Complete season recap (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The great Phil Jackson famously gave books to his players during his time coaching the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
 
To Michael Jordan, he gave Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.
 
To Scottie Pippen, he gave The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes.
 
And to Shaquille O'Neal, he gave Siddartha by Herman Hesse.
 
So, when Portland State head women's basketball coach Chelsey Gregg approached the daunting task of bouncing back from an 0-20 conference season, she took a page from the Zen Master. She assigned some reading material.
 
It was Gregg and mental performance coach Julie Jones who followed Jackson's lead, actually. Gregg contacted Jones about working with the Vikings at the end of last season, and that work carried into this past summer and preseason. Included in that work was required reading of You win in the Locker Room First: The 7 C's to Build a Winning Team in Business, Sports, and Life by Jon Gordon and Mike Smith.
 
And while no single book could explain an entire turnaround season like the Vikings just had, it did set the stage for the biggest change within the team this season: their mentality.
 
"I think when we started to see the belief in our ability to finish games, that's when we started to see [the change] a little bit," Gregg said of the team's mentality. "[That helped us] towards the end of the season when we found ways to stick together. That's stuff we talked about early on, that you may not have the most talent, but those teams that are the most connected are the ones who will be winning in March."
 
Without that change in mindset, the Vikings don't see the turnaround they saw this year. Teams that go 0-20 in conference play don't pick themselves up off the mat easily. And yet, the Vikings went from 0-20 in 2021-22 to 8-10 in Big Sky play this season. That eight-win improvement set a new school record while also tying the second-best year-to-year turnaround in Big Sky Conference history.
 

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Of course, the best way to convince a basketball team to change is to win. Players have to see that what you're telling them works. Critically, the Vikings would get that early in the conference season with a 53-43 win over Idaho on Jan. 7.
 
It wasn't just the win – albeit the Vikings' first conference win since March 5, 2021 – it was also who they beat and how they did it. Idaho came in having beaten the Vikings in seven straight games, including 17 of the past 19. And yet, the Vikings held the Vandals to 28.6 percent shooting from the field (16-of-56), the lowest mark by a conference opponent against the Vikings since Montana shot 28.0 percent on Jan. 13, 2020. Additionally, Idaho's 43 points against the Vikings marked the lowest total by a Big Sky opponent since Weber State scored 38 points on Jan. 31, 2019.
 
What's more, the game wasn't close down the stretch as the Vikings outscored the Vandals 17-8 in the fourth quarter.
 
"We had some great finishes this year where we were able to get some last-second shots and last-second W's, but that one wasn't that. And that, even more so, gave us confidence," Gregg said of the win over the Vandals. "If we defend like we know how to do, and we rebound, and with our ability to make shots, [we knew we'd] put ourselves in some good positions to win games."
 
The change in the Vikings was noticeable immediately after the win. They followed it with a 78-66 road win over Northern Arizona, one of their best wins of the season as the Lumberjacks went on to earn a share of the Big Sky regular-season title. The Vikings held an NAU offense that finished the season leading the Big Sky in scoring offense to 12 points below its average. The Vikings, meanwhile, shot 51.8 percent – a season high at the time – behind 28 points from Esmeralda Morales and a 30-point third quarter.
 
The Vikings continued to roll over the next 10 days, sweeping Weber State and Idaho State on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively, to give them four wins in their last five games.
 

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Besides picking themselves off the mat, the Vikings also saw a flip in how they finished games this season.
 
A season ago, the Vikings lost three games decided by five points or less within Big Sky play. This year, they went 5-0 in those games.
 
That started with back-to-back one-point wins over Weber State and Idaho State. Against the Wildcats, Morales hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining to give the Vikings a 65-64 win. Against the Bengals, the Vikings held Idaho State scoreless over the final 3:33 of game time while Cinco McCartney hit a pair of crucial three-pointers late to give the Vikings a 48-47 win.
 
The confidence late in games again came from seeing it in action early in the season. This time it came outside of Big Sky play. The Vikings trailed by five with 38 seconds remaining in a game at Seattle U on Nov. 17. It's exactly the type of game that the Vikings would have lost last season, and yet, a four-point play from Jada Lewis tied up the game with 23.9 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Vikings would go on to win in overtime, 80-73.
 
"I love end-of-game scenarios, but I also think that's a strength of Keithan's [associate head coach Keithan Gregg]. He's ready for those, and that's something I handed off this year," Gregg said of the Vikings' ability late in games.
 
"[In the Seattle U] game, he drew up some great stuff and they executed. We can try to put players in situations, but they have to execute down the stretch, and they did in that game. I think that was the start of establishing confidence in our staff and what we're running works."
 
The back-to-back one-point wins over Weber State and Idaho State kicked off a stretch in which the Vikings would win five straight home games by a combined margin of just 13 points.
 
A four-point win, 56-52, over Northern Colorado came at home on Feb. 9, while a five-point win, 60-55, over Northern Arizona followed on Feb. 11. Both times the team's defense led the Vikings to the close victories. Against UNC, the Vikings held the Bears without a field goal over the final 3:32 of game time. Against NAU, the Vikings held the Lumberjacks to just 2-of-13 (.154) shooting in the fourth quarter, including an 0-of-6 mark from three-point range.
 
The Vikings' defensive numbers turned into one of the most visible ways you could chart the team's mindset change. A season ago, the Vikings ranked 322nd in scoring defense while giving up close to 72 points a game. This season, the Vikings finished the year ranked third in the Big Sky and 134th nationally while giving up 62.6 points per game, a difference of close to 10 points a game.
 
"Ultimately the players have to choose it. They have to choose to believe the coaching staff. And we [the coaching staff] have to earn that trust," Gregg said of the change in the team's ability to finish games and play defense. "We have to continue to show up for each other. As much as we're asking them to believe, we have to show that belief in them and keep showing up for them as well. It's a combination of everything."
 

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The trust between the players and coaching staff extended to a third noticeable change: the team's ability to bounce back.
 
Three of the Vikings' eight conference wins this season came against teams that beat the Vikings the first time they faced each other. That included the Vikings' win over Northern Colorado at home, as well as an 80-71 road win over Eastern Washington in which the Vikings shot over 60 percent against the Eagles for their best shooting performance in 15 years.
 
But the biggest game-to-game bounce back during the regular season came in another of the Vikings' close victories, a 74-72 overtime win over Montana on Feb. 23. Earlier in the season, the Vikings lost on the road to Montana by 32 points on Jan. 28. The Vikings gave up 13 three-pointers in that game – a season high for a Viking opponent – and were out-rebounded 43-29. But the second time around against the Lady Griz, the Vikings made up a four-point deficit with 11.6 seconds remaining, forcing overtime on a last-second, banked-in three-pointer from McCartney as time expired. Once in overtime, Morales hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining that put the Vikings up for good.
 
It was a fitting game to show the Vikings' resiliency in a way because, at times, it didn't appear as if that game would happen at all. Feb. 23 was the day it had snowed more than 10 inches in Portland, so even when the game did move forward, the athletic department was forced to tell fans to stay home. Fellow Portland State athletes – already on campus with nothing to do because of the snow – made up for it by attending the game, and the Vikings rewarded them with one of their biggest turnarounds of the season.
 
"We grew that resiliency throughout the year and Julie helped us have our mind right. A lot of things went into our ability to bounce back this season, but the belief in self, the confidence, the trusting of one another and staying together were all key," Gregg said.
 
The new culture the Vikings established was most noticeable during the team's Big Sky tournament run. Again, both of the Vikings' wins at the tournament came against teams that they had lost to the last time they played them. Idaho State beat the Vikings 59-43 on Feb. 16, the second time this season that the Bengals held the Vikings to under 50 points. And yet, the Vikings flew past 50 points in a 73-58 win over the Bengals in Boise. They led 44-26 by halftime, surpassing their point total from 16 days earlier in just a single half of play.
 
The 73 points were the most the Vikings had scored against an Idaho State team – traditionally among the strongest defensive-minded programs in the Big Sky – since they scored 89-79 on Jan. 17, 2011. Lewis made her first five shots from three-point range in the game, while leading the Vikings with 17 points.
 
That offensive performance carried over to the Vikings' quarterfinal win over Montana State on March 5. The Vikings tied a single-game program record with 15 three-pointers against the second-seeded Bobcats while winning 77-65. Morales and Lewis combined for 11 of the Vikings' 15 three-pointers, while Alaya Fitzgerald added three of the other four. Those three combined for 61 of the Vikings' 77 points, with Morales leading the way behind a new single-game program record at the Big Sky tournament with 28 points.
 
The upset of the Bobcats epitomized the Vikings' ability to bounce back. Just eight days earlier, the Vikings lost 63-34 to the Bobcats in their regular-season home finale, setting season lows for points (34) and field goal percentage (.182). But fast forward to the Big Sky tournament, and the Vikings shot 46.9 percent from three-point range (15-of-32) while holding the Bobcats to 33.9 percent shooting themselves.
 
"That was something we really talked about [responding to the previous performance against the Bobcats]," Gregg said. "When you're the lower seed, you get to play a little bit more relaxed. You don't have the pressure on you that you do when you're a top seed. So, I think that first game, I think we felt it a little bit. We were the higher seed, but we were still not the storied program like Idaho State. So, we had to come and find it a little bit, and then in our second game, we were able to play a little bit more free, I think."
 

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The mindset changes will now guide the Vikings during the offseason. That starts with bringing in some new players, all of whom will have to match the mentality Gregg wants from her team.
 
"We've got to get some players in here that just love to play basketball. I'm not interested in having players in our program that are just happy to be here," Gregg said of her approach to recruiting this spring. "We want players who want to compete and get better and continue to grow our culture."
 
And Gregg and the Vikings will also be mindful of not letting their growth become stagnant. The Vikings made strides this season, but they are by no means where either Gregg or the team's players would like to be.
 
The next steps in that growth include a more consistent offense. While the Vikings scored 70+ in their two tournament wins, they went into the tournament having failed to score more than 60 points in four of their last five regular-season games. And while Morales ranked fourth in the Big Sky in scoring with 15.8 points per game, only two other players – Lewis at 11.4, Fitzgerald at 10.5 – averaged more than 6.1 points per game.
 
"Our maturity on and off the floor is going to be a big piece of [the offseason focus]. We need to continue to not settle in but get better and work because we're still not where we want to be," Gregg said. "And then just maybe developing a better understanding of how we get certain shots, how we defend. Just a little bit more familiarity with our system. When your shot's not falling, then what do you do? How do you get your teammates involved and facilitate for them?"
 
Part of that will also be post development. Rhema Ogele took strides this season, upping her averages in points (5.3), rebounds (5.4) and blocks (0.65) per game. But at the same time, the Vikings averaged only 16.4 points per game from their front-court players this season. And while the Vikings countered with their three-point shooting – Lewis and Morales ranked first and second in the Big Sky for makes per game, respectively, while the Vikings hit 232 shots as a team for their third-highest total in program history – the lack of reliable post scoring factored into the games where the Vikings didn't hit their shots.
 
"Post development is going to be a big piece of where we're headed. We've got to be able to play inside-out," Gregg said.
 
Perceptions of the Vikings will also be different next year. That'll play into how teams approach playing Portland State. No longer will the Vikings sneak up on anybody, so they'll have to be ready for stiffer opposition.
 
"We've got to be hungry. We got a taste of it. We just missed being .500 overall so I think focusing on the positives regarding our improvement year-to-year is a big deal, but we're still not satisfied," Gregg said. "We'll move forward with that conviction that we want to get better. We don't want to settle in. It's still not good enough, but I'm also proud of the progress that we've made."
 
So, if anyone knows of any books that encapsulate those next steps, send them to Gregg. In the meantime, if you see a Chelsey G leave a five-star review of You win in the Locker Room First: The 7 C's to Build a Winning Team in Business, Sports, and Life on Amazon, you'll know the reason why.
 

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SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
March 5, 2023, Portland State 77, Montana State 65: The Vikings upset second-seeded Montana State to advance to the Big Sky semifinals for the first time since 2019. They tied a single-game program record with 15 made three-pointers. Esmeralda Morales also set a program record for points in a Big Sky tournament game with 28.
March 4, 2023, Portland State 73, Idaho State 58: The Vikings advanced to the Big Sky quarterfinals for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. They set a season high against a conference opponent with a +8 rebounding margin. Jada Lewis went 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first half, and the Viking offense scored its most points against an Idaho State team since 2011.
Feb. 23, 2023, Portland State 74, Montana 72 (OT): Cinco McCartney banked in a three-pointer with no time left in regulation, sending the game to overtime as the Vikings made up a four-point deficit with 11.6 seconds remaining. Esmeralda Morales then hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 25.0 seconds remaining that put the Vikings up for good.
Feb. 11, 2023, Portland State 60, Northern Arizona 55: The Vikings held a Northern Arizona team that came into the game leading the Big Sky while scoring 77.5 points per game to a season-low 55 points. It was the Vikings' third straight win overall and fifth straight at home.
Feb. 9, 2023, Portland State 56, Northern Colorado 52: The Vikings assisted on 20 of their 24 field goals, recording their most assists and highest assist percentage within Big Sky play this season. It was also the Vikings' fourth straight win at home.
Feb. 4, 2023, Portland State 80, Eastern Washington 71: The Vikings shot 60.4 percent for their best mark in a game since shooting 64.6 percent against Northern Arizona on Feb. 7, 2008. All eight Vikings who played shot at least 50 percent from the field. The Vikings were 8-of-10 (.800) from the field and 11-of-12 (.917) from the line in the fourth quarter alone when they outscored the Eagles, 30-22.
Feb. 2, 2023, Idaho 77, Portland State 70: The Vikings tied a season high with 13 made three-pointers. Four different players hit at least three three-pointers in the game for the first time all season.
Jan. 21, 2023, Portland State 48, Idaho State 47: The Vikings beat Idaho State at home for the first time since 2011, and just the second time in their past 24 games against the Bengals across all venues. Cinco McCartney hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Vikings the lead for good with 1:53 remaining. The Vikings held the Bengals scoreless over the final 3:33 of game time.
Jan. 19, 2023, Portland State 65, Weber State 64: Esmeralda Morales hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining, delivering the Vikings their third win in their past four games. The Vikings trailed 58-52 with 4:46 left in regulation after an extended 23-5 run for the Wildcats but reversed the momentum late.
Jan. 12, 2023, Portland State 78, Northern Arizona 66: A 30-point third quarter – the team's highest scoring quarter this season – led the Vikings to their second straight conference win. The Vikings shot a season-high 51.8 percent from the floor, while their 78 points were their most in a regulation game against a Division I opponent this season.
Jan. 7, 2023, Portland State 53, Idaho 43: The Vikings recorded their first conference win since March 5, 2021, while beating the Vandals. They held the Vandals to 28.6 percent shooting from the field (16-of-56), the lowest mark by a conference opponent against the Vikings since Montana shot 28.0 percent (21-of-75) on Jan. 13, 2020. Additionally, the 43 points Idaho scored were their lowest ever against the Vikings, and the lowest by any Big Sky opponent since Weber State scored 38 points on Jan. 31, 2019.
Jan. 5, 2023, Eastern Washington 65, Portland State 56: Esmeralda Morales scored 20 of the Vikings' first 29 points in the game on her way to a season-high 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting overall and 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Dec. 20, 2022, Portland State 83, Evergreen 45: The Vikings set season highs for points (83), rebounds (41), rebounding margin (+13, assists (23 on 27 field goals) and three-pointers (13) in their win over Evergreen. Nakia Boston made her return from injury in the game, playing for the Vikings for the first time in 651 days.
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.