game for the Bengals.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 41-23. They've dominated the series over the past 11 years, as the Bengals have won 21 of their last 22 games against the Vikings. The Vikings' lone win in that stretch came on the road on Jan. 18, 2020, when they won 69-64. That win snapped 16 straight losses in the series for the Vikings.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings have had two breaks of 10 days or more this season. The most recent of those lasted 10 days between the Vikings' games on Feb. 7 and 17. The Vikings also went 27 days without a game between Dec. 19 and Jan. 15.
• The Vikings played 10 games in 24 days following their 27-day hiatus. They'll now play their final eight regular-season games over 16 days from Feb. 17 to March 4.
• The Vikings have had nine games either postponed or canceled this season. The Vikings' road game at Idaho has been rescheduled three different times. It's now scheduled to be made up Monday, Feb. 28. 
• Esmeralda Morales (11.9 ppg), Jada Lewis (10.9), Alaya Fitzgerald (10.5) and Savannah Dhaliwal (10.2) all average in double figures in scoring. Fitzgerald leads the team with 11.8 points per game in the Vikings' 14 games since their first return from a hiatus on Jan. 15, though she's sat out the last two games due to concussion protocols.
• The Vikings out-rebounded Montana State, 39-37, Monday night, the first time the Vikings had out-rebounded a Big Sky opponent this season. They followed up by matching Weber State, 32-32, Wednesday, which was a stark contrast to the Vikings' first game against the Wildcats, when Weber State out-rebounded the Vikings 43-21. The recent performances have marked a major turnaround for a Viking team that still ranks last in the Big Sky in rebounds per game (33.4), defensive rebounds per game (22.8) and rebounding margin (-7.54) despite the recent success.
• The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals Monday night against Montana State, with their 15 assists marking their second-most in a Big Sky game this season, as well as their most since totaling 19 against Northern Arizona on Jan. 29. Esmeralda Morales had eight assists individually, giving her a conference season-high and one off her overall season-high.
• The Vikings set a program record with 36 three-point attempts in Monday's game against Montana State, and have generally lit up from three-point range over the team's last three games. The Vikings have averaged 9.67 makes over their last three games and have shot 29-of-79 (.367) from deep during that stretch.  
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 22nd in the nation with a team free throw percentage of .767 this season, though they went just 6-of-11 (.545) Wednesday against Weber State. Esmeralda Morales has gone 53-of-59 (.898) from the free-throw line individually.
• Jada Lewis leads the Big Sky with 2.50 three-pointers made per game and ranks fourth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.370). Lewis has been on fire from three-point range recently, as she's averaged 4.0 makes over the team's last three games while shooting 12-of-27 (.444) from deep. Lewis went 6-of-10 (.600) from three-point range Wednesday against Weber State while leading all scorers with 22 points.
• Savannah Dhaliwal has scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter in each of the past two games. Wednesday, she scored the first 10 points of the second half for the Vikings, while 15 of her 17 points came in the second half. Overall, Dhaliwal has averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over the team's last two games.
• The Vikings tied a season-high with 12 steals last Saturday against Montana, the 12th time this season they've recorded 10+ steals in a game. Three different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for steals per game, while the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with 8.33 steals per game as a team. Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila rank tied for third and seventh, respectively, with 1.83 and 1.52 steals per game individually. Alaya Fitzgerald ranks tied for 11th in the league with 1.41 steals per game.
• Reilly Kelty has four games with at least three blocks out of the Vikings' past 10 games and now ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 1.18 blocks per game.
• Before missing the last two games due to concussion protocols, Alaya Fitzgerald had scored in double figures in 10 of her past 13 appearances, including six out of the last seven. Fitzgerald was averaging 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game since the Vikings' first return to play on Jan. 15 and before her injury.
• Savannah 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 have started three freshmen in all but one game this season. Usually, it's been Esmeralda Morales, Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele starting, but Mia 'Uhila has started three of the Vikings' past four games in some sort of combination with two of the other three freshmen.
• 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.

 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING

The backbone of the Portland State offense recently has been its three-point shooting. The Vikings have averaged 9.67 makes per game over their last three games while going 29-of-79 (.367) combined from three-point range. The Vikings went 9-of-22 (.409) from deep Wednesday against Weber State, behind a 6-of-10 (.600) performance from Jada Lewis. Two days earlier, the Vikings set a program record with 36 three-point attempts Monday night against Montana State. They made 12 of those 36 attempts, setting a new conference season-high while tying their overall season-high. Two days before that, the Vikings actually shot better from three-point range than they did inside the arc last Saturday against Montana. The Vikings went 8-of-21 (.381) from deep against the Lady Griz versus a 10-of-34 (.294) mark from inside the arc. Overall, three-point shooting has been a key part of all of the Vikings' wins this season, as four of the team's five wins have come when they made at least nine three-pointers. Individually, Lewis leads the Big Sky with 2.50 makes per game from the outside and ranks fourth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.370).
 

MONEY FROM THE LINE

A strength for the Vikings this season has been the team's free-throw shooting, as they rank second in the Big Sky and 22nd in the nation with a team free throw percentage of .767. The Vikings had been 27-of-31 (.871) from the free-throw line over their previous three games before going 6-of-11 (.545) from the line Wednesday against Weber State. A few games before that, the Vikings went a perfect 11-of-11 from the line last Saturday against Montana, their most makes without a miss in a game this season. Esmeralda Morales is 53-of-59 (.898) from the line individually, just off the school record that Eryn Jones set while going 51-of-56 (.911) from the line during the 2011-12 season. If the season ended today, Morales would rank tied for third on the all-time single-season list.
 

THEFT ON THE WING

The Vikings tied their season-high with 12 steals last Saturday against Montana, the 12th time this season they've topped 10+ steals in a game. The Vikings average 8.33 steals per game for the season, a mark that ranks them fourth in the Big Sky. Three different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the conference for steals per game, led by Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila who rank tied for third and seventh, respectively, with 1.83 and 1.52 steals per game. Alaya Fitzgerald also ranks tied for 11th in the conference with 1.41 steals per game.
 

UP-AND-DOWN PERIMETER DEFENSE

Seven of the Vikings' first 11 opponents of the season failed to shoot over 30.0 percent from three-point range, but six of the Vikings' past nine opponents have shot 38.9 percent or better. So, the defense has been up-and-down for the Vikings this season. Weber State went 5-of-16 (.313) from deep Wednesday night, but the Vikings' three other recent opponents had been a combined 22-of-48 (.458) from deep before the Wildcats. All told, the Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky with a three-point field goal percentage defense of .317. 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 on 0-of-17 shooting from the outside. That game came as part of a three-game stretch in which the Vikings' opponents went a combined 4-of-50 (.080) from three-point range.
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis had a 14-game streak with at least one three-pointer snapped when she went 0-of-7 from deep against Northern Arizona on Feb. 17. But since then, she's been absolutely on fire. Lewis has averaged 4.0 makes per game over the Vikings' last three games while going a combined 12-of-27 (.444) from the outside. Lewis went 6-of-10 (.600) from deep Wednesday against Weber State, the third time Lewis has hit at least six three-pointers in a game this season, and the first time in Big Sky play. Lewis also went 4-of-12 from deep Monday night against Montana State, which was the second time she's lit it up from the outside against the Bobcats. Lewis went 5-of-7 from deep in the Vikings' road game against Montana State on Jan. 22, meaning she went a combined 9-of-19 (.474) in the team's two games against the Bobcats. Earlier in the season, Lewis hit six or more three-pointers 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. Overall, Lewis leads the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (2.50), while also ranking fourth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.370).
 

THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF SAVANNAH DHALIWAL

Savannah Dhaliwal must be drinking "Michael's Secret Stuff" from Space Jam at halftime the past two games. There's no other explanation for how she's come out of halftime in the Vikings' games against Montana State and Weber State. She's scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter in each game, including the first 10 points for the Vikings in the second half against the Wildcats Wednesday. Those bursts out of halftime have led Dhaliwal to a two-game stretch in which she's averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Dhaliwal started the year scoring in double figures in 13 of the team's first 16 games, and was within a bucket of double figures in two of the other three games. Dhaliwal went quiet over the next six games – averaging only 4.67 points per game during that stretch – before returning to form in the Vikings' past two games. The recent run has been reminiscent of another two-game stretch for Dhaliwal earlier in the season. She set her season-high with 21 points against Southern Utah on Jan. 27, going 9-of-12 from the field overall and 3-of-4 from three-point range. Dhaliwal then followed with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting against Northern Arizona on Jan. 29. So, it's been a dream return to play for Dhaliwal, who went 985 days without playing in a counting game before starting the Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Dhaliwal missed the past two seasons due to back-to-back ACL tears, the first of which came 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, has been the Vikings' top scorer since the team returned from its first hiatus against Sacramento State on Jan. 15. Fitzgerald has averaged a team-best 11.8 points per game in the 12 games she's played in since that first return to play, which followed a 27-day hiatus. She's also averaged 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game during that stretch. Fitzgerald has scored in double figures in 10 of her past 13 appearances, including a career game against Northern Arizona on Jan. 29. The freshman wing scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range against the Lumberjacks while adding a career-high eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Fitzgerald has not played in the Vikings' last two games, however, due to concussion protocols. 
 

MORE OF MORALES, PLEASE

Esmeralda Morales broke out of an offensive slump against Northern Arizona on Feb. 17 with her best game since her record-setting debut in the Vikings' season opener against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9. Morales set a season-high against conference opponents with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting overall and 5-of-8 from three-point range against NAU. That was her second-most points in any game this season, trailing only the 32 points she scored in her debut game as a Viking. Morales tied a single-game record that has stood since 1991 in that game, as she made eight three-pointers 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 posted her best assist total within a Big Sky Conference game Monday, as she finished with eight assists against Montana State. The eight assists were one off of Morales' overall season-high, as well as her most in any game since she had nine assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 10. Morales leads the Vikings with 11.8 points per game, ranking her just outside of the top 15 in the Big Sky Conference. Morales has found other ways to contribute, too, as she ranks tied for third in the Big Sky in steals per game (1.83), tied for sixth in assists per game (3.67), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22) and third in minutes played per game (35.2).
 

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 two steals in 11 games this season and ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 1.52 steals per game. 'Uhila has also helped the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with 8.33 steals per game as a team. 'Uhila has had two of her best scoring games in the past month, including last Saturday against Montana when she set a new career-high with 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting overall, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. 'Uhila also led the Vikings with 12 points against Northern Colorado on Feb. 3 while going 5-of-8 overall and 2-of-2 from three-point range.
 

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

Feb. 23, 2022, Weber State 73, Portland State 65: Jada Lewis went 6-of-10 (.600) from three-point range, including two back-to-back that tied the game at 63-63 with just over two minutes remaining. Savannah Dhaliwal scored 10 straight points to open the third quarter while finishing with a double-double of 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with 11 rebounds.
Feb. 21, 2022, Montana State 82, Portland State 57: The Vikings out-rebounded a Montana State team that came into the game ranked third in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game. It was the first time the Vikings had out-rebounded a Big Sky opponent all season. The Vikings also assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals in the game, with their 15 assists marking their second-highest total in a conference game this season.
Jan. 29, 2022, Northern Arizona 79, Portland State 68: The Vikings assisted on 19 of their 29 field goals, tied for their most assists since they had a season-high 23 against Dixie State on Nov. 12. Additionally, the Vikings topped 50.0 percent from the field for only the third time this season while going 29-of-57. The Vikings out-scored NAU 40-20 in the paint, with the 40 points marking a new season-high for the Vikings from the inside.
Jan. 27, 2022, Southern Utah 64, Portland State 63: Savannah Dhaliwal recorded only the second 20-point game of her career while leading the Vikings with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting overall and 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. The Vikings came within a late free throw with 0.8 seconds remaining of upsetting the Big Sky leaders at the time in Southern Utah.
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.