Complete game notes (PDF)
 

TIPOFF

Portland State head women's basketball coach Chelsey Gregg said she wanted to get off the roller coaster before the start of the season. No more ups and downs from game to game.
 
Through five games, the Vikings have remained on the roller coaster. They've followed each win with a loss and vice versa. In their three wins, the Vikings have scored 70+ points while averaging 16.0 assists per game. But in their two losses, the Vikings average just 40.5 points and 6.5 assists per game.
 
The Vikings have a golden opportunity to get off the roller coaster for good Wednesday, as they travel to face Fresno State at 6 p.m. A win for the Vikings would not only add a quality road win to the team's resume, but it'd also represent the team's first back-to-back victories of the season.
 
The Vikings gave themselves that chance after putting together a solid 75-68 win over Seattle U this past Saturday. The Vikings led by 18 entering the fourth quarter before withstanding a late push from the Redhawks to pull out the victory. The Vikings went 14-of-16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter against Seattle U while making a season-high 22 free throws across the whole game.
 
The Vikings built their big lead behind a balanced offensive output. Leading scorer Esmeralda Morales still got hers with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range, but Mia 'Uhila and Rhema Ogele joined her in double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively. The 16 points for 'Uhila marked a new career high while she added six rebounds, four assists and three steals to her total. Additionally, the Vikings got five points each from Cinco McCartney, Joy Haltom and Sofía Llanos.
 
Haltom set career highs for points (5), rebounds (9) and assists (3) while tying for a game high with four steals in the game.
 
The balance offensively came as a result of strong passing that saw the Vikings assist on 15 of 21 field goals. That, in turn, led to strong shooting numbers for the Vikings, who were shooting 57.6 percent (19-of-33) from the floor through the first three quarters, as well as 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from three-point range.
 
The Vikings finished at 50.0 percent with 11 makes from the outside. Morales again produced the lion share of that with her five triples, but six different players hit at least one shot from three-point range for the Vikings. 'Uhila hit a pair from the outside while McCartney, Haltom, Llanos and Lana Wenger added one each.
 
In two games at Viking Pavilion now, the Vikings are shooting 24-of-46 (.522) from three-point range. The challenge now becomes to take that shooting on the road. That will be the task ahead of the Vikings Wednesday at Fresno State, which heads into its meeting with the Vikings a perfect 4-0 at home so far this season. That 4-0 home record includes a pair of wins over Division I opponents in Pepperdine (74-55 on Nov. 15) and Long Beach State (74-64 on Nov. 21).
 
The Bulldogs have won this season behind a defense that ranks second in the Mountain West Conference in both steals (12.1) and turnovers forced per game (21.4). The Bulldogs also rank fourth in the Mountain West and 52nd nationally in scoring defense, giving up only 55.4 points per game.
 
Individually, four different starters average at least 9.0 points per game for the Bulldogs. Mia Jacobs leads the way with 12.5 points per game while she also leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Keely Brown ranks second on the team with 11.3 points per game to go with 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Outside of those two, Sydney Dethman and Taija Sta. Maria average 9.6 and 9.0 points per game, respectively.
 
Sta. Maria serves as the main distributor for the Bulldogs, as she ranks fifth in the Mountain West with 4.0 assists per game while also ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.15).
 
None of those players return from the Bulldogs' game against the Vikings last season, however. The Vikings won that one, 62-60, behind double-digit scoring from Morales (19 points), Jada Lewis (19), McCartney (10) and Alaya Fitzgerald (10). Both Morales and Lewis hit five three-pointers in last year's game against the Bulldogs. Four of Lewis' five came in the fourth quarter when the Vikings turned back a comeback attempt from the Bulldogs.
 
Wednesday's meeting between the team will look a little bit different. The Bulldogs returning from last year's game scored only five of the team's 60 points, while Lewis is gone for the Vikings.
 
Even still, it's an opportunity to win not only two in a row against the Bulldogs, but two in a row for the first time this season.
 
Do that, and the Vikings will have successfully exited the roller coaster.
 

GAME #6: PORTLAND STATE (3-2) vs. FRESNO STATE (5-2)

GAME DETAILS: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m. PT, Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE: The Fresno State Bulldogs have won five of seven games to start the season. Four of those five wins have come at home where the Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0. Two of those four home wins have come against Division I opponents in Pepperdine (74-55 on Nov. 15) and Long Beach State (74-64 on Nov. 21). The Bulldogs went 1-1 at the GCU Women's Basketball Classic this past weekend, losing to host Grand Canyon last Friday, 55-36, before beating Eastern Illinois Saturday, 70-60. Statistically, the Bulldogs have been a strong defensive team so far this season. They rank second in the Mountain West in steals per game (12.1) and turnovers forced per game (21.4), while they rank fourth in the conference and 52nd nationally in scoring defense (55.4). The Bulldogs have managed that without giving up too many fouls to their opponents, either, as they rank second in the Mountain West and 18th nationally with just 13.4 fouls committed per game. Individually, four different starters average at least 9.0 points per game for the Bulldogs. Mia Jacobs leads the way with 12.5 points per game while she also leads the Bulldogs with 6.3 rebounds per game. Keely Brown ranks second on the team with 11.3 points per game to go with 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Outside of those two, Sydney Dethman and Taija Sta. Maria average 9.6 and 9.0 points per game, respectively. Sta. Maria serves as the main distributor for the Bulldogs, as she ranks fifth in the Mountain West with 4.0 assists per game while also ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.15). Before the start of the season, Mountain West Conference coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish 10th out of 11 teams this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings and Bulldogs have only played each other twice. One of those meetings came last year when the Vikings beat the Bulldogs, 62-60, at home on Dec. 1, 2022. The other meeting came on Dec. 3, 1988, with the Bulldogs prevailing 75-50 at their home tournament, the Taco Bell Classic.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings are coming off a 75-68 win over Seattle U last Saturday. Esmeralda Morales scored a season-high 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Mia 'Uhila and Rhema Ogele joined her in double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
• The Vikings have followed each win with a loss and vice versa through five games this season. Wednesday's game at Fresno State represents another chance for the team to earn its first winning streak of the season.
• The Vikings went 11-of-22 (.500) as a team from three-point range against the Redhawks. Morales contributed the lion share with five of the 11 makes, but six different Vikings hit at least one shot from the outside.
• The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals against Seattle U. In their three wins this season, the Vikings are averaging 16.0 assists per game. That number drops to 6.5 per game in their two losses, however.
• The Vikings are 3-0 when they score 70 points or more. They're averaging 73.3 points per game in their three wins, but just 40.5 points per game in their two losses.
• The Vikings have turned the ball over at least 17 times in every game this season, including a season-high 26 against New Mexico State on Nov. 18. Conversely, the Vikings have forced at least 15 turnovers in every game and have recorded 10 or more steals in four of their five games.
• Esmeralda Morales leads the Big Sky Conference with 21.4 points per game, an average that also ranks her 18th in the NCAA. She's scored 20 or more in three of the Vikings' five games this season. Her lowest scoring output this season is still 17 points, which she scored against San Diego on Nov. 11.
• The Vikings are leading the Big Sky and rank 49th in the NCAA with 11.0 steals per game as a team. Freshman Joy Haltom leads the Big Sky individually with 3.25 steals per game, an average that also ranks her 22nd in the NCAA. Mia 'Uhila ranks tied for fifth in the Big Sky with 2.00 steals per game, while Esmeralda Morales ranks tied for 12th with 1.60 per game.
• The Vikings are making 34.3 percent of their shots from three-point range this season, ranking them second in the Big Sky and 80th in the nation. They stand third in the conference and 82nd nationally with 7.40 three-pointers made per game.
• Opponents have shot 40 percent or better in four straight games, including 52.5 percent by San Diego in its win over the Vikings on Nov. 11. The Vikings rank ninth in the Big Sky with a field goal percentage defense of .451.
• Mia 'Uhila has stuffed the stat sheet in each of the Vikings' three wins. She's averaging 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game in the Vikings' three wins. Conversely, she's averaging just 3.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game in the team's two losses.
• Rhema Ogele missed two games because of concussion protocol, but has scored in double figures in two of her three appearances so far. That includes a career-best showing in the Vikings' season opener against UC Davis. Ogele set a career high with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting to go with 11 rebounds in that game. The Vikings' two rebounding wins – over UC Davis and Seattle U – have also come in two of Ogele's three appearances.
• Esmeralda Morales needs 40 points to become the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 points in her Portland State career. She would become the first Viking to do so since Desirae Hansen hit the 1k mark during the first round of the Big Sky tournament on March 8, 2021.
• The Vikings have been bitten by the injury bug so far this season. They haven't had all would-be starters available to them since their season opener against UC Davis. Rhema Ogele missed the Vikings' games against San Diego and Warner Pacific on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively. Alaya Fitzgerald, meanwhile, has missed the Vikings' last two games.
• Big Sky coaches and media members picked the Vikings to finish fifth in the conference in their respective preseason polls.
• The Vikings set a program record with eight more conference wins last season than they won the previous year. That was one off the best year-to-year turnaround in Big Sky Conference history.
• The Vikings advanced to the Big Sky semifinals last season for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Vikings beat Idaho State, 73-58, in the first round of last year's tournament, then upset second-seeded and defending-champion Montana State, 77-65, in the quarterfinals.
• The Vikings returned four starters and nine letterwinners off last year's team. That group includes All-Big Sky second-team selection Esmeralda Morales, as well as third-leading scorer Alaya Fitzgerald and leading rebounder Rhema Ogele. Cinco McCartney, who averaged 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while starting 30 of 31 games also returns.
• The Vikings have more upperclassmen (8) than they do underclassmen (7) for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• The Vikings made the program's first international trip with a tour of Costa Rica in September. The Vikings played two exhibitions against members of the Costa Rica National Team during the trip, winning both.

 

WIN/LOSS SPLITS

The differences between a win and a loss for the Vikings have been clear through five games this season. Some of the biggest statistical discrepancies between a win and a loss include:

• The Vikings average 73.3 points per game in their three wins, but only 40.5 points per game in their two losses.
• The Vikings average 16.0 assists per game in their three wins, but only 6.5 per game in their two losses.
• The Vikings are shooting 43.9 percent from three-point range with 9.67 makes per game in their three wins. Those numbers drop to 19.0 percent and 4.0 makes per game in their two losses.
• The Vikings' rebounding margin is exactly 0.0 in their three wins, but -5.5 in their two losses.
• The Vikings are shooting 46.8 percent from the field in their three wins, but 28.6 percent in their two losses.

 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING

In two wins at Viking Pavilion this season, the Vikings are shooting 24-of-46 (.522) from three-point range, giving them an average of 12.0 makes per game. But that's at home. The challenge this week for the Vikings will be to take that shooting on the road and hit like that in an opposing gym. It should be well within the Vikings' abilities to do so. They're coming off a year in which they ranked second in the Big Sky and 38th nationally while making 35.0 percent of their shots from three-point range. That was the third-best single-season three-point field goal percentage for the Vikings during the program's Division I era. The Vikings are near that mark again through five games this season. They're shooting 34.3 percent from deep so far, ranking them second in the Big Sky and 80th nationally. They also rank third in the conference and 82nd nationally with 7.40 makes per game. Esmeralda Morales has been the steady presence for the Vikings from deep. She tied her season high with five makes from the outside against Seattle U Saturday, while she's hit at least three shots from three-point range in four of the Vikings' five games this season. She heads into Wednesday's game leading the Big Sky and ranked ninth nationally with 3.40 three-pointers made per game. Again, the challenge will be for the Vikings to find contributors outside of Morales. They got that against Seattle U. While Morales hit the lion share of the team's three-pointers (five of 11), the Vikings still had six different players hit from the outside in the game. Mia 'Uhila had two triples against the Redhawks, while Lana Wenger, Cinco McCartney, Joy Haltom and Sofía Llanos all hit one each.
 

SWIPING LEFT AND RIGHT

The Vikings swiped 11 steals against Seattle U Saturday, the fourth time out of five games this season that they've grabbed at least 10 steals. That includes a season-high 17 steals that the Vikings recorded against Warner Pacific on Nov. 14. The Vikings head into Wednesday's game against Fresno State leading the Big Sky and ranked 49th nationally with 11.0 steals per game. Multiple players have contributed to that strong showing. Freshman Joy Haltom has been a revelation for the Vikings in that regard, as she leads the Big Sky and ranks 22nd nationally with 3.25 steals per game after only four appearances for the Vikings this season. Mia 'Uhila and Esmeralda Morales, meanwhile, join Haltom in the top 15 of the Big Sky, ranking tied for fifth and 12th with 2.00 and 1.60 steals per game, respectively. Even beyond those three, six different players have recorded at least four steals for the Vikings this season.
 

AROUND HERE, WE SPELL M-V-P AS E-S-M-E

Esmeralda Morales has proven her preseason Big Sky MVP credentials in the early going of the season. She's scored 20+ points in three of the Vikings' first five games, including a season-high 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 from three-point range against Seattle U last Saturday. Morales' lowest scoring output this season was still 17 points against San Diego on Nov. 11. Morales now heads into Wednesday's game against the Bulldogs leading the Big Sky and ranked 18th nationally with 21.4 points per game. Morales is no stranger to being ranked among the Big Sky leaders, though. She's ranked in the top 15 of nine different statistical categories for the second straight season. Besides scoring, Morales also leads the conference with 3.40 three-pointers made per game. Her five against Seattle U tied her season high, while she's hit at least three shots from deep in all but one game this season. Outside of those two categories, Morales also ranks among the conference leaders in field goal percentage (T-3rd, .437), assists per game (4th, 3.20), free throw percentage (2nd, .903), steals per game (T-12th, 1.60), three-point field goal percentage (6th, .362), assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd, 1.60) and minutes played per game (3rd, 34.7). At the same time, Morales is also moving up the career rankings at Portland State. Heading into Wednesday, Morales needs just 40 more points to become the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Whenever she hits the mark, she would become the first Viking to reach the mark since Desirae Hansen on March 8, 2021. Additionally, Morales ranks tied for eighth in scoring average (14.8), fourth in free throw percentage (.848) and eighth in three-point field goals made (141) and attempts (391). Her 27 points against Seattle U were also her 18th 20-point game at Portland State, ranking her tied for ninth all time.
 

MIA OOOOOO-HE-LUH ('UHILA)

Mia 'Uhila has sparked some "oooo's" from fans at times this season, and the Vikings have been at their best when she's playing like that. In the team's three wins, 'Uhila is averaging 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range. She's as good a bellwether as any for the Vikings, then. Her numbers drop to 3.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game in the team's two losses. Across all games, 'Uhila heads into Wednesday's game ranked in the top 15 of seven different statistical categories between rebounds per game (14th, 5.60), assists per game (T-5th, 3.00), free throw percentage (T-11th, .750), steals per game (T-5th, 2.00), assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 0.68), defensive rebounds per game (9th, 4.80) and minutes played per game (12th, 30.7).
 

RHEMA REMADE

Junior center Rhema Ogele signaled that she's leveled up over the offseason with a standout showing in the team's season opener against UC Davis. Ogele set a career high with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting while adding 11 rebounds for her third career double-double. Ogele was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor in the first half when she helped lead the Vikings to a 21-point halftime advantage. Ogele went into double figures again Saturday when she posted 11 points in just over 19 minutes of game time. Ogele's presence in the paint also helped the Vikings out-rebound the Redhawks, 32-to-31, only the second time this season that the Vikings have out-rebounded an opponent. Both rebounding wins have come when Ogele was playing. Ogele missed the Vikings' games against San Diego and Warner Pacific, and the Vikings were out-rebounded by 17 combined across both games. Ogele also led the Vikings to 40 points from the paint in their win over UC Davis. That's more points than they scored in any game last season when their season high for points in the paint was 34 against Utah Valley on Nov. 26.
 

YEAR-TO-YEAR IMPROVEMENTS

At 8-10 in Big Sky play last season, the Vikings improved their conference win total by eight after going 0-20 the year before. That's the best year-to-year turnaround in conference wins in program history and tied the second-best turnaround in Big Sky Conference history. The conference record stands at +9, which four different teams have accomplished, most recently North Dakota during the 2013-14 season. The Vikings also improved their overall win total by 10 last season, the second-best year-to-year improvement in overall wins in program history.
 
Best Year-to-Year Improvements in Conference Wins (Big Sky History)
+Total     Team                             Year
+9           Idaho State                   1996-97
+9           Montana State              2000-01
+9           Idaho State                   2003-04
+9           North Dakota                2013-14
+8           Montana State              2019-20
+8           Southern Utah              2021-22
+8           Sacramento State         2021-22
+8           Portland State              2022-23
+7           CSUN                             1997-98
+7           Eastern Washington     2009-10
+7           Montana                       2012-13
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Nov. 25, 2023, Portland State 75, Seattle U 68: Esmeralda Morales scored a season-high 27 points while Mia 'Uhila (16 points) and Rhema Ogele (11) joined her in double figures. The Vikings made 11 three-pointers as a team and swiped 11 steals.
Nov. 14, 2023, Portland State 74, Warner Pacific 62: The Vikings went 13-of-24 (.542) from three-point range and swiped 17 steals against the Knights.
Nov. 9, 2023, Portland State 71, UC Davis 62: Rhema Ogele led the Vikings to a road win in their season opener with a career-high 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field. The win was the Vikings' sixth straight in their season opener.