Vikings Open Rivalry Week Wednesday, Host Cascadia Rival Seattle U for 7 p.m. Tip

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team will close out its non-conference schedule with a pair of rivalry games against West Coast Conference opponents this week at Viking Pavilion.

The first of those two comes Wednesday at 7 p.m., as the Vikings host Cascadia rivals Seattle U.

The Vikings will look to use the rivalry game as a spark. A slow start last Saturday put the Vikings in a 10-0 hole against Cal State Fullerton that they couldn't climb out of, losing 81-66.

Turnovers cost the Vikings against the Titans. It was expected against a Cal State Fullerton team that came into the game leading the nation with 27.8 turnovers forced per game, but the Vikings still hoped to perform better against the press.

The Vikings will look to clean that up Wednesday now. Seattle U isn't nearly as prolific as the Titans at turning their opponents over. They rank seventh in the West Coast Conference with a negative turnover margin of -2.60 themselves.

Both the Vikings and Redhawks have performed better at the free throw line. The Redhawks rank third in the WCC in free throw percentage (.755), while the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky (.749). The Vikings are averaging nearly nine more attempts than the Redhawks, however, as they lead the Big Sky and rank in the top 20 nationally in both free throws made (17.6) and attempted (23.5) per game.

The Vikings went 20-for-25 (.800) from the line against Cal State Fullerton. It was the fourth straight game in which the Vikings have recorded 20+ free throw attempts – the same total they had across the whole season last year.

Kyleigh Brown has led the Vikings' march to the free throw line this season. She had three straight games with 10+ free throws between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6, including a record-tying 14-for-14 performance against South Dakota on Dec. 3. Brown is 51-for-55 (.927) from the line this season, ranking her first in the Big Sky and 13th nationally in terms of free throw percentage.

Brown was scoreless through the first half against Cal State Fullerton due to picking up three quick fouls. She bounced back with 12 points in the second half, extending a run of 16 straight games in double figures.

Hannah Chicken stepped up in Brown's absence, recording the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Titans. Chicken has now scored in double figures in six of the Vikings' last eight games, including the last two in a row.

Four of Chicken's 10 rebounds came on the offensive end where the Vikings had 20 as a team. It was the second straight game in which the Vikings had at least 20 offensive rebounds. They had 25 offensive rebounds in their win over Kansas City on Dec. 6, their most in a game since 2012.

The offensive rebounds have helped the Vikings out-rebound their last two opponents. They out-rebounded Cal State Fullerton by three, after they were +23 against Kansas City. The +23 margin against the Roos was the Vikings' largest since they out-rebounded Multnomah by 24 on Nov. 25, 2017.

The Vikings hope to establish a rebounding advantage over the Redhawks Wednesday. Seattle U heads into the game ranked 11th in the WCC with a negative-2.0 rebounding margin.

The Redhawks' strength offensively has been their bench scoring. Despite a short bench – Seattle U only has 11 players listed on its roster – the Redhawks rank third in the WCC and 44th nationally with 28.3 bench points per game.

Ella Brubaker leads the Redhawks with 14.6 points per game, ranking her eighth in the WCC. Brubaker also ranks sixth in the conference in free throw (.804) and ninth in field goal (.450) percentage.

Tamia Stricklin also averages in double figures with 10.0 points per game. She leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranking her sixth in the conference. Brubaker ranks second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game, while Lucija Milkovic and Andjela Bigovic rank third and fourth on the team with 4.4 and 4.3 rebounds per game, respectively.

Only a few of the Redhawks played in last season's meeting with the Vikings in Seattle, a 67-57 Viking victory. That was the latest in a run of four straight wins for the Vikings in the series that includes victories in each of the last three seasons.

The Vikings' four-game winning streak has tied the rivalry series at 9-9 all-time. Wednesday night's winner takes the overall lead.

It's like a competitive family meeting up for the first time in a year during the holiday season. You want to beat your competitive cousin from out of town, so you and your immediate family have bragging rights for another year.

Win Wednesday, and the Vikings will earn that right again.

GAME #11: PORTLAND STATE (3-7) vs. SEATTLE U (4-6)
GAME DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore., (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING SEATTLE U: The Seattle U Redhawks have already matched their win total from last season with four victories. Out of the four, two came against NAIA schools in Northwest University (86-56) and Evergreen (102-37), while two came against NCAA Division I schools in Cal Poly (75-73) and Presbyterian (72-61). The Redhawks finished 4-26 overall last season, including a 1-15 record within the Western Athletic Conference. They moved to the West Coast Conference ahead of this season and were welcomed to the new conference with a 12th-place prediction (out of 12 teams) in the WCC Preseason Poll. Statistically, the Redhawks have been best from the free throw line. They rank third in the WCC and 53rd nationally in free throw percentage (.755). They've also used their bench effectively, ranking third in the conference and 44th nationally with 28.3 bench points per game. Individually, Ella Brubaker leads the Redhawks with 14.6 points per game, ranking her eighth in the WCC. Brubaker also ranks sixth in the conference in free throw (.804) and ninth in field goal (.450) percentage. Tamia Stricklin also averages in double figures with 10.0 points per game. She leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranking her sixth in the conference. Brubaker ranks second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game, while Lucija Milkovic and Andjela Bigovic rank third and fourth on the team with 4.4 and 4.3 rebounds per game, respectively. Bigovic ranks 10th in the WCC with 1.0 blocks per game. Jana Vesic leads the Redhawks while ranking seventh in the conference with 3.7 assists per game. She ranks third on the team with 8.4 points per game this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings and Redhawks are tied, 9-9, in their all-time series against one another. The Vikings have won the last four in the series, including one in each of the last three seasons. The Vikings beat the Redhawks 67-57 in Seattle on Nov. 16 last season. They won their last home game against the Redhawks, 75-68, on Nov. 25, 2023.

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The Vikings dropped an 81-66 road game to Cal State Fullerton last Saturday.
The Titans opened up a 10-0 lead at the start of last Saturday's game and held the lead throughout. It reemphasized the importance of strong starts for the Vikings. They're 2-1 when leading after the first quarter versus 1-6 when they're trailing.
The Vikings were minus-7 in the turnover battle against the Titans after committing 26 in the game. It was the fourth game this season that the Vikings have finished with 20+ turnovers, including the last two straight. It was also the sixth time this season that the Vikings have lost the turnover battle by five or more.
The Vikings out-rebounded the Titans, 35-to-32. Twenty of the Vikings' 35 rebounds came on the offensive end, the second straight game in which the Vikings have recorded 20+ offensive rebounds. The Vikings now rank tied for fifth in the Big Sky and 94th nationally with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Freshman Hannah Chicken recorded the first double-double of her career with team highs for points (15) and rebounds (10) against Cal State Fullerton. Chicken has scored 10+ points in six of the last eight games.
Leading scorer Kyleigh Brown was held scoreless in the first half Saturday after picking up three quick fouls against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday. She came back with 12 points in the second half, extending her streak of double-digit scoring games to 16. Brown ranks second in the Big Sky and 28th nationally with 19.4 points per game.
The Vikings went 20-for-25 (.800) from the line against Cal State Fullerton, their fourth straight game with at least 20 attempts. The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank in the top 20 nationally for both free throws made (17.6) and attempted (23.5) per game this season.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown played only four minutes of the first half at Cal State Fullerton last Saturday while picking up three quick fouls, including two offensive. She still finished in double figures with 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting despite playing only 17 minutes.
Brown has scored in double figures in 16 straight games going back to last season. She's scored 20+ in five of the team's 10 games this season.
Brown went 4-for-4 from the line last Saturday, snapping a streak of three straight games with 10 or more made free throws. That streak included a perfect 14-for-14 performance against South Dakota, which tied a program record for most makes without a miss in a single game.
Brown leads the Big Sky and ranks 13th nationally with a .927 (51-for-55) free throw percentage. That would set a new single-season program record if the season ended today, surpassing the record Esmeralda Morales set at .913 during the 2021-22 season.
Brown leads the Vikings with 19.4 points per game this season, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 28th nationally. She has the potential to become the first Viking to average more than 20 points per game since Stacey Liebl during the 1986-87 season.
Brown ranks tied for ninth in the conference with 1.70 three-pointers made per game.
Brown ranks sixth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.432).
Brown is averaging a career-best 5.0 rebounds per game, 1.6 more per game than she averaged as a freshman. She ranks tied for 15th in the Big Sky with 4.0 defensive rebounds per game.
Brown was the OSAA 5A State Player of the Year as a senior at Silverton High School when she led her team to the 5A state title in 2024.

#9 Hannah Chicken

Freshman Hannah Chicken recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton. She led the Vikings in both categories in the game.
Chicken has scored in double figures in six of the Vikings' last eight games, including the last two in a row. She had four straight double-digit scoring games between Nov. 16-28 earlier in the season.
Chicken ranks second on the team with 10.1 points per game. That would be the best average by a PSU freshman since Esmeralda Morales averaged 12.5 points per game during the 2021-22 season.
Chicken leads the Vikings with 6.6 rebounds per game, ranking her eighth in the Big Sky Conference this season. Chicken also ranks tied for sixth in the Big Sky in offensive (2.5) and 14th in defensive (4.1) rebounds per game.
Chicken had a streak of 16 straight made free throws snapped last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. She still went 6-for-7, setting a new career for free throws made in a game. She ranks second on the team this season with an .880 (22-for-25) free throw percentage.
Chicken has recorded at least four rebounds in all 10 games this season. She's grabbed eight or more five times, including in each of the last two games.
Chicken leads the Vikings with a .475 field goal percentage this season. She's shot 60.0 percent or better from the field five times this season.
Head coach Karlie Burris said of Chicken after the Vikings' win over San Jose State on Nov. 28: "She's at the beginning of how good she's going to be."
Chicken and fellow freshman Sophie Buzzard are roommates, making for a very bird-friendly dorm room at Portland State University.
Chicken is one of three Australians on the Vikings' roster, joining Kailee Field from Brisbane and Taylor Moffat from Mount Barker, Australia. Chicken is from Taree, Australia.

#8 Cici Ellington

Cici Ellington put together her best two games as a Viking back-to-back over Thanksgiving Weekend. She set a PSU career high with 14 points against San Jose State on Nov. 28, then topped that with 20 points against UC San Diego on Nov. 30. The 20-point game was Ellington's first since her freshman year at Loyola Marymount during the 2019-20 season, as well as only the third of her career.
Ellington has been held to 6.0 points per game over the Vikings' last three games after her strong Thanksgiving weekend. That includes four points on 2-for-7 shooting against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday.
Ellington's average of 8.2 points per game this season is her best since she averaged 9.3 points per game in her second year at Loyola Marymount during the 2020-21 season. Ellington played 19 games during the 2021-22 season at Grambling State but then missed all but one game over the next two years due to injury. She returned from the injury absence while playing for the Vikings last season, when she averaged 6.7 points per game.
Ellington is 72 points away from reaching 1,000 points over her entire collegiate career. She is also 74 rebounds away from reaching 500 in her career.
Ellington ranks 11th in the Big Sky with 0.78 blocks per game.
Ellington was a West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team selection at Loyola Marymount following the 2019-20 season.
Ellington was named the OSAA 6A State Co-Player of the Year in 2019, sharing the award with future NCAA national champion and Los Angeles Sparks player Cameron Brink. Ellington and her Benson Polytechnic High School team – that included fellow Viking Ajae Yoakum – beat Brink and two-time defending champion Southridge in the 2019 state championship game.

#5 Ajae Yoakum

Ajae Yoakum recorded the first double-double by a Viking this season with 11 points and 14 rebounds in the Vikings' win over Kansas City on Dec. 6. The 14 rebounds tied a career high for Yoakum. Five of the 14 came on the offensive end.
It was Yoakum's first double-double as a Viking and 11th of her career.
Yoakum was held to six points and five rebounds at Cal State Fullerton last Saturday.
Yoakum reached 1,000-career points over her entire collegiate career with a field goal late in the third quarter against San Jose State on Nov. 28. She missed the next two games with a broken tooth but returned against Kansas City.
Yoakum scored a season-high 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field to go with a career high-tying three blocks in the Vikings' win over Willamette on Nov. 11.
Yoakum ranks second on the team and 11th in the Big Sky with 6.0 rebounds per game. She also ranks 13th in both offensive (1.88) and defensive (4.13) rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks tied for sixth in the Big Sky with 0.88 blocks per game. She's recorded two blocks in each of the last two games.
Yoakum ranks 12th in the Big Sky with 30.1 minutes played per game.
Yoakum is finishing her career in her native Portland after previous stops at Eastern Arizona (2020-22), FIU (2022-24) and Arizona (2024-25). She won an Oregon 6A State title in 2019 with her Portland State teammate Cici Ellington when both were at Benson Polytechnic High School.

#11 Laynee Torres-Kahapea

Laynee Torres-Kahapea has scored in double figures in two of the Vikings' last four games. She's averaging 9.5 points per game over the last four games.
Torres-Kahapea had been 6-for-11 (.545) over the previous three games before being held to 0-for-5 from three-point range last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton.
Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – ranks third on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game. She set a career high with nine rebounds against Utah Tech on Nov. 22.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings while ranking 10th in the Big Sky with 4.30 defensive rebounds per game.
Torres-Kahapea shot an uncharacteristic 5-for-10 (.500) from the line against Kansas City on Dec. 6. She had a streak of 15 straight made free throws earlier in the season. She ranks sixth in the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.763).
In her first game back in her native Hawai'i, Torres-Kahapea – the 2023 Hawai'i State Gatorade Player of the Year – scored a career-high 22 points while also setting career highs for field goals (6), field goal percentage (.750), free throws (8) and rebounds (6, since broken).
Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with nine made three-pointers this season while shooting 9-for-30 (.300) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 1.9 assists per game. She had a career-high seven assists against San Jose State on Nov. 28.
Torres-Kahapea ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 32.0 minutes played per game. That's actually down from last season when she led the conference with 35.8 minutes per game.

#4 Sophie Buzzard

Freshman Sophie Buzzard has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career. She followed up 10 points at Kansas City on Dec. 6 with another 10 points against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday.
Buzzard went a perfect 5-for-5 from the line against Cal State Fullerton. She's 9-for-12 (.750) from the line over the Vikings' last two games. She ranks third on the team in both makes (24) and attempts (33) this season.
Buzzard scored 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting in her collegiate debut against Hawai'i on Nov. 4. Her 20 points 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.
Buzzard and fellow freshman Hannah Chicken are roommates, making for a very bird-friendly dorm room at Portland State University.

#23 Taylor Moffat

Taylor Moffat has started each of the last three games for the Vikings, her first three starts of the season.
Moffat is 5-for-11 (.455) from three-point range over her three starts.
Moffat played a season-high 30 minutes against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday. She also set or tied season highs for three-pointers (2) and blocks (1) in the game.
Moffat returned from an 11-month injury absence to play 14 minutes in the Vikings' season opener at Hawai'i on Nov. 4. She returned to the scoring column against Willamette on Nov. 11, finishing with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting to go with two rebounds and three assists.
Moffat had been out since tearing her ACL in the Vikings' game against Denver on Dec. 7, 2024.

#10 Kirstine Munk

Kirstine Munk set PSU/Division I career highs for points (11), rebounds (6), assists (2), and steals (2) in the Vikings' loss to Air Force on Nov. 18. She was 3-for-5 from the field against the Falcons, and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Munk is 4-for-26 from the field outside of the Air Force game, however.
Munk started the first nine games of the season for the Vikings before coming off the bench against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday. The nine starters were the first Division I starts of her career. Munk started 26 of 28 games while at Central Arizona, a junior college, during the 2023-24 season.

Additional Players

Katelyn Best scored a career-high 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field against Willamette on Nov. 11. Best hasn't scored outside of that game, however.
Alani Encinas started the first two games of the season. She saw her most extensive action since those two starts while playing close to nine minutes against UC San Diego on Nov. 30.
Jamia Carter saw her first action of the season last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. She had been out with a knee injury since the Vikings' game against Montana State on Feb. 1 last season.

Team Tendencies/Stats

The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference while ranking in the top 20 nationally in both free throws made (17.6) and attempted (23.5) per game this season. Their 23.5 attempts per game are 6.3 more per game than their opponents.
The Vikings' 25 attempts last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton marked their seventh game with 20+ attempts this season. For comparison's sake, the Vikings only had four games with 20+ attempts last season.
The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 63rd nationally in free throw percentage (.749).
The Vikings have won the rebounding battle in five of 10 games this season, while they finished tied with their opponent in two of the other five. That's a significant improvement over last season, when the Vikings were out-rebounded in all but six games.
The Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (38.0) as well as sixth in rebounding margin (+0.90). The Vikings haven't finished a season with a positive rebounding margin since they finished the 2018-19 season at +1.0.
The Vikings are 3-0 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 0-7 when they score under 70 points.
The Vikings have lost the turnover battle in seven of their 10 games this season, including the last two straight. The Vikings are 2-1 when winning the turnover battle versus 1-6 when they lose it.
The Vikings are 3-1 when shooting over 40 percent this season versus 0-6 when they shoot below 40 percent. The Vikings shot 47.8 percent (11-for-23) in the first half last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton but then shot 26.5 percent (9-for-34) from the field in the second half to finish at 35.1 percent (20-for-57) for the game.
Four different players average at least 5.0 rebounds per game for the Vikings this season. That list includes Hannah Chicken (6.6), Ajae Yoakum (6.0), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (5.1) and Kyleigh Brown (5.0).
The Vikings are +3 in three-pointers over their last three games combined. That's been an improvement after three of four opponents outshot the Vikings by six or more from the three-point line between their games from Nov. 18-30. The Vikings are 2-2 when they either tie or outshoot their opponent from three-point range versus 1-5 when their opponent outshoots them.
The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky with only 10.4 assists per game. No Viking averages more than 2.0 assists per game.

Coaching Staff

Karlie Burris earned the first win of her head coaching career with an 89-52 victory over Willamette on Nov. 11.
Burris is a first-time head coach. She spent the past four years as an assistant coach at UNLV where she helped the Lady Rebels win four straight Mountain West Conference regular-season titles (2022-25), as well as three Mountain West Conference tournament titles (2022-24).
Burris outlined three areas of focus for the Vikings this season: 1) Transition offense and defense; 2) Rebounding; and 3) Execution. Execution is an umbrella term for winning the turnover battle, executing the scouting report, and holding the opposing team's best player to under 17 points.
Burris said of the lack of expectations on her team this year: "We're going to be the hunters this year at Portland State. We're super excited about that. No one has any expectations for us, other than ourselves. And we're excited to be the hunters. That's a good spot to be. You get to play really hard with reckless abandon and really not worry about the result because all the expectations are on the other team. It's a fun place to be. It's hunting season."
Assistant coach Raina Perez is a former finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the nation's best point guard. She made the finalist list while at NC State where she was part of runs to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

General/Preseason Info

The Vikings returned nine letterwinners and had four incoming freshmen already committed to the roster when Karlie Burris was named head coach. Burris' one addition to the 2025-26 roster was Ajae Yoakum, who signed with the Vikings in April.
The Vikings were picked to finish tied for ninth and 10th in the Big Sky Conference in the preseason coaches and media polls, respectively. The Vikings have finished 10th in the conference three of the past four seasons.
The Vikings feature only one player listed as taller than six feet in Katelyn Best, who stands 6-3. However, the Vikings have five players listed at six feet exactly in Hannah Chicken, Cici Ellington, Kirstine Munk, Brooklyn Strandy and Ajae Yoakum.
The Vikings have three players who won Oregon state titles in high school. Ellington and Yoakum won the 2019 OSAA 6A state title with Benson Polytechnic High School. Ellington was named the OSAA 6A State Co-Player of the Year that year alongside current WNBA player Cameron Brink. Kyleigh Brown, meanwhile, won the 5A state title with Silverton High School in 2024 when she was also named the OSAA 5A State Player of the Year.
The Vikings signed a five-player recruiting class this fall that features the 2025 Hawai'i State Gatorade Player of the Year in Nihoa Dunn. She'll join Torres-Kahapea, who won the award in 2023, in giving the Vikings two Hawai'i State Gatorade Players of the Year on the roster next season. Dunn is also one of two state champions in the Vikings' recruiting class along with Alex Padilla, who won an Oregon 6A state title with Tualatin High School. Emma Zuniga, from West Salem High School, represents a second Oregon product in the recruiting class, while Liv Collins and Aspen McClees will join the Vikings from Sumner, Wash., and Gilbert, Ariz., respectively.