Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
With respect to the Portland State women's basketball team's other two recent wins, their 66-61 comeback victory over UC Davis last Saturday represented the best of the bunch. Not only did UC Davis represent a strong team that was picked to finish third in the Big West Conference, the Vikings beat them while erasing a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit, marking the program's second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history.
 
The win gives the Vikings momentum heading into the Big Sky-Summit Challenge this week. The Vikings will play two games as part of the Challenge, hosting Omaha Wednesday at 7 p.m. before playing Denver on the road Saturday at 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT.
 
If the Vikings beat Omaha Wednesday, then they'll extend their win streak to four games. That'd represent the Vikings' longest win streak in five seasons, dating back to a four-game win streak from Feb. 29 to March 9, 2020.
 
The Vikings are only in that position thanks to their comeback against UC Davis, of course. Kyleigh Brown led the Vikings back from the fourth-quarter deficit. She scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, with all 14 points coming in the team's first 16 points of the period. By the time Brown scored her last bucket of the game, she had turned a 49-40 deficit into a 56-all tie with 3:57 remaining.
 
Alaya Fitzgerald took over from there, scoring eight of the team's final 10 points and assisting on the other basket. That included two go-ahead three-pointers, the second of which gave the Vikings the lead for good with just over a minute remaining.
 
Brown, Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele – who had 16 points and 13 rebounds against UC Davis Saturday – have all been key figures during the Vikings' recent three-game win streak.
 
Brown, after being held scoreless in the Vikings' first two games, is averaging 12.0 points per game over the team's three-game win streak. In addition to her big play late against UC Davis, Brown hit the dagger three-pointer in the Vikings' 61-52 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24.
 
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, leads the Vikings with 12.2 points per game this season, ranking her 10th in the Big Sky. She's scored in double figures in four of the team's five games this season, including a team-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting overall and 4-of-6 from three-point range in the Vikings' win over Seattle U on Nov. 16.
 
Ogele's double-double against UC Davis represented her second during the Vikings' three-game win streak. She recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' win over Seattle U.
 
The Vikings owe their win streak to more than just those three, though. Against Seattle U, Fitzgerald (14), Ogele (12), Lana Wenger (12), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (10), Brown (9) and Taylor Moffat (8) all scored eight points or more, giving the Vikings an offensive balance they haven't had since the last time they had five players score in double figures against Dixie State (now Utah Tech) on Nov. 12, 2021.
 
The Vikings' last two wins have been credits to their defense. They held Cal State Fullerton to 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the field, the lowest mark for a Viking opponent since Idaho shot an identical 28.6 percent (16-of-56) on Jan. 7, 2023.
 
The Vikings proved that wasn't an anomaly in their game against UC Davis as they held a more potent Aggie offense to 35.9 percent (23-of-64) shooting last Saturday. That marked a season low for a UC Davis team that came into the game leading the Big West Conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
 
Omaha represents another strong offense coming into Wednesday's game. The Mavericks rank third in the Summit League in scoring offense, averaging 70.3 points per game, while they rank third in field goal percentage (.434) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.356). They also rank second with 14.5 assists per game as a team.
 
Grace Cave leads the Mavericks individually. A year after she earned all-league honorable mention after a season in which she led the Mavericks in scoring (12.3), field goal percentage (.413), three-pointers made (40), three-point field goal percentage (.370), assists (97) and blocks (13), she's back in front for the Mavericks. This season, she's leading the team in scoring (13.1), three-pointers made (13), assists (30) and steals (15) among other categories.
 
Besides Cave, Ja Harvey ranks second on the team with 9.2 points per game, while Cora Olsen and Harriet Ford add 8.8 and 8.3 points per game, respectively. Ford leads the Mavs with 8.6 rebounds per game, an average that ranks her third in the Summit League and 87th nationally so far this season.
 
The Mavericks come into Wednesday's game on their own three-game win streak, having beaten Utah State (79-77 in overtime), San Diego (70-66) and Utah Valley (53-48) all in the last week.
 
One team will extend their streak to four games, then, while the other starts over. The Vikings just hope its them seeing their win streak continue Wednesday.
 
BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE DETAILS
The Big Sky Conference and Summit League will be playing for a combined trophy, taking both men's and women's results into consideration equally from 36 total games. Victories in the challenge will be weighted differently based on whether they occur at home or on the road. Teams will be awarded one (1) point for a victory on their home floor, while if a road team emerges with a win, it will be awarded one and one-half (1.5) points for the result. In the event of a tie at the end of all 36 Challenge games, the first tiebreaker will be margin of victory. If there is still a tie following the calculation of margin of victory, the two commissioners will compete in an arm-wrestling contest at the Final Four to determine the champion. The Vikings went 0-2 as part of the Challenge last season, losing to Kansas City, 75-56, on the road, and St. Thomas, 62-44, at home.
 
GAME #6: PORTLAND STATE (3-2) vs. OMAHA (4-4)
GAME DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING OMAHA: The Omaha Mavericks enter Wednesday's game on their own three-game win streak, having beaten Utah State (79-77 in overtime), San Diego (70-66) and Utah Valley (53-48) all in the last week. The three game win streak followed a 1-4 start to the season for the Mavericks. They came into the season picked to finish last in the nine-team Summit League after going 8-23 overall and 3-13 in league play last season. Grace Cave earned Preseason All-Summit League second-team honors. She earned all-league honorable mention after last season in which she led the Mavericks in scoring (12.3), field goal percentage (.413), three-pointers made (40), three-point field goal percentage (.370), assists (97) and blocks (13). She's off to a similar start this season, leading the team in scoring (13.1), three-pointers made (13), assists (30) and steals (15). Besides Cave, Ja Harvey ranks second on the team with 9.2 points per game, while Cora Olsen and Harriet Ford add 8.8 and 8.3 points per game, respectively. Ford leads the Mavs with 8.6 rebounds per game, an average that ranks her third in the Summit League and 87th nationally so far this season. Harvey ranks second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.47), while Cave and Harvey rank third and fourth in the Summit League with 3.8 and 3.7 assists per game, respectively. As a team, the Mavs rank highest offensively within the Summit League. They rank third in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 70.3 points per game, while they rank third in field goal percentage (.434) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.356). They also rank second with 14.5 assists per game as a team. The Mavericks top the Summit League and rank 33rd nationally with 30.0 bench points scored per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Omaha.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat UC Davis 66-61 last Saturday. It was the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in program history.
• The Vikings have won three games in a row heading into Wednesday's home game against Omaha. Another win would give the Vikings their longest win streak in five seasons, dating back to a four-game win streak from Feb. 29 to March 9, 2020.
• Kyleigh Brown scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter against UC Davis, leading the Vikings back to victory. She accounted for 14 of the Vikings' first 16 points in the quarter, with her last bucket tying the game at 56-all with 3:57 remaining.
• Rhema Ogele recorded her second double-double in the past three games with 16 points and 13 rebounds against UC Davis Saturday. Alaya Fitzgerald, meanwhile, finished with 10 points after hitting two go-ahead three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, the second of which gave the Vikings the lead for good with just over a minute left.
• The Vikings held UC Davis – a team leading the Big West Conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage coming into the game – to a season-low 35.9 percent (23-of-64) shooting from the field. That followed another strong defensive performance against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24 when the Vikings held the Titans to 28.6 percent (18-of-63) shooting from the field.
• The Vikings were +6 in turnovers against UC Davis. They continue to lead Big Sky while committing only 14.0 turnovers per game. The Vikings also rank third in the Big Sky in turnover margin (+1.60), as well as fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.96).
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 18th nationally in free throw percentage (.784). They went 23-of-25 from the free throw line against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24.
• After their strong defensive showings recently, the Vikings rank in the top half of the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (5th, 60.8), field goal percentage defense (4th, .375) and three-point field goal percentage defense (3rd, .258).
• The one area where the Vikings struggled against the Aggies was on the glass as UC Davis out-rebounded them 45-to-33. It was the third time in the Vikings' first five games of the season that they have been out-rebounded by 10 or more.
• Senior Alaya Fitzgerald ranks among the Big Sky leaders in six statistical categories between points per game (10th, 12.2), assists per game (9th, 3.40), three-point field goal percentage (1st, .500), three-pointers made per game (3rd, 2.40), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.89) and minutes played per game (8th, 30.3).
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the Big Sky and ranks third nationally with 38.0 minutes played per game. She also ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (.867), ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14) and 11th in assists per game (3.20).
• Rhema Ogele ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 8.60 rebounds per game this season. She stands third in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (6.6) as well as tied for 11th 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 against Cal State Fullerton and didn't play against UC Davis last Saturday due to injury.
• Kyleigh Brown is averaging 12.0 points per game over the team's three-game winning streak. She had scored nine points in back-to-back games against Seattle U and Cal State Fullerton before exploding for 18 points against UC Davis.
• 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 14.0 turnovers committed per game so far this season, ranking them first in the Big Sky and 44th nationally. The Vikings also stand third in the conference in turnover margin (+1.60) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.96). 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 3.40 assists per game so far this season, ranking her ninth in the Big Sky. She also ranks fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89). Torres-Kahapea ranks second behind Fitzgerald with 3.20 assists per game, putting her 11th in the Big Sky. Torres-Kahapea also ranks ninth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14).
 
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 on Nov. 24. The Titans shot just 28.6 percent (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. The Vikings followed up by slowing a potent UC Davis offense in a 66-61 win last Saturday. The Vikings held the Aggies to 35.9 percent (23-of-64) from the floor, a season low for a UC Davis offense that came into the game leading the Big West Conference in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. On the back of those two performances, the Vikings now rank in the top half of the conference in scoring defense (5th, 60.8), field goal percentage (4th, .375) and three-point field goal percentage defense (3rd, .258).
 
SOMETIMES THE BEST OFFENSE IS GETTING TO THE LINE
The Vikings made 23-of-25 shots from the free-throw line in their 61-52 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24. 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 against the Titans. They now lead the Big Sky and rank 18th nationally for free throw percentage, as they're shooting 78.4 percent of their shots from the line. Laynee Torres-Kahapea ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 68th 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 five games this season, the Vikings have fulfilled that brief. They've assisted on over half of their field goals all five 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 against Cal State Fullerton and 14 of 26 field goals against UC Davis, both wins. Alaya Fitzgerald and Laynee Torres-Kahapea lead the way for the Vikings as they rank ninth and 11th in the Big Sky with 3.4 and 3.2 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've struggled from distance in their last two games – going 4-of-16 against Cal State Fullerton and 5-of-19 against UC Davis – Alaya Fitzgerald hit two go-ahead three-pointers late against UC Davis, the second of which gave the Vikings the lead for good with just over a minute remaining. Fitzgerald leads the Big Sky while ranking 14th nationally in three-point field goal percentage, having made 50.0 percent of her shots from distance so far this season. She also ranks third in the Big Sky and 89th nationally with 2.40 makes per game 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 five games of the season. She's scored in double figures in four straight games and now leads the Vikings while ranking 10th in the Big Sky with 12.2 points per game this season. She scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's comeback win over UC Davis, including two go-ahead three pointers late in the quarter. She had 13 points in the Vikings' win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, 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 ninth in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.4), first in three-point field goal percentage (.500), third in three-pointers made per game (2.4), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89) and eighth in minutes played per game (30.3).
 
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's proven that with two double-doubles over the Vikings' last three games. Ogele posted her second double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds against UC Davis last Saturday. That followed 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. She now has eight double-doubles in her Portland State career, ranking her 10th all-time since game-by-game records were kept starting with the 2006-07 season. Ogele leads the Vikings with 8.6 rebounds per game, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky and 96th nationally in the category. She also ranks third in the conference in defensive rebounds (6.60) and tied for 11th in offensive rebounds (2.00) per game. 
 
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 on Nov. 24. She's been an integral part of the Vikings' success on the ball this season while leading the Big Sky and ranking third nationally with 38.0 minutes per game. She heads into Wednesday's game against Omaha ranked 11th in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.20) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14). She also ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 68th nationally while making 86.7 percent of her shots from the charity stripe.
 
BAD, BAD, KYLEIGH BROWN
Like Leroy Brown, Kyleigh Brown proved she's the baddest (player) in the whole damned (gym). We may have made a few edits there, but the sentiment remains the same given her performance against UC Davis last Saturday. With the Vikings trailing 49-40 entering the fourth quarter, Brown went off for 14 points in the final period while leading the Vikings all the way back to a 66-61 victory over the Aggies. Brown's 14 points all came within the Vikings' first 16 points in the quarter, turning the team's nine-point deficit at the start of the quarter into a 56-all tie with 3:57 remaining. Brown finished with a game-high 18 points in the game. She's averaging 12.0 points per game over the team's three-game win streak after being held scoreless in the team's first two games of the season.
 
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 five games, Wenger ranks second on the team and 15th in the Big Sky with 11.3 points per game. Wenger also ranks tied for seventh 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.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Portland State 66, UC Davis 61: The Vikings erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to complete their second-biggest comeback in school history. Kyleigh Brown led the way, scoring 14 of her game-high 18 points in the final period.
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.