Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team nearly broke through last Saturday against Sacramento State. The Vikings led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter but couldn't hold off a furious comeback from the Hornets, who eventually beat the Vikings, 76-74, in overtime.
 
The Vikings will now look for the reward they didn't get last Saturday when they play at Eastern Washington Thursday at 6 p.m.
 
They're deserving of a reward after solving several of the things that ailed them in previous losses. The Vikings had struggled offensively in their previous three games – averaging just 42.3 points per game on 33.5 percent shooting – but broke out for a season-high 74 points while shooting their second-best mark from the field at 46.0 percent against the Hornets.
 
The Vikings passed the ball around better than they have been. They assisted on 14 of their 29 field goals against the Hornets, a sharp uptick from their previous four games when they were averaging only 8.0 assists per game. Saturday's performance was closer to how the Vikings started the season when they were averaging 13.4 assists per game through their first five games.
 
Additionally, the Vikings had turned the ball over too many times in their previous four games. That led to large discrepancies in points off turnovers against Portland (41-14) and Air Force (36-4) on Dec. 13 and 20, respectively. But against Sacramento State, the Vikings committed a more manageable 18 turnovers which the Hornets turned into only a slight advantage in points off turnovers (19-18).
 
Two starters returned for the Vikings to help buoy the team ahead of their game against the Hornets. Kyleigh Brown and Lana Wenger both came back from injury. Brown returned after a one-game absence due to a concussion, and immediately boosted the Vikings' assist numbers with a career-high four. Wenger, meanwhile, came back after a five-game absence due to a hip injury. She was still battling an illness unrelated to the injury last Saturday, but fought through it for 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
 
Their return helped free up other players for the Vikings, no one more so than Alaya Fitzgerald. A four-year starter, Fitzgerald played aggressively, converting two three-point plays during the game while accounting for six of the team's 10 points in overtime including a tying layup with 36 seconds remaining. Fitzgerald finished with a career-high 27 points against the Hornets while tying her season highs for rebounds (5) and assists (5).
 
Rhema Ogele, the other four-year starter in the Vikings' lineup besides Fitzgerald, also responded to the return of Brown and Wenger. Ogele finished with 14 points and seven rebounds while going 6-of-8 from the floor despite battling foul trouble. Ogele is now 13-of-16 (.813) from the field over the team's last two games, while she's scored in double figures in six of the Vikings' last eight games.
 
If the Vikings can get similar games from all of those players, then they should put themselves in position to win again Thursday.
 
The Eagles come into the game with a misleading record next to their name. They're 0-2 in Big Sky play after going winless over a difficult road trip to Montana and Montana State last week. That followed a 4-8 non-conference schedule, which featured narrow losses to quality programs in Washington State (83-82, OT) and Saint Mary's (59-57).
 
The Eagles went into this season knowing it'd be a transition year. They lost all five starters off last year's team that went 29-6 and swept the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. They brought in eight newcomers to help in that regard. One of those eight, Peyton Howard, leads the Eagles with 14.3 points per game so far this season, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference. Howard, a grad transfer from Seattle U, also leads the Eagles in assists (3.7) and three-pointers made (1.86) per game, averages that rank her in the top five of the Big Sky in each category.
 
Another newcomer, freshman Kourtney Grossman, leads the Eagles with 8.38 rebounds per game, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky. Grossman adds 8.1 points per game, ranking her fourth on the Eagles, behind Howard, Ella Gallatin (9.1) and Alexis Pettis (8.9).
 
The Eagles will be hungry for their first Big Sky win, of course, same as the Vikings. So, one team will be feeling better about themselves after a tough opening weekend to Big Sky play. The Vikings just need to make sure that's them.
 
GAME #11: PORTLAND STATE (3-7, 0-1) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (4-10, 0-2)
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m. PT, Cheney, Wash. (Reese Court)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles went 0-2 over the opening weekend of Big Sky Conference play. They played the Montana schools on the road and lost 78-70 to Montana last Thursday and 66-54 to Montana State last Saturday. That followed a 4-8 non-conference campaign in which the Eagles played a number of quality opponents. They nearly pulled out a win over Washington State to open the season on Nov. 4 but instead fell 83-82 in overtime. The Eagles also narrowly lost to Saint Mary's, 59-57, at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic on Nov. 22. The Eagles are in a transition year after sweeping the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles a year ago. The Eagles lost all five starters off last year's team that went 29-6 overall, as well as nine of their 16 letterwinners. The Eagles brought in eight newcomers to replace the group that won for them. One of those eight newcomers, Peyton Howard, leads the Eagles with 14.3 points per game, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference. Another newcomer, freshman Kourtney Grossman, leads the Eagles with 8.38 rebounds per game, which also ranks her fourth in the Big Sky. Grossman adds 8.1 points per game, ranking her fourth on the Eagles, behind Howard, Ella Gallatin (9.1) and Alexis Pettis (8.9). Howard also leads the Eagles in assists (3.7) and three-pointers made (1.86) per game, averages that also rank her among the top five in the Big Sky Conference in each category. As a team, the Eagles rank highest among the rebounding categories. They stand third in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (41.3), rebounding margin (+4.9) and defensive rebounds per game (28.4), while also ranking second in offensive rebounds per game (12.9). Besides Grossman, fellow freshman Jaecy Eggers ranks second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 45-36. The Eagles have won five of the last six meetings, with the Vikings' lone recent win coming in Cheney on Feb. 4, 2023.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter of their Big Sky opener against Sacramento State last Saturday but ended up losing 76-74 in overtime. The Hornets won it on a pair of free throws with 19 seconds remaining.
• Alaya Fitzgerald scored a career-high 27 points while tying her season highs for rebounds (5) and assists (5) in the Vikings' loss to the Hornets. She accounted for six of the team's 10 points in overtime, including a layup to tie it at 74-all with 36 seconds remaining.
• Despite the loss, the Vikings recorded their second-best field goal percentage (.460) of the season while scoring a season-high 74 points. In the three games before Saturday's game, the Vikings averaged 42.3 points per game while shooting just 33.6 percent from the field.
• The Vikings took better care of the ball against the Hornets. After their last two non-conference opponents – Portland and Air Force – outscored them by 27 points or more off turnovers (UP 41-14; Air Force 36-4), the margin against the Hornets was manageable (19-18 SAC).
• The Vikings returned two starters from injury for their game against Sacramento State. Kyleigh Brown returned after missing the previous game with a concussion, while Lana Wenger returned after a five-game absence with a hip injury. Wenger scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in her return, while Brown had nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
• The Vikings have started seven different starting lineups in their last seven games. The return of Kyleigh Brown and Lana Wenger from injury should stabilize that turnover, though.
• Saturday's loss to the Hornets was the first time this season the Vikings lost when scoring 60 points or more. They're still 3-1 when topping 60 points in a game and 0-6 when they don't. Additionally, they're 2-1 when holding their opponent below 60 points and 1-6 when they don't.
• Offensively, the Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in scoring offense (55.8), three-point field goal percentage (.277) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.58). They rank ninth out of 10 teams in field goal percentage (.380) and assists per game (11.3).
• The Vikings had been averaging 8.0 assists per game over their last four games before dishing out 14 assists in last Saturday's loss to the Hornets. Saturday's performance was more in line with the Vikings' first five games of the season when they averaged 13.4 assists per game while starting the year 3-2.
• Rhema Ogele has scored in double figures in six of the Vikings' last eight games. She's 13-of-16 (.813) from the field over the Vikings' last two games. Ogele heads into Thursday's game ranked fifth in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (8.00), as well as third in offensive rebounds (2.80) and sixth in defensive rebounds (5.20) per game.
• Sacramento State became the seventh out of 10 teams this season to fail to top 30 percent from three-point range against the Vikings. The Vikings head into Thursday's game ranked second in the Big Sky and 29th nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense (.258). The Vikings also rank fifth in the conference in steals per game (7.5) and sixth in scoring defense (64.2) and field goal percentage defense (.399)
• The Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky and 57th nationally in free throw percentage (.748). They struggled from the line against Sacramento State, however, going just 12-of-19 (.632) on free throws.
• Senior Alaya Fitzgerald ranks among the Big Sky leaders in four different statistical categories between points (12th, 11.7) assists (12th, 2.78), three-pointers made (T-7th, 1.67) and minutes played (6th, 32.2) per game.
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the Big Sky and ranks 20th nationally while playing 35.8 minutes per game. She also ranks 14th in the Big Sky with 2.70 assists per game.
• Lana Wenger leads the Vikings with 11.8 points per game, though she doesn't meet the minimum participation requirements to be ranked among the Big Sky leaders due to missing five games with a hip injury. She's scored in double figures in three of the five games she's played this season, including a career-high 18 points in the Vikings' loss at San Francisco on Nov. 12.
• The Vikings returned 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."

 
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
The Vikings have held seven of their 10 opponents below 30 percent shooting from three-point range. Sacramento State became the latest victim while going just 3-of-14 (.214) from beyond the arc last Saturday. As a result, the Vikings head into Thursday's game ranked second in the Big Sky and 29th nationally while holding opponents to 25.8 percent shooting from three-point range on average. Sacramento State had more success inside the arc, as they shot 45.3 percent (24-of-53) overall Saturday. But the Vikings have proven stingy from all areas of the court at times this season. They 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 on Nov. 30. 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. All told, five of 10 opponents have failed to shoot better than 40 percent against the Vikings.
 
SOMETIMES THE BEST OFFENSE IS GETTING TO THE LINE
While the Vikings struggled from the line against Sacramento State – making just 12-of-19 (.632) from the line – free throw shooting has been the Vikings' best offense at times this season. Against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, the Vikings used a 23-of-25 performance from the line to beat the Titans 61-52. 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. They enter Big Sky play ranked fourth in the conference and 57th nationally for free throw percentage, as they're making 74.8 percent of their shots from the line. Jamia Carter leads the Vikings in both makes (21) and attempts (28) while shooting 75.0 percent from the line. Laynee Torres-Kahapea ranks second to her in both makes (20) and attempts (24) while making 83.3 percent of her free throws. Alaya Fitzgerald went 7-of-8 from the line against Sacramento State and is now shooting 85.7 percent (18-of-21) for the season.
 
BALL CONTROL
The Vikings may have stabilized what had been a leaky part of their offense Saturday against Sacramento State. Coming into the game, the Vikings had averaged 25.0 turnovers per game over their last four non-conference games. That led to large discrepancies in points off turnovers against Portland (41-14) and Air Force (36-4) on Dec. 13 and 20, respectively. But against Sacramento State, the Vikings committed a more manageable 18 turnovers which the Hornets turned into only a slight advantage in points off turnovers (19-18). That performance was more in line with how the Vikings started the season. Through their first five games, the Vikings led the Big Sky Conference while committing only 14.0 turnovers per game. The return of Kyleigh Brown from concussion protocol helped in that regard, as she shared the load with fellow point guard Laynee Torres-Kahapea.
 
SHARING IS CARING
A point of emphasis during preseason practices was to share the basketball. The Vikings had been on target with that goal through their first five games, as they averaged 13.4 assists per game while assisting on at least 50 percent of their field goals in all five games. Saturday's game against Sacramento State was back in line with that standard, as the Vikings assisted on 14 of their 29 field goal goals. That marked an improvement over the previous four games when the Vikings had dropped to 8.0 assists per game. The Vikings hit their high-water mark in their season opener against Hawai'i, assisting on 13 of 15 field goals back on Nov. 9. That was a higher assist percentage (86.7%) than the Vikings had in any game last season. The Vikings followed up by assisting on 15 of 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 on Nov. 30, both wins.
 
ROOTING FOR LAY IS A LAYUP
Alaya Fitzgerald – nicknamed Lay – put together a career performance Saturday against Sacramento State. The four-year starter scored a career-high 27 points while tying her season highs for rebounds (5) and assists (5) against the Hornets. She played aggressively, converting two three-point plays and driving for a tying layup with 36 seconds remaining in overtime later in the game. The Vikings have been at their best when Fitzgerald plays aggressive. She scored in double figures in all three of the team's wins this season, including 14 points behind 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range in the team's first win of the season over Seattle U on Nov. 16. She's proven capable of scoring the clutch points for the Vikings, too. She scored eight of her 10 points against UC Davis on Nov. 30 in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' comeback victory. She hit two go-ahead three-pointers within the final two minutes, including the one that gave the Vikings the lead for good. Fitzgerald now ranks among the Big Sky leaders in four different statistical categories. She ranks 12th in the Big Sky in points (11.7), 12th in assists (2.78), tied for seventh in three-pointers made (1.67) and sixth in minutes played (32.2) per game.
 
SHE'S HER FROM HERSBERG
Lana Wenger – from Hersberg, Switzerland – made an immediate impact in her return from a five-game absence due to a hip injury. Starting again immediately, Wenger posted 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor against Sacramento State last Saturday. Her presence helped open the offense back up for the Vikings. In the three games before Wenger's return, the Vikings averaged 42.3 points per game while shooting just 33.5 percent from the floor. But in Saturday's game, with Wenger back, the Vikings set a season high for points (74) while shooting their second-best field goal percentage of the season (.460). Wenger leads the Vikings with 11.8 points per game this season, though she doesn't meet the minimum participation requirements to be in the Big Sky rankings. Even still, she's scored in double figures in three of her five games this season, including a career-high 18 at San Francisco on Nov. 12.
 
A LEADER IN THE MIDDLE, RHEMA OGELE
One of two four-year starters on the roster with Alaya Fitzgerald, Rhema Ogele has owned the paint for the Vikings so far this season. She's scored in double figures in six of the Vikings' last eight games, while she's 13-of-16 (.813) combined from the field over the team's last two games. Ogele has recorded at least seven rebounds in eight of the Vikings' 10 games so far this season. That includes two double-doubles, the first of which came in the Vikings' first win of the season against Seattle U on Nov. 16. She finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in that game, then followed up with 16 points and 13 rebounds two games later against UC Davis on Nov. 30. 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 8.00 rebounds per game, ranking her fifth in the Big Sky Conference. She also ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.80) and sixth in defense rebounds (5.20) per game.
 
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. With the Vikings trailing 49-40 entering the fourth quarter against UC Davis on Nov. 30, 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 period into a 56-all tie with 3:57 remaining. She finished with a game-high 18 points, then matched that with 18 points against Omaha five days later on Dec. 4. She added 10 rebounds to her 18 points against Omaha, giving the freshman her first double-double of her career.  She led the Vikings in scoring for a third straight game with 11 points and five rebounds against Denver on Dec. 7. A concussion limited her over the Vikings' next two games, but Brown made her return from the injury Saturday and responded with nine points to go with four rebounds and four assists.
 
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 handled duties as the Vikings' primary ball handler while leading the Big Sky and ranking 20th nationally with 35.8 minutes played per game. She also ranks 14th in the conference with 2.70 assists per game.
 
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.