TIPOFF
Monday marked the start of dead week on the campus of Portland State University. That's provided an air of finality on campus as fall term wraps up next week. But the Portland State women's basketball team is here to counter that. In classroom terms, the Vikings are still in the first module of their term having just wrapped up the first month of their season Sunday.
 
Wednesday's game against South Dakota, when the Vikings will host South Dakota at 7 p.m., represents the Vikings' first game in the second month of the season, as they open the Big Sky-Summit Challenge.
 
Head coach Karlie Burris cautioned patience for her Viking team through these early stages of the season. Burris said before the start of the season: "Success doesn't happen overnight. I think a lot of people forget that. It's going to take a lot of growth for us. And so, I think the message is, are we growing? Are we learning? Are we continuing to develop to get where we want to be? And if we're seeing those different things, then we're going to be happy about it."
 
Thanksgiving weekend served as a mixed bag for the Vikings in that regard. On Friday, the Vikings put a lot of pieces together in a 75-64 win over San Jose State. Besides the win, the Vikings set overall season highs for rebounds (44), steals (10), blocks (5) and offensive rebounds (16).
 
Additionally, the Vikings won the opening quarter against the Spartans, 18-15, putting the team off on the right foot.
 
But the Vikings took a step back in their start Sunday against UC San Diego. The Tritons outscored the Vikings 30-14 in the opening quarter on their way to a 94-64 victory over PSU. Additionally, the Tritons set season highs for a Viking opponent in field goal percentage (.500), three-pointers (11), three-point percentage (.458) and assists (24).
 
There were positives for the Vikings against the Tritons even amongst the negatives.
 
Chief among those was Cici Ellington, who strung her two best performances as a Viking back-to-back last week. Ellington originally set a PSU career high with 14 points against San Jose State Friday, then topped that with 20 points Sunday against UC San Diego. The 20-point game was Ellington's first since her freshman year at Loyola Marymount during the 2019-20 season.
 
Ellington has now scored in double figures in three straight games, during which time she's averaging 14.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent (15-for-30) from the field.
 
The Vikings also got to the free throw line in bunches against the Tritons. They went 28-of-39 (.718) from the line, with the 39 attempts marking the Vikings' most in a game since they had 44 against CSUN on Nov. 11, 2016. The 28 makes were also the Vikings' most since they had 28 in a home win over Montana on Jan. 13, 2020.
 
Free throw shooting has been one of the areas where the Vikings have consistently held an advantage over their opponents this season. The Vikings are averaging 21.3 free throw attempts per game this season, 6.5 more attempts per game than their opponents. And the Vikings aren't just getting to the line, they're making them when they get there as they rank third in the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage (.732) as a team.
 
Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Kyleigh Brown rank second and third in the Big Sky while shooting .885 and .875 from the line, respectively. Brown led the charge against the Tritons, going 11-for-12 from the line for the most makes by a Viking since Rhema Ogele made 12 against Weber State on March 9, 2024.
 
The Vikings also continued their strides on the glass this season while tying UC San Deigo, 42-to-42, Sunday. In seven games this season, the Vikings have only lost the rebounding battle twice. That's a huge improvement for a team that was out-rebounded in all but six games last season. The Vikings head into Wednesday ranked fifth in the Big Sky with a +1.14 rebounding margin, which is a year-to-year swing of about 7.5 rebounds per game after the Vikings ranked last in the Big Sky with a minus-6.33 margin last year.
 
South Dakota figures to test the Vikings' improvements on the glass Wednesday. That's one of several categories in which the Coyotes lead the Summit League this season. They top the conference in rebounding margin (+12.5) and total rebounds per game (44.1), while also ranking first in scoring offense (79.5), scoring defense (52.8), assists per game (15.3), free throw percentage (.801), field goal percentage defense (.314) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.235).
 
Individually, the Coyotes brought in five new starters this season, led by Denver transfer Angelina Robles, who was named to the Preseason All-Summit League second team. Robles leads a trio of Coyotes in double figures for scoring with 15.4 points per game. Besides Robles, Katy Reyerson ranks second on the team with 12.0 points per game, while Molly Joyce ranks third with 10.1 points per game.
 
Joyce headlines a South Dakota bench that leads the Summit League and ranks 12th nationally with 33.9 points per game.
 
The Coyotes earned all their high statistical ranks after starting the season 7-0. They picked up their first loss of the season Saturday, losing 66-59 at Wyoming this past Saturday.
 
Outside of that one blemish, the Coyotes had to be happy with their first month of the season. The Vikings are still getting there. But they can put a big stamp on their second month of the season with a win over the Coyotes Wednesday.
 
GAME #8: PORTLAND STATE (2-5) vs. SOUTH DAKOTA (7-1)
GAME DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA: The South Dakota Coyotes started the season with seven straight wins before dropping their first game of the year Saturday, 66-59, at Wyoming. The Coyotes' 7-0 start included a win over a common opponent with the Vikings, as they beat Air Force 75-50 at home on Nov. 7. The Falcons, meanwhile, beat the Vikings, 65-55, on their home floor on Nov. 18. The Coyotes also beat another Big Sky Conference school in Idaho State, 64-63, on the road on Nov. 16. The Coyotes came into the season – their second under head coach Carrie Eighmey, who coached one year in the Big Sky Conference at Idaho during the 2023-24 season – picked to finish fourth in the Summit League. The pick was a vote of confidence for the Coyotes, who finished seventh in the Summit League last season after going 11-20 overall and 5-11 in league play. They have a whole new starting five this season. That includes Angelina Robles, who was named to the Preseason All-Summit League second team ahead of what is her first year for the Coyotes after spending the previous three seasons at Denver. Robles has rewarded that vote of confidence by leading the Coyotes with 15.4 points per game, ranking her eighth in the conference. Robles also ranks among the top 10 in the Summit League in field goal (.442) and free throw (.870) percentage. Katy Reyerson ranks second on the team with 12.0 points per game, though has only played in two of the team's eight games so far this season. Molly Joyce, meanwhile, gives the Coyotes a third player averaging in double figures with 10.1 points per game. Joyce leads a South Dakota bench that leads the Summit League and ranks 12th nationally with 33.9 points per game. The Coyotes also lead the league in scoring offense with 79.5 points per game, while they top the league in assists per game (15.3), rebounds per game (44.1), rebounding margin (+12.5) and free throw percentage (.801). Defensively, the Coyotes lead the Summit League in scoring defense, allowing only 52.8 points per game. Additionally, they lead the league in both overall field goal percentage defense (.314) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.235).
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Coyotes are 3-0 against the Vikings in their all-time series, with all three victories coming by double digits. Only one of the three has been in Portland, however. The Coyotes won that game, 86-57, on Nov. 19, 2014. The Coyotes won the team's latest meeting, 103-61, in Vermillion, S.D., on Dec. 5, 2016.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Recent Results

• The Vikings split their two games over Thanksgiving weekend, beating San Jose State 75-64 Friday before losing 94-64 to UC San Diego Sunday.
• The Vikings' victory over San Jose State last week marked their first over an NCAA Division I program this season.
• The Vikings set overall season highs for rebounds (44), steals (10), blocks (5) and offensive rebounds (16) against San Jose State Friday, while setting seasonal bests against NCAA Division I opponents in rebounding margin (+6), turnover margin (+4), assists (20), three-pointers (6) and opponent field goal percentage (.397).
• On the flip side, UC San Diego set season highs for a Viking opponent in field goal percentage (.500), three-pointers (11), three-point percentage (.458) and assists (24) in their win over the Vikings Sunday.
• The Vikings went 28-of-39 (.718) from the line Sunday, with the 39 attempts marking the Vikings' most in a game since they had 44 against CSUN on Nov. 11, 2016. The 28 makes were the Vikings' most since they had 28 in a home win over Montana on Jan. 13, 2020.
• First quarters were key in both games last week. In the Vikings' win over San Jose State, the Vikings led 18-15 after the opening period. In the loss to UC San Diego, the Vikings trailed 30-14 after the opening quarter. The Vikings are 2-0 this season when leading after the first quarter and 0-5 when they trail.
• UC San Diego made seven more three-pointers than the Vikings Sunday. It was the third game out of the last four where the Vikings have been out-scored from three-point range by close to 20 points. The Vikings were -21 against Air Force and UC San Diego, while they were -18 against Utah Tech. The Vikings made more three-pointers than San Jose State Friday, however, the first time this season they've outshot an opponent from beyond the arc.
• The Vikings assisted on 20 of 27 field goals in their win over San Jose State Friday, an assist percentage of 74.1 percent. That was a season-high by more than 20 percent. The Vikings went above 50 percent again Sunday, assisting on nine of 16 field goals, though they shot just 29.1 percent (16-of-55) from the floor.

 
Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

• Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 13 straight games between the first seven games of this season and the last six games of last season. She's scored 20+ points in three of seven games this season. She set a career high with 26 points against Utah Tech on Nov. 22, then followed up with 22 points Friday in the win over San Jose State.
• Brown went 11-for-12 from the free throw line Sunday against UC San Diego, accounting for the majority of her 15 points in the game. The 11 made free throws were the most by a Viking since Rhema Ogele made 12 against Weber State on March 9, 2024.
• Brown set a season high with nine rebounds Sunday. She now ranks third on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game, while she ranks ninth in the Big Sky Conference with 4.29 defensive rebounds per game.
• Brown leads the Vikings with 17.9 points per game, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference and 55th nationally this season.
• Brown ranks tied for ninth in the conference with 1.71 three-pointers made per game.
• Brown ranks fifth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.455) and third in free throw percentage (.875).
• Brown accounts for most of the Vikings' three-point shooting this season. While she's 12-for-26 (.462) from three-point range, the rest of the team is a combined 15-for-73 (.205).
• 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.

 
#8 Cici Ellington

• Cici Ellington put together her best two games as a Viking back-to-back last week. She originally set a PSU career high with 14 points against San Jose State Friday, then topped that with 20 points Sunday against UC San Diego. The 20-point game Sunday 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 also set season highs for rebounds (6), free throws made (5) and field goals (7) Sunday against UC San Diego.
• Ellington has scored in double figures in three straight games during which time she's averaging 14.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent (15-for-30) from the field.
• Ellington's average of 9.3 points per game this season is her best since she also 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 before returning to action for the Vikings last season.
• Ellington was a West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team selection at Loyola Marymount following the 2019-20 season.
• Head coach Karlie Burris said of Ellington after the win over San Jose State Friday: "I feel like Cici's breakthrough is coming…I still don't think she's where she thinks she should be."
• 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.

 
#9 Hannah Chicken

• Freshman Hannah Chicken got the first start of her career Sunday against UC San Diego.
• Chicken had one of her more complete games Friday in the win over San Jose State. She scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with career highs for rebounds (8, tied) and steals (4). It came after Chicken scored a career-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting at Utah Tech on Nov. 22.
• Chicken had a streak of four straight double-digit scoring games snapped Sunday, when UC San Diego held her to six points on 1-of-8 shooting. She's still second on the team with 10.1 points per game this season, however, while shooting 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the floor.
• Chicken leads the Vikings with 6.1 rebounds per game, ranking her 10th in the Big Sky Conference this season. Chicken also ranks 11th in the conference in offensive (2.1) and tied for 13th in defensive (4.0) rebounds per game.
• She has recorded at least four rebounds in all seven games this season.
• Head coach Karlie Burris said of Chicken after the win over San Jose State Friday: "She's at the beginning of how good she's going to be."
• 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.

 
#11 Laynee Torres-Kahapea

• Laynee Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – ranks second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game. She set a career high with nine rebounds against Utah Tech on Nov. 22. She's grabbed six or more rebounds in five of the team's seven games.
• Torres-Kahapea set a career high with seven assists Friday against San Jose State. She only had six assists through the Vikings' first five games of the season.
• Torres-Kahapea ranks 12th in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (5.7), while she ranks fifth in the conference for defensive rebounds per game (5.1).
• Torres-Kahapea has made 15 straight free throws after going 2-for-2 Sunday against UC San Diego. She's 23-of-26 (.885) from the line this season, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 47th nationally for free throw percentage.
• 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). She scored in double figures for the first time since the season opener with 11 points Sunday against UC San Diego.
• Torres-Kahapea tied her career high with three three-pointers Sunday. That doubled her season total as she ranks second on the team with six made three-pointers now.
• Torres-Kahapea ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 31.7 minutes played per game. That's actually down from last season when she led the conference with 35.8 minutes per game.

 
#5 Ajae Yoakum

• Ajae Yoakum reached 1,000-career points over her entire collegiate career with a field goal late in the third quarter against San Jose State Friday. She was held out of Sunday's game against UC San Diego due to a broken tooth, however.
• Yoakum scored a season-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field while adding six rebounds and a career-high-tying three blocks in the Vikings' win over Willamette on Nov. 11.
• Yoakum ranks fourth on the team with 4.8 rebounds 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.

 
#4 Sophie Buzzard

• Freshman Sophie Buzzard scored eight points Friday against San Jose State while setting a career high with two three-pointers. UC San Diego held Buzzard to two points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field.
• Buzzard's eight points Friday were her most against an NCAA Division I opponent since she 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 had 19 free throw attempts through the Vikings' first three games of the season but then didn't get to the line against Air Force or Utah Tech on Nov. 18 and 22, respectively.

 
#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 only has made field goals outside of the game against Air Force, however.
• Munk ranks fifth on the team with 17 free throw attempts this season. She's 13-for-17 (.765) from the line after going 1-for-3 Sunday against UC San Diego.
• Munk has started the first seven games of the season for the Vikings, recording 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.

 
#23 Taylor Moffat

• Taylor 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 ranks second on the team with 1.7 assists per game.
• Moffat had been out since tearing her ACL in the Vikings' game against Denver on Dec. 7, 2024.

 
Additional Players

• Katelyn Best scored a career-high 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field against Willamette last Tuesday. 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 8:50 Sunday against UC San Diego.

 
Team Tendencies/Stats

• The Vikings have already recorded as many games with 20+ free throw attempts this season as they did last year with four. The Vikings are averaging 21.3 free throw attempts per game this season, more than 6.5 attempts more than their opponents. Additionally, the Vikings aren't just getting to the line, they're making them as they rank third in the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage (.732).
• The Vikings have won the rebounding battle in three of seven games this season, while they finished tied in two of the other four. That's a significant improvement over last season, when the Vikings were out-rebounded in all but six games. The Vikings rank fifth in the Big Sky in rebounding margin (+1.14), a significant improvement over last year when they ranked last in the conference at minus-6.33. The Vikings haven't finished a season with a positive rebounding margin since 2018-19.
• The Vikings won the turnover battle against San Jose State Friday, the team's first victory against an NCAA Division I opponent this season. The Vikings lost the turnover battle by six Sunday against UC San Diego, however, which the Tritons turned into a 23-5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky for turnover margin (-3.29).
• The Vikings' 20 assists Friday against San Jose State was more than double the team's average coming into the game (9.8). The Vikings still rank last in the Big Sky with 11.1 assists per game after Sunday, however.
• The Vikings shot a season-low 29.1 percent (16-for-55) from the field Sunday against UC San Diego. That was atypical for the Vikings, who had topped 40 percent in three of their first six games this season. That included a 55.9 percent (38-of-68) shooting performance against Willamette on Nov. 11, the team's best percentage since Feb. 4, 2023, when they shot 60.4 percent against Eastern Washington. The Vikings are 2-1 this season when shooting better than 40 percent.
• The Vikings averaged just 21 points in the paint across both games last weekend. That was well below the Vikings' average going into the weekend of 34.0 points per game in the paint. The Vikings are still averaging more points in the paint this season (30.3) than they did last year (25.6), however.
• Five different players average at least 4.0 rebounds per game for the Vikings this season. That list includes Hannah Chicken (6.1), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (5.7), Kyleigh Brown (5.3), Ajae Yoakum (4.8) and Cici Ellington (4.0).
• The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (3.86), while they rank ninth in the conference in percentage (.273). Opponents are making 3.5 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.

 
Coaching Staff

• Karlie Burris earned the first win of her head coaching career with an 89-52 victory over Willamette on Nov. 11. Friday's win over San Jose State marked her first win over an NCAA Division I opponent.
• 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.