Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team will need to put a frustrating result Wednesday in the rearview mirror as the Vikings hit the road for the second of their two Big Sky-Summit Challenge games Saturday (12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT) at Denver.
 
The Vikings led by as many as 12 points in the first half against Omaha Wednesday, only for the Mavericks to charge back in the second half and beat the Vikings 65-57. The Vikings actually out-shot (.431-to-.396) and out-rebounded (33-to-29) the Mavericks, but couldn't overcome deficits in turnovers (22 by PSU, 15 by Omaha) and free-throw attempts (24 for Omaha, 12 for PSU).
 
The turnovers were uncharacteristic for the Vikings. They came into the game leading the Big Sky while giving up only 14 turnovers per game. But they coughed up eight more than that average against the Mavericks, which Omaha turned into a 23-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Denver's 24 free-throw attempts – 20 of which they made, five more than any other team against the Vikings this season – were also tough to swallow. The attempts came with foul trouble for several of the Vikings' key players. Chief among that group was Rhema Ogele, who somehow still scored in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting despite playing a season-low 18 minutes, 57 seconds due to the foul trouble.
 
Even with all that, the Vikings had their chances. They twice erased deficits in the fourth quarter to come back and tie it. Ogele had four straight points to draw the Vikings even at 57-all with 2:05 remaining. But a cold finish in which the Vikings missed their last three shots – they were 4-of-15 from the field over the entire fourth quarter – allowed the Mavericks to score the final eight points of the game.
 
Had the Vikings completed the comeback, they would have matched their longest win streak in five seasons.
 
The Vikings will now hope to start a new streak against the Pioneers Saturday. Ogele and Kyleigh Brown figure to be two key pieces of that. Both have played well over the team's last four games. Ogele has scored in double figures in all four – including two double-doubles – while averaging 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during that span. Brown, meanwhile, has scored 18 points in back-to-back games, while adding 10 rebounds against Omaha Wednesday for the first double-double of her career.
 
Brown scored 14 of her 18 points against UC Davis in the fourth quarter last Saturday. All 14 came amid the Vikings' first 16 points in the quarter, as she turned a 49-40 deficit entering the final period into a 56-all tie with 3:57 remaining.
 
Brown now heads into Saturday's game averaging 13.5 points per game over the team's last four games.
 
Alaya Fitzgerald had been on a similar heater to Ogele and Brown – scoring in double figures in four straight games – but was held to two points Wednesday against Omaha. She's still matched her career best with 10.5 points per game so far this season.
 
Denver features a strong 1-2 punch of its own in Jordan Jones and Emma Smith. Jones, a preseason All-Summit League First Team selection, leads the Pioneers while ranking second in the Summit League and 35th nationally with 19.3 points per game. She also leads the Pioneers while ranking third in the Summit League with 8.6 rebounds per game.
 
Smith, meanwhile, averages 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. She ranks third in the Summit League with 1.86 three-pointers made per game, while she also ranks fourth in steals with 2.00 per game.
 
Idaho State slowed both of those players in their 73-61 win over the Pioneers in Pocatello Wednesday. The Bengals held Jones and Smith to 19 points combined as both shot 33.3 percent or worse from the field.
 
The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Pioneers. All three of those wins have come at home where the Pioneers are 3-1 this season.
 
The Pioneers have won games behind their elite free throw shooting. In a way, Wednesday's game against Omaha may have been a fortunate warning sign for the Vikings, then. Like Omaha did against the Vikings, the Pioneers get to the line a lot throughout games. They lead the Summit League and rank 13th nationally with 16.7 free throws made per game.
 
Slow down that march to the line, and the Vikings will give themselves a chance. A win would not only start a new win streak for the Vikings, it would also give them their first win in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. They're 0-3 in three previous attempts, including Wednesday's loss to Omaha.
 
A road win would deliver 1.5 points to the Big Sky, which could prove critical as the conferences sit tied at 10.5-10.5 after the opening night of the Challenge Wednesday.
 
And then the Vikings may not mind looking back in the rearview mirror as they head back to Portland.
 
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 are 0-3 as part of the Challenge, losing to Kansas City, 75-56, on the road, and St. Thomas, 62-44, at home last season, before dropping Wednesday's game against Omaha, 65-57. The leagues are tied at 10.5-to-10.5 after Wednesday's games.
 
GAME #7: PORTLAND STATE (3-3) vs. DENVER (3-4)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 7, 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT, Denver, Colo. (Hamilton Gymnasium)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING DENVER: The Denver Pioneers had their own three-game win streak snapped Wednesday with a 73-61 road loss to Idaho State. The Pioneers had won three straight before that against Christian Brothers University, 78-48, UC San Diego, 67-59 (OT), and UC Irvine, 60-50. All three of those wins came in the Pioneers' home gym, where they are 3-1 this season. Coming into the year, Summit League coaches picked the Pioneers to finish sixth in the nine-team conference. Denver's Jordan Jones made the preseason All-Summit League First Team after earning All-Summit League Second Team honors after last season. She's proven herself worthy of those accolades through the team's first seven games this season. She's leading the Pioneers with 19.3 points per game, a scoring average that ranks her second in the Summit League and 35th nationally. She also ranks third in the conference and 93rd nationally with 8.6 rebounds per game, while she leads the Summit League and ranks 18th nationally with 7.6 defensive rebounds per game. Emma Smith has been a strong running mate with Jones so far this season, averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Smith ranks third in the Summit League with 1.86 three-pointers made per game, while she also ranks fourth in steals with 2.00 per game. As a team, the Pioneers represent a strong defense as they top the Summit League in scoring defense while allowing only 62.1 points per game. They also rank third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense (.286) and turnover margin (+2.00). The majority of the Pioneers' offense has come from either the three-point line or the free-throw line. They lead the Summit League while also ranking in the top 15 nationally in both free throw percentage (.796) and free throws made per game (16.7). They also top their conference while ranking 25th nationally with 26.9 three-pointers attempted per game. They don't make them at a high rate, as they rank seventh in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.255).
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings have won all five of their previous meetings with Denver. However, the teams have only met once since the turn of the century. The Vikings won that, 70-66, on Dec. 20, 2011, in a preseason tournament in Hawai'i. The teams last played in Denver during the 1997-98 season, which was a 69-53 Portland State victory.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings led by as many as 12 points in the first half against Omaha Wednesday, but couldn't hold off a second-half comeback in a 65-57 loss.  
• The Vikings committed a season-high 22 turnovers against Omaha, which the Mavericks turned into a 23-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Mavericks shot 12 more free throws than the Vikings while going 20-of-24 (.833) from the free-throw line. Omaha's 20 free throws made were five more than any other team has had against the Vikings this season.
• The loss to the Mavericks snapped a three-game winning streak for the Vikings. If they had won Wednesday, then it would have matched their longest winning streak in five seasons.
• Kyleigh Brown matched the career high she set in the Vikings' comeback win over UC Davis last Saturday while recording her first double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Omaha. She's now averaging 13.5 points per game over the team's last four games after being held scoreless in the team's first two games.
• 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. Kyleigh Brown scored 14 of the Vikings' first 16 points in the fourth quarter.
• Rhema Ogele has scored in double figures in four straight games, while she's recorded a double-double in two of those four. She's averaging 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the team's last four games. She scored 10 points while playing a season-low 18:57 Wednesday due to foul trouble.
• The Vikings have held their last four opponents to under 40 percent shooting. They held Cal State Fullerton to under 30 percent on Nov. 24, as the Titans shot just 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the field. They followed that by holding 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 last Saturday.
• The Vikings' 22 turnovers against Omaha Wednesday were eight more than their Big Sky-leading average (14.0 per game) coming into the game. They still rank fourth in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (15.3 now) and turnover margin (+0.17).
• The Vikings assisted on only eight of their 22 field goals against Omaha. That marked the first time the Vikings had assisted on less than 50 percent of their field goals in a game this season.
• The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 30th nationally in free throw percentage (.767). 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, 61.5), field goal percentage defense (4th, .378) and three-point field goal percentage defense (4th, .262).
• Senior Alaya Fitzgerald ranks among the Big Sky leaders in five statistical categories between assists per game (10th, 3.17), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .429), three-pointers made per game (5th, 2.00), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.73) and minutes played per game (4th, 31.6).
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the Big Sky and ranks 14th nationally with 36.2 minutes played per game. She also ranks 11th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.95) and tied for 12th in assists per game (3.00).
• Rhema Ogele ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 7.83 rebounds per game this season. She also stands third in the conference in field goal percentage (.508) as well as fourth in defensive rebounds per game (6.00).
• Lana Wenger leads the Vikings with 11.3 points per game, though she hasn't played in the Vikings' last two games. She had scored in double figures in back-to-back games, including a career-high 18 points at San Francisco on Nov. 12, before being held to six points against Cal State Fullerton when she suffered her injury.
• 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
The Vikings committed an uncharacteristic 22 turnovers in Wednesday's loss to Omaha. That was eight more than the Vikings averaged coming into the game (14.0), which had put them atop the Big Sky and in the top 50 nationally. The Vikings still stand fourth in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (15.3 after Wednesday), while they also rank fourth in the conference in turnover margin (+0.17). The Vikings' three primary ball handlers all had an off game against Omaha. Laynee Torres-Kahapea, Taylor Moffat and Kyleigh Brown all had four turnovers or more. The Vikings' ability to go to any of those three, as well as Alaya Fitzgerald on the wing, had been a tribute to their success on the ball this season. Fitzgerald still leads the Vikings with 3.17 assists per game, ranking her 10th in the Big Sky. She also ranks fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73). Torres-Kahapea averages 3.00 assists per game, ranking her tied for 12th in the Big Sky. She also ranks 11th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.95).
 
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. They 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. Omaha, meanwhile, became the fourth straight opponent that the Vikings held below 40 percent shooting. On the back of those recent performances, the Vikings now rank in the top half of the conference in scoring defense (5th, 61.5), field goal percentage defense (4th, .378) and three-point field goal percentage defense (4th, .262).
 
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 rank second in the Big Sky and 30th nationally for free throw percentage, as they're making 76.7 percent of their shots from the line. Laynee Torres-Kahapea had been ranked fourth in the Big Sky and in the top 75 nationally while making 86.7 percent of her shots from the line but fell below the 2.5 makes per game minimum after Wednesday's game against Omaha.
 
SHARING IS CARING
A point of emphasis during preseason practices was to share the basketball. While the Vikings dipped Wednesday, recording only eight assists on 22 field goals, they've generally fulfilled that brief this season. Wednesday's game was the first time this season that the Vikings assisted on less than 50 percent of their field goals. They assisted on 13 of 15 field goals in their season opener against Hawai'i on Nov. 9 for 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. They helped on 12 of 17 field goals against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, then 14 of 26 against UC Davis last Saturday, both wins. Alaya Fitzgerald and Laynee Torres-Kahapea lead the way for the Vikings as they rank 10th and tied for 12th in the Big Sky with 3.17 and 3.00 assists per game, respectively.
 
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 six games of the season. She's scored in double figures in four of the six games and has matched her career best with 10.5 points per game so far 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 within the final two minutes. 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 five different statistical categories. She ranks 10th in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.17), third in three-point field goal percentage (.508), fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.0), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73) and fourth in minutes played per game (31.6).
 
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 by scoring in double figures in each of the last four games, including two double-doubles. She comes into Saturday's game at Denver averaging 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the team's last four games. She scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting Wednesday against Omaha despite playing a season-low 18:57 due to foul trouble. The game before, she posted her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Vikings' comeback win over 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 7.83 rebounds per game, ranking her fifth in the Big Sky. She also ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage (.508) and fourth in defensive rebounds (6.00) 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 14th nationally with 36.2 minutes per game. She heads into Saturday's game at Denver ranked tied for 12th in the Big Sky in assists per game (3.00) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.95). She had ranked fourth in the Big Sky and in the top 75 nationally in free throw percentage, making 86.7 percent of her shots from the line, but dropped below the minimum 2.5 makes per game to be ranked.
 
BAD, BAD, KYLEIGH BROWN
Like Leroy Brown, Kyleigh Brown proved she's the baddest (player) in the whole darn (gym). We may have made a few edits there, but the sentiment remains the same given recent performances. With the Vikings trailing 49-40 entering the fourth quarter against UC Davis last Saturday, 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 matched that with 18 points Wednesday against Omaha while adding 10 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. She's averaging 13.5 points per game over the team's last four games 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. She's missed the Vikings' last two games due to a hip injury she suffered against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24. Because of that, she's dropped out of the statistical rankings but would rank among the scoring leaders as she leads the Vikings with 11.3 points per game. 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.