Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
Saturday's season opener against Hawai'i represented one-twenty-seventh of the 2024-25 season for the Portland State women's basketball team. Even less when considering it was one day in a five-month season.
 
So, the Vikings won't linger long on their 72-50 loss to the Rainbow Wahine Saturday. They simply can't, as they turn their attention quickly to a Tuesday night meeting with San Francisco. It'll be the first road game of the season for the Vikings, who play at the Dons' War Memorial at The Sobrato Center at 6 p.m.
 
The Vikings will still take lessons from Saturday's loss to the 'Bows. Offensively, the Vikings struggled for much of the game. After a hot start in which they made seven of their first 11 shots from the field, the Vikings went cold, making just two of their next 22 shots as Hawai'i built a 20-point lead.
 
Jamia Carter provided a spark for the Vikings in the second half, when she scored all of her game-high 15 points. Carter accounted for 10 of the Vikings' 15 points in the fourth quarter.
 
Carter was also part of a Viking defense that forced 16 turnovers Saturday. The Vikings recorded 10 steals on those 16 Hawai'i turnovers, with Laynee Torres-Kahapa setting a career high with four while Carter added three.
 
The Vikings turned those 16 turnovers into a 15-12 advantage in points off turnovers. But like the team's shooting, the Vikings weren't consistent across Saturday's game defensively. Thirteen of their 16 turnovers forced came in the first half, before the 'Bows extended their lead in the second.
 
Defense will be a persistent theme of Tuesday's game against the Dons. San Francisco hasn't allowed either of its two opponents so far to score more than 52 points in a game. That includes a 52-47 road loss to Colorado State on Nov. 4, and a 59-37 home win over UC Santa Barbara Saturday.
 
The Dons head into Tuesday's game against the Vikings ranked second in the West Coast Conference and eighth nationally for field goal percentage defense (.252), as well as second in the WCC and 32nd nationally in scoring defense (44.5 points allowed per game).
 
Strong rebounding has helped the Dons defensively, as they rank second in the WCC and 30th nationally with 48.5 rebounds per game. They also rank third in the conference and 27th nationally with a +17.5 rebounding margin, while they top the conference in offensive rebounds per game (15.5).
 
Rebounding was a difference maker in the teams' last meeting against each other, a 74-63 win for the Dons at Viking Pavilion last season. The Dons out-rebounded the Vikings 25-to-9 in the second half of that game, which also saw the Dons outscore the Vikings 48-24 in the paint.
 
USF returns its top two scorers from that game in Luana Leite and Debora dos Santos. Leite led the Dons with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Dos Santos, meanwhile, recorded 19 points, 17 rebounds (eight offensive) and three blocks.
 
Dos Santos went on to make the All-WCC First Team last season, and was named to the All-WCC preseason team before the start of this season. She ranks tied for the team lead with Freja Werth with 11.0 points per game, while they also rank 1-2 on the glass with 9.0 and 7.0 rebounds per game.
 
Rhema Ogele represents the Vikings' top returning scorer from last year's game against the Dons. She had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in that game. Fellow returners Lana Wenger added eight points, while Joy Haltom had one point.
 
Ogele had a strong start to Saturday's opener. She had eight points and six rebounds by halftime, but then was held scoreless while adding only three rebounds in the second half.
 
The Vikings need her to be closer to her level in the first half against the Dons Tuesday. The Vikings want to put Saturday's season opener behind them. And that's easier to do if you win the next game.
 
GAME #2: PORTLAND STATE (0-1) vs. SAN FRANCISCO (1-1)
GAME DETAILS: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m. PT, San Francisco, Calif. (War Memorial at The Sobrato Center)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO: The San Francisco Dons split their first two games of the season last week, losing their opener, 52-47, at Colorado State Monday, before winning their home opener, 59-37, over UC Santa Barbara Saturday. As the scores might indicate, defense has been a strength for the Dons in the early part of the season. They rank second in the West Coast Conference and eighth nationally for field goal percentage defense (.252), while they also rank second in the WCC and 32nd nationally in scoring defense (44.5 points allowed per game). Strong rebounding has helped the Dons defensively, as they rank second in the WCC and 30th nationally with 48.5 rebounds per game. They also rank third in the conference and 27th nationally with a +17.5 rebounding margin, while they top the conference in offensive rebounds per game (15.5). The Dons came into the year picked to finish sixth in the 11-team WCC. Debora dos Santos made the All-WCC preseason team after making the All-WCC First Team last season. Dos Santos and Freja Werth lead the Dons with 11.0 points per game so far this season, while they also rank 1-2 on the team in rebounds with 9.0 and 7.0 rebounds per game, respectively. Elsewhere, Angeliki Zlaka and Emma Trawally Porta both rank third in the WCC with 2.0 blocks per game, while the Dons rank fourth in the WCC with 5.5 blocks per game as a team. As their rebounding and blocking numbers might indicate, the Dons feature a tall roster with nine of their 15 players listed over six-feet tall. The Dons return their top two scorers from last season's meeting with the Vikings. Luana Leite led the Dons with 23 points in that game, while dos Santos finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Dons lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 2-1. The teams hadn't played since the 1987-88 season until last year when the Dons beat the Vikings 74-63 at Viking Pavilion on Dec. 16, 2023.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings dropped their season opener to Hawai'i Saturday, falling 72-50 at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings led 20-19 after the first quarter, but went cold offensively, making just 2-of-22 field goals over a stretch that spanned from the first to third quarters.
• Jamia Carter scored all of her game-high 15 points in the second half of Saturday's game against Hawai'i. She accounted for 10 of the Vikings' 15 points in the fourth quarter.
• The Vikings shot just .288 from the field in Saturday's season opener. That would have ranked as the Vikings' third-lowest field goal percentage last season.
• The Vikings turned 16 turnovers from Hawai'i into a 15-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Vikings had 10 steals on their 16 turnovers forced Saturday, ranking them tied for second in the Big Sky Conference for steals per game. Laynee Torres-Kahapea posted a career-high four steals in the game, while Jamia Carter had three.
• Despite the team's shooting struggles, they assisted on 13 of their 15 field goals Saturday. That's a higher assist percentage (86.7%) than any game last season. The Vikings also assisted on 17 of their 24 field goals in their exhibition win over Montana Tech on Nov. 3.
• Rhema Ogele averaged career bests for points per game (9.7), rebounds per game (6.1) and field goal percentage (.513) last season. She had eight points and six rebounds through the first half of Saturday's season opener, but was held scoreless in the second half when she also had only three rebounds.
• The Vikings return three starters from last season in Alaya Fitzgerald, Rhema Ogele and Lana Wenger. Fitzgerald and Ogele will both be four-year starters for the Vikings this season, while Wenger enters her second year as a starter.
• Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings to finish ninth in the Big Sky in their preseason poll, while conference media members picked the Vikings to finish 10th.
• The Vikings brought in eight newcomers to mesh with their eight returners. Out of the eight newcomers, three are freshmen – Katelyn Best, Kyleigh Brown and Avery Kraft – while five are transfers – Jamia Carter (Seward County CC/Salt Lake CC), Cici Ellington (Grambling State/Loyola Marymount), Taylor Moffat (Williston State/UAlbany) Kirstine Munk (Central Arizona) and Courtney Turner (FIU/USC Upstate/Harcum College).
• The Vikings have two former Oregon State Players of the Year on their roster now in Kyleigh Brown and Cici Ellington. Brown was the 5A State Player of the Year in 2024 after leading Silverton to the 5A state title. Ellington, meanwhile, was the 6A State Co-Player of the Year – sharing the award with former NCAA champion and current WNBA star Cameron Brink – in 2019 when she led Benson Polytechnic to the 6A state title.
• The Four R's of the Portland State women's basketball program are: Relational, Resilient, Reliable and Ready.
• The Vikings picked five words to define their 2024-25 season: Accountable, Driven, Commitment, Trust and Together. They worked that into a mantra, which is "TOGETHER we rise, DRIVEN by TRUST and COMMITTED to ACCOUNTABILITY."

 
A LEADER IN THE MIDDLE, RHEMA OGELE
One of two four-year starters on the roster, Rhema Ogele will undoubtedly be counted on as a leader for the Vikings this season. Ogele opened and closed last season with her best games of the year. She opened the year with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting to go with 11 rebounds in a road win at UC Davis. She then closed the season with a career-high 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line in the Vikings' first-round loss to Weber State at the Big Sky tournament. If Ogele can approach that level more consistently this season, then the Vikings will have a star on their hands. She started Saturday's season opener against Hawai'i well. She had eight points and six rebounds in the first half, but then didn't score in the second half while adding only three more rebounds. Ogele's hot start and finish last season led her to a career year in which she averaged career bests for points per game (9.7), rebounds per game (6.1) and field goal percentage (.513). Her scoring average was nearly double her next-best average as a sophomore (5.3). Additionally, she hadn't shot better than 43.0 percent before shooting 51.3 percent last season.
 
SHARING IS CARING
A point of emphasis during preseason practices was to share the basketball. Through one game and an exhibition, the Vikings have fulfilled that brief. Despite their offensive struggles against Hawai'i Saturday, the Vikings still assisted on 13 of their 15 field goals in their season opener. That's a higher assist percentage (86.7%) than in any game last season. Alaya Fitzgerald led the way with four assists, while Kyleigh Brown, Jamia Carter and Taylor Moffat added two each. The Vikings also assisted on 17 of 24 field goals in their exhibition win over Montana Tech on Nov. 3. Sophomore Laynee Torres-Kahapea led the way that time with six assists, while Brown and Fitzgerald added five and four assists, respectively. For comparison's sake, the Vikings ranked 10th in the Big Sky a season ago with only 10.2 assists per game.
 
MINE! MINE! MINE!
The Vikings swiped 10 steals while forcing 16 turnovers in Saturday's season opener against Hawai'i. The 10 steals already rank the Vikings tied for second in the Big Sky rankings. Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the conference after grabbing a career-high four steals Saturday. Jamia Carter added three steals and now ranks tied for second in the conference. The Vikings turned their 16 forced turnovers into a 15-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
THREE-HEADED POINT GUARD
Ball handling should be a point of strength for the Vikings this season with a plethora of options at point guard. Newcomer Taylor Moffat started at point during the Vikings' exhibition and season opener, while fellow point guard Laynee Torres-Kahapea has started alongside her. Freshman Kyleigh Brown has also been quick off the bench. The Vikings played all three together for long stretches of their exhibition against Montana Tech. Moffat led the Vikings with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the exhibition. Torres-Kahapea led the Vikings with six assists to go with eight points and two steals. Brown, meanwhile, had the largest plus-minus of anyone in the game at +14 while filling the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds and five assists. The three of them struggled offensively in the team's first counting game of the season, combining for just three points, all of which came from the free-throw line. However, the Vikings will continue to rely on them along with wing Alaya Fitzgerald, who led the Vikings with four assists in Saturday's season opener against Hawai'i.
 
SHE'S HER FROM HERSBERG
Lana Wenger – from Hersberg, Switzerland – opened her senior season with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field in Saturday's season opener against Hawai'i. She scored seven of her nine points in the first half before cooling from the field after halftime. Wenger finished last season playing her best basketball. Her breakout game came in the Vikings' breakthrough first conference win of the season against Idaho State on Feb. 10. She recorded eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while adding six rebounds and a career-high four steals against the Bengals. That kicked off a strong final seven games of the regular season in which she averaged 9.4 points per game while shooting 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three-point range. That was a big jump from her season-long averages of 6.3 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting overall and 31.1 percent from three-point range. Besides the win over Idaho State, Wenger also put together a standout performance in the team's upset win over Montana State on Feb. 22. Wenger scored 11 of the Vikings' first 15 points in the game while tying her then-career high with 13 points. Wenger surpassed that with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while adding five rebounds, in another late-season win over Sacramento State.
 
ROOTING FOR LAY IS A LAYUP
Alaya Fitzgerald – nicknamed Lay – will enter her fourth year in the Vikings' starting lineup this season, joining classmate Rhema Ogele as one of the two veterans in the team's starting five. She provided a veteran presence already in the Vikings' first game of the season Saturday against Hawai'i. Fitzgerald recorded nine points, five rebounds and four assists for the Vikings. Fitzgerald battled through injuries through the early part of the last season, but still averaged a career-best 1.67 three-pointers made per game, finishing the year ranked tied for 10th in the Big Sky. She scored a season-high 19 points in the team's 59-53 breakthrough win over Idaho State on Feb. 10 last season. Fitzgerald tied her career high with four made three-pointers against the Bengals, while setting another season high with four assists.