Complete game notes (PDF)
 

TIPOFF

The Portland State women's basketball team went 0-for-2 on the road last weekend, but along the way may have re-found its offense. That's the hope on the Park Blocks, at least, as the Vikings look to follow up their breakthrough 59-53 win over Idaho State on Feb. 10 – the team's first conference win of the season – with another.
 
The quest for that second conference win moves back home to Viking Pavilion where the Vikings made their original breakthrough against the Bengals. The Vikings host Montana State and Montana at Viking Pavilion this weekend, starting with a Thursday night contest against the Bobcats. The game, which will double as the Vikings' Pride Night celebration and feature a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing in honor of Black History Month, tips off at 6 p.m.
 
The Vikings' last Pride Night was a doozy. Esmeralda Morales hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining to beat Weber State 65-64 on Jan. 19, 2023.
 
Morales and the rest of the Vikings may have re-found their three-point shooting before Thursday's Pride Night game against the Bobcats. That's how it looked against NAU last Saturday, when the Vikings set conference season highs for points (73), field goal percentage (.509), field goals (27), three-point field goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goals (11).
 
The three-point shooting form may have been the most welcomed discovery for the Vikings. After shooting just 24.5 percent from three-point range while averaging just 5.4 makes per game during their 15-game losing streak, the Vikings have jumped to 40.3 percent and 8.3 makes per game over their last three games. That started with the Vikings' breakthrough against Idaho State on Feb. 10, but went full bloom against NAU last Saturday.
 
And best of all, it hasn't just been Morales.
 
Morales has still gotten hers. She finished 4-of-8 from three-point range against NAU last Saturday while recording her ninth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 22 points. But Laynee Torres-Kahapea set a career high alongside Morales against NAU, going 3-of-4 from three-point range. Alaya Fitzgerald and Mia 'Uhila, meanwhile, each tied their career highs for three-pointers in the Vikings' win over Idaho State, finishing with four and three makes, respectively. Against Northern Colorado last Thursday, Sofía Llanos and Lana Wenger joined Morales with two makes each.
 
The Vikings had a strong outside shooting game the last time they played the Bobcats despite falling 71-50 in Bozeman on Jan. 27. It didn't start that way, as the Vikings missed their first 10 shots from the field. However, they caught fire from there, making seven of their next nine while finishing the game 9-of-30 (.300) from beyond the arc. The nine makes matched the Vikings' conference season high until the Vikings hit 11 against NAU Saturday.
 
A repeat performance – or even a little better, given the Vikings' recent offensive breakthrough – would do wonders Thursday. The Bobcats won't make it easy, as they have one of the strongest defenses within the Big Sky this season. They head into the weekend leading the Big Sky in turnovers forced (18.0) and steals (9.5) per game while ranking second in blocks per game (3.4) and third in scoring defense (58.8 points allowed per game).
 
The Bobcats held the Vikings to just 50 points the last time around, while finishing plus-eight in the turnover margin (21-to-13).
 
Beyond the defense, the aspect that hurt the Vikings the last time against the Bobcats was the way Montana State controlled the paint. They outscored the Vikings 48-8 in the painted area, which is still the largest discrepancy for the Vikings within a game this season.
 
The Vikings know they'll need to be better if they want to get a win Thursday.
 
Morales led the Vikings with 19 points in the team's last game against the Bobcats, but she and Fitzgerald, who had 13 points, were the only two in double figures. Montana State countered with 17 points form Marah Dykstra to go with 14 from Taylor Janssen and 13 from Madison Hall.
 
The great thing about Saturday's offensive breakthrough was that Morales, Torres-Kahapea and Fitzgerald all went into double figures. And the Vikings had two others with nine points (Wenger and 'Uhila) beyond that.
 
They'll need that balance Thursday against the Bobcats. If they get it, and get the win as a result, then it'll be a prideful Pride Night for the Vikings.
 

GAME #27: PORTLAND STATE (6-20, 1-13) vs. MONTANA STATE (14-12, 8-5)

GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE: The Montana State Bobcats had won five games in a row before dropping its last two games to Northern Arizona, 71-58 on Feb. 10, and Montana, 72-50 on Feb. 17. The Bobcats' best win during their five-game win streak was a 62-61 victory over Eastern Washington on Feb. 1, as the Eagles entered the game with just one conference loss to that point in the season. The Bobcats also beat the Vikings, 71-50, on Jan. 27, during that win streak. The Bobcats jumped out to a 32-12 lead early in that game before the Vikings caught fire from three-point range, making seven of nine from the outside at one point. The Bobcats maintained at least a nine-point lead the whole way, however, thanks to a dominant showing in the paint where they outscored the Vikings 48-8. The Bobcats have generally relied on an outstanding defense to win games this season. They lead the Big Sky in turnovers forced (18.0) and steals (9.5) per game while ranking second in blocks per game (3.4) and third in scoring defense (58.8 points allowed per game). Katelynn Limardo and Natalie Picton lead the Bobcats with 1.73 and 1.69 steals per game, averages that rank them third and fifth in the Big Sky, respectively. The Bobcats were without Limardo the last time they played the Vikings, but she has since returned from a scary-looking injury she suffered against Montana on Jan. 20. The Bobcats have generally dealt with injuries all season, as in addition to Limardo being out, Lexi Deden has been out since the first six games of the season. Deden led the Bobcats with 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game through those six games. Limardo has stepped up in her absence, leading the Bobcats with 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Madison Hall and Marah Dykstra also average in double figures for the Bobcats with 10.8 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Dykstra led the Bobcats with 17 points to go with five rebounds and five assists the last time the Bobcats played the Vikings. Taylor Janssen followed with 14 points against the Vikings, while Hall finished with 13 on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bobcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 43-31.  That includes wins in five of the teams' last six games against each other. The Vikings' one recent win was a doozy, at least, as they upset the defending conference champions in the Bobcats in the quarterfinals of last season's Big Sky tournament on March 5, 2023. The Bobcats avenged that loss with a 71-50 win over the Vikings in Bozeman on Jan. 27 earlier this season.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 59-53 win over Idaho State on Feb. 10. They followed up with back-to-back losses to Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona last weekend, losing 65-48 to the Bears last Thursday and 89-73 to the Lumberjacks Saturday.
• Saturday's loss to NAU still featured the best offensive showing of the conference season for the Vikings. They set conference season highs for points (73), field goal percentage (.509), field goals (27), three-point field goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goals (11).
• Turnovers cost the Vikings in both games last week. Against the Bears last Thursday, while both teams finished with 15 turnovers, the Bears outscored the Vikings 19-4 off those 15 turnovers. Against NAU last Saturday, the Vikings finished minus-13 (21-to-8) in the turnover margin while being outscored 29-6 off turnovers.
• Northern Arizona became the first team in the Vikings' last six games to shoot better than 50 percent against the Vikings. Six of eight opponents in January topped 50 percent against the Vikings, but PSU had held its first five opponents in February below that mark. That included a conference season low for Idaho State, which the Vikings held to 33.9 percent in their win on Feb. 10.
• The Vikings have distributed the ball better in their last three games, starting with their win over Idaho State. The Vikings tied their season high with 17 assists on 22 field goals against the Bengals. They followed up with 12 assists on 16 field goals against Northern Colorado last Saturday. In their last three games, the Vikings are averaging 13.3 assists per game. That's after averaging only 9.0 assists per game during their 15-game losing streak.
• Northern Arizona became the 21st team out of 26 opponents this season to outscore the Vikings in the paint. Out of those 21 teams, 15 have done so by at least 10 points.
• Esmeralda Morales continues to lead the Big Sky Conference with 16.5 points per game. She had been averaging just 9.5 points per game over the team's last four games before breaking out of that slump with 22 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range against NAU last Saturday. That was her ninth 20-point game of the season. Morales needs just 17 points to move into the all-time top 10 in career scoring at Portland State.
• In addition to scoring, Esmeralda Morales also leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.88) and free throw percentage (.908).
• Alaya Fitzgerald scored all 14 of her points against NAU last Saturday in the second half while leading the Vikings with six rebounds. Fitzgerald also led the Vikings with a season-high 19 points against Idaho State on Feb. 10.
• Lana Wenger led the Vikings with 12 points last Thursday against Northern Colorado. She's averaging 9.7 points per game on 12-of-18 (.667) shooting over the team's last three games. For the season, she ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference with 0.88 blocks per game.
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea set a career high with 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc in last Saturday's loss to Northern Arizona. Just a freshman, Torres-Kahapea was the Hawai'i Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior last season.
• Juniors Rhema Ogele and Mia 'Uhila are averaging career bests in a number of categories. Ogele is averaging career bests for points (9.2) and rebounds (5.8) per game while shooting a career-best 50.0 percent from the floor. 'Uhila, meanwhile, is averaging career bests for points (8.9), rebounds (4.8) and assists (2.7) per game.
• Alaya Fitzgerald would rank 11th in the Big Sky with a career-best 1.74 three-pointers made per game if not for missing all seven games between No. 18 and Dec. 20 due to an injury.
• The two most common areas of struggle for the Vikings have been defense and rebounding. The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in overall field goal percentage defense (.465). They also rank last in three of the four rebounding categories between rebounds per game (29.7), defensive rebounds per game (19.8), and rebounding margin (-7.12).
• The Vikings have been bitten by the injury bug this season. With Cinco McCartney out for the year, the Vikings are guaranteed to never have all 15 players dressed for a single game this season. The bug started when starter Rhema Ogele missed the Vikings' games against San Diego and Warner Pacific on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively. Alaya Fitzgerald, another starter, then missed seven games between Nov. 18 and Dec. 20. McCartney, a third different starter, went down before the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington on Dec. 28. The Vikings were also without three players and assistant coach during their trip to Montana and Montana State (Jan. 25-27).
• Big Sky coaches and media members picked the Vikings to finish fifth in the conference in their respective preseason polls.
• The Vikings set a program record with eight more conference wins last season than they won the previous year. That was one off the best year-to-year turnaround in Big Sky Conference history.
• The Vikings advanced to the Big Sky semifinals last season for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Vikings beat Idaho State, 73-58, in the first round of last year's tournament, then upset second-seeded and defending-champion Montana State, 77-65, in the quarterfinals.
• The Vikings returned four starters and nine letterwinners off last year's team. That group includes All-Big Sky second-team selection Esmeralda Morales, as well as third-leading scorer Alaya Fitzgerald and leading rebounder Rhema Ogele. Cinco McCartney, who averaged 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while starting 30 of 31 games also returns.
• The Vikings have more upperclassmen (8) than they do underclassmen (7) for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• The Vikings made the program's first international trip with a tour of Costa Rica in September. The Vikings played two exhibitions against members of the Costa Rica National Team during the trip, winning both.

 

BREAKTHROUGH, FOUND!

The Vikings had put plenty of pieces together beforehand, but still hadn't put them all together until their 59-53 win over Idaho State on Feb. 10. The Vikings set conference season highs or bests in field goal percentage (.449), opponent field goal percentage (.339), points allowed (53), assists (17, on 22 field goals) and steals (9, tied). That'll usually win you a game. The Vikings took a step back last Thursday, as they shot just 32.7 percent from the field against Northern Colorado while giving up big advantages in the paint (30-14, UNC) and off turnovers (19-4, UNC). But they responded with their best offensive game of the season against Northern Arizona last Saturday, recording conference season highs for points (73), field goal percentage (.509), field goals (27), three-point field goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goals (11). True to last week, there have been setbacks among the recent breakthroughs. UNC and NAU outscored the Vikings off turnovers by 40 points combined between their games on Thursday (19-4 UNC) and Saturday (29-6 NAU). Additionally, NAU became the first team in the Vikings' last six games to shoot better than 50 percent against them. Six of eight opponents in January topped 50 percent against the Vikings, but PSU had held its first five opponents in February below that mark. NAU snapped that streak, though the Vikings still held Idaho State to a conference season low 33.9 percent in their win on Feb. 10. The Vikings have also seen better distribution of late. After they averaged just 9.0 assists per game during their 15-game losing streak, the Vikings have averaged 13.3 over their last three games. That includes 17 on 22 field goals against Idaho State, as well as 12 on 16 field goals against Northern Colorado.
 

STEPPING UP AS UPPERCLASSMEN

The four juniors who have been with the Vikings since they were freshman – Alaya Fitzgerald, Esmeralda Morales, Rhema Ogele and Mia 'Uhila – have all elevated their game now as upperclassmen. Morales, Ogele and 'Uhila are all averaging career bests in the scoring column, and all three have done so by wide margins. Morales is averaging 16.5 points per game, making her the Big Sky Conference's scoring leader. Ogele has nearly doubled her previous best scoring average as she's scoring 9.2 points per game this year after averaging just 5.3 points per game as a sophomore. 'Uhila has increased her scoring average to 8.9 points per game, up from 6.1 as a sophomore. Both Ogele and 'Uhila have seen increases in other respects as well. Ogele is shooting a career-best 50.0 percent from the floor, while also averaging a career-best 5.8 rebounds per game. 'Uhila, meanwhile, is averaging career bests for rebounds (4.8) and assists (2.7) per game. Fitzgerald would be on a similar trajectory if not for an injury she suffered against Warner Pacific on Nov. 14. She had a season-high 19 points in the Vikings' win over Idaho State on Feb. 10, and is averaging a career-best 1.74 three-pointers made per game this season.
 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING

The Vikings have seemingly found their stroke from three-point range of late. After shooting just 24.5 percent from three-point range and averaging only 5.4 makes per game during their 15-game losing streak, the Vikings have jumped to 40.3 percent and 8.3 makes per game over their last three games. That includes conference season highs for makes (11) and percentage (.478) from three-point range last Saturday against Northern Arizona. What's been especially encouraging is that multiple people have contributed to the recent resurgence from three-point range. Esmeralda Morales went 4-of-8 from deep against NAU Saturday, while freshman Laynee Torres-Kahapea shot a career-best 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Alaya Fitzgerald and Mia 'Uhila each tied their career highs for three-pointers in the Vikings' win over Idaho State, finishing with four and three makes, respectively. Against Northern Colorado last Thursday, Sofía Llanos and Lana Wenger joined Morales with two makes each. For the season, the Vikings still only rank sixth in the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (6.35) and eighth in percentage (.294). Morales has been outstanding individually, as she leads the Big Sky with 2.88 three-pointers made per game, an average that also ranks her 17th nationally. Additionally, Morales ranks sixth in the Big Sky in percentage, making 33.6 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. No other Viking is ranked among the Big Sky leaders. Fitzgerald would be ranked if she hadn't missed seven straight games with an injury. She's averaging a career-best 1.74 makes per game on 31.1 percent shooting this season. 'Uhila also has career bests for makes (23) and percentage (.343) from beyond the arc this season.
 

AROUND HERE, WE SPELL M-V-P AS E-S-M-E

Esmeralda Morales has proven her preseason Big Sky MVP credentials this season. After being held to just 9.5 points per game over the team's previous four games, she broke out with her ninth 20-point game of the season last Saturday against Northern Arizona. Morales led all scorers with 22 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals while shooting 8-of-16 overall and 4-of-8 from three-point range. She continues to lead the Big Sky Conference with 16.5 points per game, giving her the potential to become the first Viking ever to lead the Big Sky in scoring at the end of the season. Besides scoring, Morales also leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.88) and free throw percentage (.908), numbers that also rank her in the top 20 nationally in both categories. Morales is no stranger to being ranked among the statistical leaders, as she's ranked in the top 15 of the Big Sky in eight different statistical categories. Besides the three categories she leads, Morales also ranks among the conference leaders in field goal percentage (5th, .365), assists per game (T-5th, 3.00), three-point field goal percentage (6th, .336), assist-to-turnover ratio (5th, 1.32) and minutes played per game (2nd, 35.9). At the same time, Morales is also moving up the career rankings at Portland State. She needs just 17 more points to enter the career top 10 at Portland State. She already ranks eighth in career scoring average (14.9) and fourth in three different categories between free throw percentage (.862), three-point field goals made (199) and three-point attempts (567). She also ranks tied for sixth in career 20-point games (24) and 10th in career 10-point games (68).
 

MIA OOOOOO-HEE-LUH ('UHILA)

Mia 'Uhila has sparked some "oooo's" from fans at times this season. The Vikings' breakthrough win over Idaho State on Feb. 10 was one of those times as she stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. She recorded the first double-double of her career earlier in the season when she had 19 points on a career-best 8-of-10 shooting and a career-high 10 rebounds against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18. 'Uhila set her career high for scoring with 20 points against Oregon on Dec. 9. She added another double-digit scoring game against Sacramento State on Feb. 3, recording 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with five rebounds. For the season, 'Uhila is averaging career bests for points (8.9), rebounds (4.8) and assists (2.7) per game. She ranks tied for 10th in the Big Sky with her 2.73 assists per game while also ranking 15th in the conference in both defensive rebounds per game (3.77) and minutes played per game (30.0).
 

RHEMA REMADE

Junior center Rhema Ogele signaled that she's leveled up over the offseason with a standout showing in the team's season opener against UC Davis. Ogele set a career high with 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting while adding 11 rebounds for what was then only her third career double-double. Ogele posted her second double-double of the season in the Vikings' 72-61 win over Fresno State on Nov. 29, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She added a third against Eastern Washington on Dec. 28, leading the Vikings with 14 points to go with a career-high 14 rebounds. Ogele posted her fourth double-double of the season against Sacramento State on Feb. 3 with 10 points and 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. She also contributed to the Vikings' breakthrough win over Idaho State on Feb. 10, recording 14 points and five rebounds while holding the Bengals' Laura Bello to just one point on 0-of-6 shooting from the field. For the season, Ogele ranks 10th in the Big Sky in rebounds per game (5.83) as well as seventh in offensive rebounds per game (2.17).
 

ROOTING FOR LAY IS A LAYUP

Junior Alaya Fitzgerald – nicknamed Lay – returned from a seven-game injury absence during the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington on Dec. 28. She fully announced her return with a season-high 17 points against Idaho two days later while tying her career high with four made three-pointers. That was a season high for Fitzgerald until she led the Vikings with 19 points in the team's 59-53 breakthrough win over Idaho State on Feb. 10. Fitzgerald tied her career high with four made three-pointers against the Bengals, while setting another season high with four assists. Fitzgerald has been averaging a career-best 1.74 makes per game this season, which would rank her 11th in the Big Sky Conference if not for the games she missed due to injury dropping her below the minimum participation level.
 

SHE'S HER FROM HERSBERG

Lana Wenger – from Hersberg, Switzerland – has added a new element for the Vikings offensively this season. She's set a new career high three different times, the latest coming with 13 points against Eastern Washington on Dec. 28. That bettered her previous best of 12 points, which she set while going 5-of-6 from the floor against Bushnell on Dec. 12. Wenger matched that with a team-high 12 points Thursday night against Northern Colorado behind a career-high two three-pointers. Wenger also set a career high with four blocked shots against St. Thomas on Jan. 6, while leading the Vikings to a season-high nine blocks as a team in the game. That was the program's most blocks in a game since the 2019-20 season. Wenger was also a major contributor to the team's breakthrough win over Idaho State on Feb. 10, recording eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while adding six rebounds and a career-high four steals. Overall, Wenger ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.88 blocks per game this season.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Feb. 17, 2024, Northern Arizona 89, Portland State 73: The Vikings put together their best offensive showing within Big Sky play, setting conference season highs for points (73), field goal percentage (.509), field goals (27), three-point field goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goals (11) despite the loss to NAU.
Feb. 10, 2024, Portland State 59, Idaho State 53: The Vikings snapped a 15-game losing streak while setting conference season highs or bests in field goal percentage (.449), opponent field goal percentage (.339), points allowed (53), assists (17, on 22 field goals) and steals (9, tied).
Jan. 18, 2024, Northern Arizona 73, Portland State 65: The Vikings outscored NAU 36-28 in the paint, marking just the third time all season the Vikings had outscored their opponent in the paint. They also outscored NAU 12-9 off turnovers, the first time the Vikings had outscored their opponent off turnovers in their last 10 games.
Dec. 30, 2023, Idaho 61, Portland State 55: In just her second game back from an injury that held her out of seven games early in the season, Alaya Fitzgerald scored a season-high 17 points while tying a career high with four three-pointers against Idaho.
Dec. 12, 2023, Portland State 69, Bushnell 60: Esmeralda Morales hit the 1k career scoring mark in the second quarter while leading the Vikings with 26 points. Rhema Ogele (13 points) and Lana Wenger (12 points) joined Morales in double figures.
Nov. 29, 2023, Portland State 72, Fresno State 61: The Vikings won back-to-back games for the first time this season while shooting a season-high 57.1 percent from the field. Rhema Ogele recorded her second double-double of the season (19 points, 10 rebounds), while Esmeralda Morales led all scorers with 21 points for her fourth 20-point game of the season.
Nov. 25, 2023, Portland State 75, Seattle U 68: Esmeralda Morales scored a season-high 27 points while Mia 'Uhila (16 points) and Rhema Ogele (11) joined her in double figures. The Vikings made 11 three-pointers as a team and swiped 11 steals.
Nov. 14, 2023, Portland State 74, Warner Pacific 62: The Vikings went 13-of-24 (.542) from three-point range and swiped 17 steals against the Knights.
Nov. 9, 2023, Portland State 71, UC Davis 62: Rhema Ogele led the Vikings to a road win in their season opener with a career-high 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field. The win was the Vikings' sixth straight in their season opener.