Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team will go for its third win in a row Saturday as the Vikings host UC Davis at 2 p.m. The game will be the first of a doubleheader with the Portland State men's basketball team, which faces Utah Tech at 5 p.m.
 
The Viking women head into the game after back-to-back victories over Seattle U (67-57 on Nov. 16) and Cal State Fullerton (61-52 this past Sunday).
 
The Vikings won both games in very different ways. Offense ruled in the Vikings' victory over Seattle U. They shot a season-high 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field against the Redhawks including 9-of-21 (.429) from three-point range. Six different Vikings scored at least eight points in the game, giving them a depth of scoring they haven't seen since they last had five players score in double figures on Nov 12, 2021.
 
Against Cal State Fullerton, though, it was the defense that led the way for the Vikings. They held Cal State Fullerton to just 28.6 percent (18-of-63) shooting from the field, the lowest mark for a Viking opponent in nearly two years. No Viking opponent had shot less than 30 percent since Idaho shot an identical 28.6 percent (16-of-56) on Jan. 7, 2023.
 
On the back of that performance, the Vikings now rank third in the Big Sky Conference in both field goal percentage defense (.379) and three-point field goal percentage (.250). They also stand fourth in the conference in scoring defense while allowing only 60.8 points per game.
 
Free-throw shooting also led the Vikings to their victory over Cal State Fullerton Sunday. With the Vikings struggling from the field, they found their way to the line where they went 23-of-25. The Vikings now lead the Big Sky and rank 13th nationally in free throw percentage, as the team is making 80.3 percent of its shots from the line.
 
Individually, Rhema Ogele led the Vikings with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with a team-high seven rebounds against Cal State Fullerton. That was her second straight game scoring in double figures after she recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Seattle U.
 
Alaya Fitzgerald added 13 points against Cal State Fullerton while going 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She leads the Vikings with 12.8 points per game this season, ranking her 10th in the Big Sky Conference. Lana Wenger ranks behind her at 15th with 11.3 points per game.
 
Fitzgerald and Laynee Torres-Kahapea lead the Vikings on the ball this season. The pair rank eighth and 12th in the Big Sky with 3.50 and 3.25 assists per game, respectively. They also rank third and 10th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.33 and 1.18, respectively.
 
The Vikings will need to be efficient against the Aggies, as they likely represent the Vikings' biggest challenge since their season opener against Hawai'i. The Aggies represent the third Big West Conference team the Vikings will play this season besides Hawai'i and Cal State Fullerton. While Hawai'i was picked to win the conference before the season, UC Davis was picked to finish third. The Aggies have proven worthy of their high preseason ranking so far. Offensively, they lead the Big West in scoring offense with 72.5 points per game. They also top the conference in assists (15.3) and three-pointers made (8.5) per game, while they rank second in both field goal percentage (.429) and three-point field goal percentage (.347).
 
Defensively, the Aggies rank second in the Big West in both blocks (5.0) and steals (10.7) per game.
 
Tova Sabel, a two-time All-Big West honoree, leads the Aggies with 15.2 points per game, ranking her third in the Big West, just ahead of teammate Megan Norris who ranks fourth with 14.3 points per game. Norris tops the conference in field goal percentage (.534) while Sabel and Norris rank third and fifth in the conference with 1.83 and 1.33 blocks per game, respectively.
 
The Aggies not only represent a good challenge for the Vikings, they'll also serve as an early season barometer for how the Vikings stack up within the Big Sky Conference. The Aggies have split two previous games against Big Sky opponents this season. They lost 77-59 on the road against Montana State on Nov. 17, but then bounced back with a 76-45 home win over Sacramento State three days later.
 
The Vikings opened last season with a win over the Aggies. It was a 71-62 road win in which Ogele led the Vikings with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field to go with 11 rebounds.
 
Good performances have been typical for the Vikings against the Aggies. Besides Ogele, current assistant coach Ashley Bolston recorded the first of her two career triple-doubles with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists while leading the Vikings to a 65-50 win over the Aggies on Nov. 16, 2018. Kylie Jimenez followed with 25 points and eight steals in a 76-70 road win over the Aggies the next year on Nov. 30, 2019.
 
Who will step up for the Vikings Saturday remains to be seen. But if someone does, then it wouldn't only mean a third straight win for the Vikings but a statement win at that.
 
PROMOTIONS
The Associated Students of Portland State University will host a Viksgiving event as part of the doubleheader between the Portland State women's and men's basketball teams. PSU students with a valid ID may come and be served a Thanksgiving dinner at 2 p.m. Vegan options will be available. Additional games, raffle prizes and more will be available throughout both games.
 
GAME #5: PORTLAND STATE (2-2) vs. UC DAVIS (3-3)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING UC DAVIS: The UC Davis Aggies have already played two Big Sky Conference opponents this season, making Saturday's meeting with the Vikings a good early season barometer. The Aggies lost 77-59 on the road against Montana State on Nov. 17, but then followed it up with a 76-45 home win over Sacramento State on Nov. 20. The Aggies added another win on Sunday, beating Santa Clara 74-70 on the road, to level their record at 3-3. The Aggies will be the third Big West team the Vikings have played already this season following Hawai'i and Cal State Fullerton. Big West coaches picked the Aggies to finish third in the conference before the start of the season. Tova Sabel made the preseason All-Big West team after earning her second All-Big West honor last season. Sabel leads the Aggies with 15.2 points per game so far this season, ranking her third in the conference, just ahead of teammate Megan Norris who ranks fourth in the conference with 14.3 points per game. Sabel and Norris also rank third and fifth in the Big West with 1.83 and 1.33 blocks per game, respectively. Norris tops the conference in field goal percentage, having made 53.4 percent of her shots so far this season. As a team, the Aggies feature one of the better offenses the Vikings have faced so far this season. They lead the Big West in scoring offense while averaging 72.5 points per game. They also top the conference in assists (15.3) and three-pointers made (8.5) per game, while they rank second in both field goal percentage (.429) and three-point field goal percentage (.347). Defensively, the Aggies rank second in the Big West in both blocks (5.0) and steals (10.7) per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Aggies, 12-5. They've won the last three meetings with the Aggies, including a 71-62 road victory to open last season. The teams last faced each other at Viking Pavilion on Nov. 16, 2018. Current Portland State assistant coach Ashley Bolston led the Vikings to a 65-50 victory in that game while recording the first of two triple-doubles she had during her senior season.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings won their second straight game last Sunday, beating Cal State Fullerton 61-52. The win followed a 67-57 road victory for the Vikings over Seattle U on Nov. 16.
• The Vikings held Cal State Fullerton to 28.6 percent (18-of-63) shooting from the field. That's the lowest an opponent has shot against the Vikings in nearly two years. Idaho shot an identical 28.6 percent (16-of-56) against the Vikings on Jan. 7, 2023.
• Rhema Ogele led the Vikings with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds against Cal State Fullerton. She's now scored in double figures in back-to-back games, upping her season averages to 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Alaya Fitzgerald scored in double figures for the third straight game with 13 points and now leads the Vikings with 12.8 points per game this season.
• The Vikings went 23-of-25 from the free throw line against Cal State Fullerton. They lead the Big Sky and rank 13th nationally in free throw percentage now, making 80.3 percent of their shots as a team.
• The Vikings shot season highs from the field (49.1 percent) and from three-point range (42.9 percent) in their win over Seattle U. Six different Vikings scored eight points or more against Seattle U. Alaya Fitzgerald led the way with 14 points, while Rhema Ogele (12), Lana Wenger (12) and Laynee Torres-Kahapea (10) all finished in double figures. Kyleigh Brown (9) and Taylor Moffat (8) nearly joined them.
• The Vikings are +6 on the glass over their last two games. That includes a +7 (35-28) performance against Seattle U on Nov. 16, as well as a narrow -1 (35-36) loss on the glass to Cal State Fullerton last Sunday. Both have been marked improvements from the first two games of the season when the Vikings were out-rebounded by Hawai'i (-10) and San Francisco (-13) by 10 or more.
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky while only giving up 14.5 turnovers per game. They rank third in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.91) and tied for third in turnover margin (+0.5).
• After their strong defensive showing against Cal State Fullerton, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky in both field goal percentage defense (.379) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.250). They also rank fourth in scoring defense while giving up only 60.8 points per game.
• The Vikings have shot less than 40 percent from the floor in three of their four games so far. They head into Sunday ranked 10th in the Big Sky in scoring offense (58.5) and field goal percentage (.362).
• Senior Alaya Fitzgerald ranks among the Big Sky leaders in six statistical categories between points per game (10th, 12.8), assists per game (8th, 3.50), three-point field goal percentage (2nd, .500), three-pointers made per game (T-2nd, 2.50), assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd, 2.33) and minutes played per game (3rd, 32.5).
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the nation with 38.1 minutes played per game. She also ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (.867), eighth in steals per game (1.75), 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18) and 12th in assists per game (3.25).
• Rhema Ogele ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 7.50 rebounds per game this season. She stands fifth in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (5.5) as well as 13th in offensive rebounds per game (2.00).
• Lana Wenger ranks 15th in the Big Sky with 11.3 points per game. She had scored in double figures in back-to-back games, including a career-high 18 points at San Francisco on Nov. 12, but was held to six points Sunday against Cal State Fullerton. Wenger also ranks tied for sixth in the Big Sky with 1.00 blocks per game.
• 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."

 
BALL CONTROL
Every team can say they want to take care of the ball, but the Vikings can legitimately claim that they do. They average just 14.5 turnovers committed per game so far this season, ranking them second in the Big Sky and 74th nationally. The Vikings also stand third in the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio (0.91) as well as tied for third in turnover margin (+0.50). The ball security is a tribute to the Vikings' depth of ball-handlers this season. The Vikings play three different point guards at times between Kyleigh Brown, Taylor Moffat and Laynee Torres-Kahapea, and then can also go to Alaya Fitzgerald on the wing. It's Fitzgerald who's leading the Vikings with 3.50 assists per game so far this season, ranking her eighth in the Big Sky. She also ranks third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33). Torres-Kahapea ranks second behind Fitzgerald with 3.25 assists per game, putting her 12th in the Big Sky. Torres-Kahapea also ranks 10th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18).
 
EMERGING DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
The Vikings held an opponent below 30 percent shooting for the first time in nearly two years while beating Cal State Fullerton Sunday. The Titans shot just 28.6 percentage (18-of-63) from the field against the Vikings, the lowest mark for a Viking opponent since Idaho shot an identical 28.6 percent (16-of-56) on Jan. 7, 2023. On the back of that performance, the Vikings have risen to third in the Big Sky in both field goal percentage defense (.379) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.250). They also rank fourth in the Big Sky in scoring defense (60.8), after holding both Seattle U and Cal State Fullerton to under 60 points in their two recent wins against them.
 
SOMETIMES THE BEST OFFENSE IS GETTING TO THE LINE
The Vikings made 23-of-25 shots from the free-throw line Sunday in their 61-52 win over Cal State Fullerton. The 23 makes were the most by the Vikings in nearly two years, dating back to their game against New Mexico State on Dec. 17, 2022. The 23 makes also accounted for more than a third of the Vikings' scoring Sunday. They now lead the Big Sky and rank 13th nationally for free throw percentage, as they're shooting 80.3 percent of their shots from the line. Laynee Torres-Kahapea ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 92nd nationally individually while making 86.7 percent of her shots from the line.
 
SHARING IS CARING
A point of emphasis during preseason practices was to share the basketball. Through four games this season, the Vikings have fulfilled that brief. They've assisted on over half of their field goals all four games so far this season. That includes 13 assists on 15 field goals in their season opener against Hawai'i on Nov. 9 – a higher assist percentage (86.7%) than the Vikings had in any game last season. The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 26 field goals in their win over Seattle U on Nov. 16, then assisted on 12 of 17 field goals in Sunday's win over Cal State Fullerton. Alaya Fitzgerald and Laynee Torres-Kahapea lead the way for the Vikings as they rank eighth and 12th in the Big Sky with 3.5 and 3.25 assists per game, respectively.
 
THE VIKS DIG THE LONG BALL
The Vikings cracked 40 percent from three-point range for the first time this season while making 9-of-21 attempts (42.9 percent) in their win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. While they struggled from the three-point line Sunday – making just four of 16 shots – two second-half three-pointers from Kyleigh Brown helped seal the win for the Vikings. Despite that poor shooting performance against Cal State Fullerton, the Vikings still rank fifth in the Big Sky in both three-point field goal percentage (.325) and makes per game (6.75). Alaya Fitzgerald ranks second in both categories individually, as she's making 2.5 three-pointers per game on 50.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Lana Wenger ranks second on the team with five makes from three-point range this season while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.
 
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's provided a veteran presence already in the Vikings' first three games of the season. She's scored in double figures in three straight games and now leads the Vikings while ranking 10th in the Big Sky with 12.8 points per game this season. She had 13 points in last Sunday's win over Cal State Fullerton, after leading the Vikings with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting overall and 4-of-6 from three-point range in their road win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. Fitzgerald now ranks among the Big Sky leaders in six different statistical categories. Besides scoring, Fitzgerald ranks eighth in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.5), second in three-point field goal percentage (.500), tied for second in three-pointers made per game (2.5), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33) and third in minutes played per game (32.5).
 
A LEADER IN THE MIDDLE, RHEMA OGELE
One of two four-year starters on the roster with Alaya Fitzgerald, Rhema Ogele will undoubtedly be counted on as a leader for the Vikings this season. She proved that with her first double-double of the season in the Vikings' road win over Seattle U. Ogele finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the game, giving her seven double-doubles in her PSU career now. She nearly added another in Sunday's victory over Cal State Fullerton as she led the Vikings with 14 points (on 5-of-9 shooting) to go with seven rebounds. She leads the Vikings with 7.50 rebounds per game for the season, ranking her sixth in the Big Sky Conference in the category. She also ranks fifth in the conference in defensive rebounds (5.50) and 13th in offensive rebounds (2.00) per game.  
 
SHE'S HER FROM HERSBERG
Lana Wenger – from Hersberg, Switzerland – posted career numbers in the Vikings' close loss to San Francisco on Nov. 12. She scored a career-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks against the Dons. She followed with 12 points to go with five rebounds in the Vikings' 67-57 win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. Through four games, Wenger ranks second on the team and 15th in the Big Sky with 11.3 points per game. Wenger also ranks tied for sixth in blocks per game (1.00). Wenger's strong start to the season follows a big finish to the previous year. Over the team's final seven games of the 2023-24 regular season, Wenger 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.
 
GIVE HER A GATORADE…PLAYER OF THE YEAR, THAT IS
Sophomore Laynee Torres-Kahapea – the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Hawai'i – has seamlessly stepped into the starting lineup for the Vikings. Torres-Kahapea scored in double figures in back-to-back games against San Francisco and Seattle U, then followed with seven points and five assists in the Vikings' win over Cal State Fullerton Sunday. She's been an integral part of the Vikings' success on the ball this season while playing an NCAA-leading 38.1 minutes per game. She heads into Saturday's game against UC Davis ranked 12th in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.25) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33). She also ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 92nd nationally while making 86.7 percent of her shots from the charity stripe.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Portland State 61, Cal State Fullerton 52: The Vikings held Cal State Fullerton to just 28.6 percent (18-of-63) shooting Sunday, the lowest mark by a Viking opponent since Idaho shot an identical 28.6 percent (16-of-56) from the floor on Jan. 7, 2023. The Vikings also went 23-of-25 from the free throw line in the win.
Portland State 67, Seattle U 57: The Vikings picked up their first win of the season as six different players scored eight or more points. They shot season highs from the field (49.1 percent) and from three-point range (42.9 percent) while out-rebounding the Redhawks 35-to-28.