HONOLULU, Hawai'i — Sophomore
Kyleigh Brown converted a three-point play to bring the Portland State women's basketball team within one with just under four minutes remaining in its season opener against Hawai'i. But the Rainbow Wahine – the two-time defending Big West regular-season champions – closed the game on an 11-1 run to hand the Vikings a 74-63 loss Tuesday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The final score belied how close the game was. With the exception of two short stretches in the third quarter, the Vikings (0-1) kept the lead under 10 points until the final minute. The Vikings closed within a single possession three different times in the fourth quarter but could never get over the hump.
"I said before the game that if we were the team whjo played the hardest and competed that we would feel really good about it. I think we did that," Portland State head coach
Karlie Burris said after the game. "We, for sure, have some things to clean up from an execution standpoint and just kind of trusting the offense. So we're excited about the areas of the growth and opportunities that we have to get better. But I think we made some people believers tonight."
Guards
Laynee Torres-Kahapea and
Sophie Buzzard led the Vikings with 22 and 20 points, respectively. They shot a combined 13-of-18 (.722) from the floor, a much-needed shot in the arm for the Viking offense that went just 7-of-37 (.189) from the field outside of those two.
Both were especially effective driving into the paint and finishing, no small feat against a Hawai'i program that ranked third nationally in field goal percentage defense last season. The Vikings scored 34 points in the paint thanks largely to Torres-Kahapea, Buzzard and Brown.
"I thought the guards did a really good job of attacking and getting fouled and getting to the free-throw line," Burrsi said. "We got there 28 times tonight, which is big, so if we can do that every night, we're feel really good about it."
Torres-Kahapea – playing in her home state for the first time in her collegiate career – scored 15 of her 22 points in the second half. That included five points in a 7-0 run that turned a 59-50 deficit into a two-point game with 7:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The 22 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, set a new career for Torres-Kahapea, surpassing her previous best of 15 points against Idaho on Feb. 6, 2025. The junior guard also tied her career high while leading the Vikings with six rebounds in the game.
"Can't say enough about Laynee, with it being her career high in front of all her friends and family. It was just really special, truly," Burris said of Torres-Kahapea. "We're really excited for her to continue that. She did a really good job leading our team tonight, and we're going to need her to continue to do that for us this season."
Four different players recorded five or more rebounds for the Vikings between Torres-Kahapea (6),
Ajae Yoakum (5), Brown (5) and Buzzard (5). Three of those four are guards for the Vikings, and yet because of them, the Vikings matched the Rainbow Wahine (1-0) on the glass, 38-to-38.
Buzzard's 20 points came on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. The 20 points in her debut were the most by a Viking freshman in their first collegiate game since Esmeralda Morales opened with 32 points against Warner Pacific on Nov. 9, 2022.
"We talk about max effort and [Sophie] truly gives max effort on every single possession. It's hard to keep her off the floor because she plays so hard on both sides of the ball and impacts the game on both sides of the ball," Burris said of Buzzard.
"She has no fear as a freshman stepping into that environment. They had a great crowd there and the fact that she didn't shy away from the moment or the opportunity just shows really great promise. We're really excited about her and what she's gonna be able to do for us."
The Vikings shot better in the second half than the first against the Rainbow Wahine, going 10-of-22 (.455) from the floor after halftime versus 10-of-33 (.303) before. That was a credit to the Vikings' ability to finish in the paint. Without that, the Vikings would have struggled as they went just 3-of-16 (.188) from three-point range.
Brown joined Torres-Kahapea and Buzzard in double figures with 12 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Five different players scored in double figures for the Rainbow Wahine, who outshot the Vikings .419-to-.364 in the game. Bailey Flavell led Hawai'i with 14 points but was just 4-of-14 from the field.
Despite being level on the glass, the Rainbow Wahine outscored the Vikings 17-8 in second-chance points, including a key bucket late that gave the Rainbow Wahine a 67-62 lead with 2:49 remaining.
Hawai'i also outscored the Vikings 14-5 in points off turnovers while forcing the Vikings into 17 turnovers compared to just 11 for themselves.
The Vikings will return to the mainland for their home opener next Tuesday, Nov. 11, when they'll host Willamette. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Viking Pavilion.
Game Notes:
- The Vikings fell to 4-7 all-time against the Rainbow Wahine with Tuesday's loss.
- The game was the first official game for Karlie Burris as head coach of the Portland State program.
- The Vikings went 20-of-28 (.714) from the free-throw line. The 28 free-throw attempts would have been their second-most in a game last season.
