Complete game notes (PDF)
 

TIPOFF

The Portland State women's basketball team returns home for five of its next seven games, starting with a home stand against Weber State and Idaho State this weekend. The Vikings open the home stand Thursday, as Weber State comes to Viking Pavilion for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
 
The Vikings will look for a breakthrough during their home-heavy stretch of the season. They remain looking for one after opening the second half of Big Sky play with a 63-39 loss to Eastern Washington Monday. The 39 points were a conference season low for the Vikings, while they shot a conference season-low 26.5 percent from the floor.
 
Monday's game aside, the Vikings have shown some signs of life in recent games. They out-rebounded Sacramento State, 37-to-35, in another loss Saturday, while also outscoring the Hornets in the paint (26-22) and on second-chance points (13-5). The Vikings recorded 17 offensive rebounds in the game, the team's second highest total of the season.
 
The Vikings have also been better in the turnover battle recently. They forced Sacramento State into 20 turnovers Saturday, tied for the second most by a Viking opponent this season. No Big Sky team had given up more than 14 turnovers to the Vikings before the Hornets did Saturday.
 
The Vikings also showed improvement in that regard during Monday's game despite the lopsided score. In their first game against Eastern Washington this season, the Vikings were minus-13 (21-8) in the turnover battle against the Eagles. They were outscored 23-11 in points off turnovers, which loomed large in what was a 10-point game as the Eagles won 68-58 on Dec. 28. But Monday, the Vikings were only a minus-one (11-10) in the turnover battle against the Eagles.
 
It wasn't enough to win the game, but it's those signs of progress that the Vikings will take into their home stand.
 
The Vikings will certainly hope to play better Thursday night than they did the last time they faced the Wildcats. Weber State scored its season high for points against the Vikings in an 89-53 win in Ogden, Utah, on Jan. 13. The Wildcats shot a school-record 64.3 percent (36-of-56) from the field against the Vikings, the second-highest mark by a Viking opponent over the past 18 seasons (game-by-game records are incomplete before the 2006-07 season).
 
Five different players scored in double figures for the Wildcats in the game. Jadyn Matthews led her team with 17 points while Daryn Hickok, a Portland-area product from Grant High School, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. They were a major reason why the Wildcats also outscored the Vikings 56-24 in the paint, with the 56 points representing a season high for a Viking opponent.
 
The Wildcats will certainly look for inspiration from that game. The Vikings can look for inspiration in their last win over the Wildcats, which was a doozy as Esmeralda Morales hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in a 65-64 victory on Jan. 19 last season.
 
It wasn't just the game-winner that the Vikings can draw inspiration from. The Vikings also showed a lot of fight in that game, coming back to win after the Wildcats had gone on a 23-5 run to lead by six with under five minutes left in regulation.
 
The Vikings need that spirit with them again Thursday. Re-find it, and the Vikings will kick off their home-heavy stretch with a long-awaited win.
 

GAME #23: PORTLAND STATE (5-17, 0-10) vs. WEBER STATE (6-17, 3-7)

GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING WEBER STATE: The Weber State Wildcats' 89-53 win over the Vikings on Jan. 13 came as part of a stretch in which they won three of four games. The other wins during that stretch came against Sacramento State (81-61 on Jan. 11) and Idaho (61-56 on Jan. 20). The Wildcats have dropped their four games since that stretch, but their best win of the season remains their victory over the Vikings. The Wildcats set a school record while shooting 64.3 percent (36-of-56) from the field against the Vikings, the second-highest mark by a Viking opponent over the past 18 seasons (game-by-game records are incomplete before the 2006-07 season). The Wildcats outscored the Vikings 56-to-24 in the paint that game, with the 56 points representing a season high for a Viking opponent. Five different players scored in double figures for the Wildcats. Jadyn Matthews led the Wildcats with 17 points while Daryn Hickok, a Portland-area product from Grant High School, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Those two have led the Wildcats all season. Hickok leads the team with 12.2 points per game to go with 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Matthews, meanwhile, ranks second on the team with 11.1 points per game while also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The pair rank 11th and 15th in the Big Sky, respectively, for scoring. Matthews also ranks third in the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.839) while Hickok ranks eighth in steals per game (1.6). No player outside of Hickok and Matthews averages more than 8.0 points per game for the Wildcats. Kendra Parra ranks third on the team with 7.8 points per game. Amelia Raidaveta and Laura Taylor rank behind Parra with 6.7 and 6.5 points per game, respectively. Outside of scoring, the Wildcats are a balanced rebounding team, as four different players average at least 4.0 rebounds per game. Besides Hickok and Matthews, Raidaveta averages 4.6 rebounds per game, while Taylor averages 4.1.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Wildcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 32-31. The Wildcats have won four of the last five in the series, including an 89-53 win in Ogden on Jan. 13 earlier this season. The Vikings' lone recent win over the Wildcats came off an Esmeralda Morales game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left that gave the Vikings a 65-64 home win on Jan. 19 last season.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings lost their 14th straight game Monday, falling 63-39 at Eastern Washington.
• The 39 points the Vikings scored Monday were a conference season low for the team. They also shot a conference season-low 26.5 percent (13-of-49) from the floor.
• After the Vikings recorded their season-most offensive rebounds of the season with 17 against Sacramento State Saturday, Eastern Washington out-rebounded the Vikings 48-to-27 Monday, including a 22-to-9 margin on the offensive glass. That led to a 25-3 advantage in second-chance points for the Eagles.
• The Vikings forced the Hornets into 20 turnovers last Saturday, tied for the second-highest total by a Viking opponent this season and most by a Big Sky Conference opponent. The Vikings turned that into a 21-14 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Vikings held Eastern Washington to 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the floor Monday. That was the lowest mark the Vikings have held an opponent since they held Idaho to 40.7 percent (22-of-54) on Dec. 30.
• Esmeralda Morales recorded her eighth 20-point game of the season with 22 points to go with five assists against Sacramento State Saturday. She followed up with a team-high 14 points Monday at Eastern Washington and has now scored in double figures in 20 of the Vikings' 22 games this season.
• Mia 'Uhila has scored in double figures in back-to-back games. She recorded 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field Saturday against the Hornets, then followed up with 11 points Monday against Eastern Washington.
• Rhema Ogele recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Hornets Saturday. Six of her 12 rebounds came on the offensive glass. She followed up with eight points and eight rebounds against Eastern Washington Monday.
• Eastern Washington became the 17th team out of 22 opponents this season to outscore the Vikings in paint where they held a 26-14 advantage Monday. Out of the 17 teams to outscore the Vikings in the paint, 13 have done so by at least 10 points.
• Consistent offense has been a struggle during the Vikings' losing streak. The Vikings are averaging 53.2 points per game during the streak, while shooting 36.0 percent from the floor and 24.9 percent from three-point range. They're averaging just 8.93 assists per game during that stretch against 15.7 turnovers per game.
• The Vikings are 5-3 when they score 60 points or more and 0-14 when they don't. They're averaging 72.2 points per game in their five wins, but just 51.8 points per game in their 17 losses.
• Esmeralda Morales continues to lead the Big Sky Conference with 17.4 points per game, despite the team's struggles. She also leads the conference while ranking eighth nationally with 3.09 three-pointers made per game. Morales has hit at least three shots from three-point range in 14 of the Vikings' 22 games this season.
• Juniors Rhema Ogele and Mia 'Uhila are averaging career bests in a number of categories. Ogele is averaging career bests for points (9.1) and rebounds (5.9) per game while shooting a career-best 49.7 percent from the floor. 'Uhila, meanwhile, is averaging career bests for points (9.1), rebounds (4.9) and assists (2.6) per game.
• Alaya Fitzgerald would rank 11th in the Big Sky with a career-best 1.73 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 10th in the Big Sky in both overall field goal percentage defense (.471) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.357). They also rank 10th in three of the four rebounding categories between rebounds per game (29.8), defensive rebounds per game (19.7), and rebounding margin (-6.59).
• The Vikings rank eighth in the Big Sky with 7.09 steals per game as a team. Freshman Joy Haltom ranks 11th in the conference individually with 1.48 steals per game. However, after averaging 11.0 steals per game through their first five games, the Vikings are averaging just 5.9 steals per game over their last 17 games.
• Lana Wenger blocked a career-high four shots against St. Thomas on Jan. 6, while leading the Vikings to a season-high nine blocks as a team. Wenger now ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.95 blocks per game.
• 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.

 

SIGNS OF LIFE

Portland State head women's basketball coach Chelsey Gregg called the Vikings' improvements in the team's game against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18, "signs of life." The Vikings warranted that after bettering their previous showings in several key areas. The Vikings came into the game against NAU having given up 20+ points off turnovers in their last six games. But against the Lumberjacks, they held NAU to only nine points off turnovers while outscoring them 12-9 in the category. Additionally, 14 of the Vikings' first 16 opponents had outscored the Vikings in the paint, and yet the Vikings outscored the 'Jacks 36-28 in the area. Offensively, the Vikings had three players score in double figures for the first time in six games, as Mia 'Uhila scored 19 points on a career-best 8-of-10 shooting, while Alaya Fitzgerald and Esmeralda Morales added 15 and 11, respectively. The Vikings matched that with three in double figures again Saturday against Sacramento State. Morales scored 22 while 'Uhila and Rhema Ogele added 15 and 10, respectively. Ogele also chipped in 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season while leading the Vikings to one of their best rebounding games in recent history. Six of Ogele's 12 rebounds came on the offensive glass where the Vikings recorded 17 as a team. The 17 offensive rebounds were the Vikings' second-highest total this season and led to a 13-5 advantage in second-chance points. Bright spots have also come recently against Northern Colorado when the Vikings recorded 14 assists on 24 field goals on Jan. 20. Additionally, the Vikings made nine three-pointers against Montana State on Jan. 27, tying their highest total at any point during their losing streak. The Vikings missed their first 10 shots from beyond the arc against the Bobcats, but finished the game 9-of-20 (.450), including a stretch in which they made seven of nine.
 

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 17.4 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 9.1 points per game this year after averaging just 5.3 points per game as a sophomore. 'Uhila has increased her scoring average to 9.1 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 49.7 percent from the floor, while also averaging a career-best 5.9 rebounds per game. 'Uhila, meanwhile, is averaging career bests for rebounds (4.9) and assists (2.6) per game. Fitzgerald would be on a similar trajectory if not for an injury she suffered against Warner Pacific on Nov. 14. She's still scored in double figures in five of her 12 games since her return while averaging a career-best 1.73 three-pointers made per game this season.
 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING

The Vikings opened their game against Montana State on Jan. 27 by missing their first 10 shots from three-point range. That followed three straight games in which they shot 25 percent or worse from beyond the arc. But the Vikings kicked into gear from there, making seven of their next nine while finishing the game with nine makes from the outside. The nine made three-pointers tied the Vikings' most since they hit 10 against Bushnell on Dec. 12. The Vikings followed up with seven makes against Sacramento State Saturday, though their percentage dipped back down to 24.1 percent (7-of-29). They then went 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from three-point range Monday night against Eastern Washington. As a result, the Vikings head into Thursday's game against Weber State ranked sixth in the Big Sky with 6.18 makes per game this season. They rank eighth in percentage, having made just 28.4 percent of their outside shots. Esmeralda Morales has been outstanding individually. She leads the Big Sky with 3.09 three-pointers made per game, an average that also ranks her eighth nationally in the category. Additionally, Morales ranks sixth in the Big Sky in percentage, making 34.5 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. No other Viking is ranked among the Big Sky leaders. Alaya Fitzgerald would be ranked if she hadn't missed seven straight games with an injury. Fitzgerald is averaging a career-best 1.73 makes per game on 30.6 percent shooting this season. Mia 'Uhila also has 18 makes this season on 32.1 percent shooting from three-point range.
 

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

Esmeralda Morales has proven her preseason Big Sky MVP credentials already this season. After two games in which she was held to single digits – the only two times this season – she followed with 19 points against Montana State on Jan. 27, then 22 points against Sacramento State last Saturday. Morales now has 20 10-point games this season and eight 20-point games to her credit. She continues to lead the Big Sky Conference while ranking 78th nationally with 17.4 points per game. Besides scoring, Morales also leads the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (3.09) and free throw percentage (.909), numbers that rank her eighth and 10th nationally in both categories, respectively. Morales is no stranger to being ranked among the statistical leaders, as she's ranked in the top 15 of the Big Sky in seven different statistical categories. Besides the three categories she leads, Morales also ranks among the conference leaders in field goal percentage (5th, .378), assists per game (11th, 2.68), three-point field goal percentage (6th, .345) and minutes played per game (2nd, 35.6). At the same time, Morales is also moving up the career rankings at Portland State. She became the 21st member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State during the Vikings' game against Bushnell on Dec. 12. Additionally, Morales ranks eighth in career scoring average (15.1), fourth in free throw percentage (.860), fifth in three-point field goals made (192) and sixth in three-point attempts (541). Her 22 points against Sacramento State Saturday also marked her 23rd career 20-point game, moving her past current assistant coach Ashley Bolston for seventh all-time.
 

MIA OOOOOO-HEE-LUH ('UHILA)

Mia 'Uhila has sparked some "oooo's" from fans at times this season. She scored a career-high 20 against Oregon on Dec. 9, and is averaging career bests for points (9.1), rebounds (4.9) and assists (2.6) per game. She broke out of an offensive slump against Weber State on Jan. 13 when she recorded 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 2-of-2 from three-point range, to go with six rebounds. She followed that up with her first double-double, scoring 19 points on a career-best 8-of-10 shooting to go with a career-high 10 rebounds against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18. She then returned to double figures with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with five rebounds against Sacramento State Saturday. For the season, 'Uhila ranks 14th in the Big Sky Conference in both assists per game (2.59) and minutes played per game (29.9), while also ranking 15th in free throw percentage (.672).
 

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 last Saturday with 10 points and 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass, against Sacramento State. For the season, Ogele is averaging career bests for points (9.1) and rebounds (5.9) per game while shooting a career-best 49.7 percent from the floor. Ogele ranks 11th in the Big Sky in rebounds per game (5.90) as well as fifth in offensive rebounds per game (2.25).
 

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. Fitzgerald followed that performance with 14 points against Kansas City on Jan. 3, including 10 straight points for the Vikings in the fourth quarter of the game. She scored in double figures in back-to-back games with 15 and 14 points against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado on Jan. 18 and 20, respectively. She added a fifth double-digit scoring game since her return last Saturday, scoring 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting from three-point range against Montana State.
 

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 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. Overall, Wenger ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.95 blocks per game this season.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

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.