TIPOFF
January 1st won't just mark the first day of 2026 for the Portland State women's basketball team. The Vikings also open Big Sky Conference play that day, hosting Weber State for a 7 p.m. tip at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings have played on New Year's Day only once before over their previous 40 seasons. That was an 86-74 road loss to Southern Utah to open Big Sky play during the 2014-15 season.
 
The Vikings have had some tough luck in their Big Sky openers of late. They've lost their last seven in a row, with their last win coming on Dec. 30, 2017, when they erased a four-point deficit in the final 18 seconds to beat Sacramento State, 74-73.
 
If the Vikings are going to reverse that trend and start 2026 off on the right foot, then they'll – ironically – need a hot start Thursday against the Wildcats. Slow starts hurt the Vikings several times during non-conference play, including in their most recent game, a 98-53 loss to cross-town rival University of Portland on Dec. 21. The Pilots opened that game on a 20-2 run. They finished the first quarter with a 35-12 lead after shooting 86.7 percent (13-for-15) in the opening period.
 
Overall, opponents are outscoring the Vikings by 5.5 points per game in the first quarter this season. When the Vikings have started well, they've been successful. The Vikings are 3-1 this season when they lead after the first quarter versus 1-7 when they trail.
 
The Vikings don't have to go back too far to find an example of things going right. The loss to the Pilots came just four days after likely the Vikings' best performance of the season against Seattle U. The Vikings beat the Redhawks 85-62 on Dec. 17 behind a standout second half in which they outscored Seattle U 49-26. The 23-point victory was the Vikings' largest margin against a Division I opponent since they beat Utah Tech by 28 on Nov. 12, 2021.
 
The Vikings set season highs for three-pointers (12), assists (25) and steals (13) against the Redhawks. Meanwhile, five different Vikings scored in double figures between Cici Ellington (18), Kyleigh Brown (16), Hannah Chicken (13), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (13) and Ajae Yoakum (10). Ellington (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Yoakum (10 points, 12 rebounds) became the first PSU teammates to record double-doubles in the same game since 2020.
 
The Vikings also had five players score in double figures in their 85-79 overtime victory over Kansas City on Dec. 6.
 
They'll likely need similar distribution Thursday against a Weber State team that finished non-conference play in its best form of the season. The Wildcats won four straight games heading into the holiday break, including a 2-0 weekend at the LMU Tournament in Los Angeles on Dec. 20 and 21. The Wildcats beat host LMU 68-60 to open the tournament, then followed up with a 74-61 win over Omaha the next day.
 
The Wildcats have shared the wealth themselves this season. Three different players average in double figures between Antoniette Emma-Nnopu (14.0 points per game), Lanae Billy (13.9) and Hannah Robbins (11.3). The balanced scoring comes from an offense that leads the Big Sky Conference with 15.5 assists per game. Sydney White leads the Wildcats while ranking fourth in the Big Sky with 3.9 assists per game individually. Robbins, meanwhile, ranks ninth in the conference with 3.3 assists per game.
 
Three-point shooting figures to be an important statistic for both the Vikings and Wildcats Thursday. The Vikings followed up their season-high 12 three-pointers against Seattle U by going 0-for-8 from three-point range against Portland.
 
The goose egg against the Pilots reversed what had been an area of improvement for the Vikings. They had been +10 from three-point range against their previous four opponents, which was a big swing after they were a combined minus-20 against Air Force (Nov. 18), Utah Tech (Nov. 22) and UC San Diego (Nov. 30) earlier in the season.
 
The Wildcats head into Thursday's conference opener ranked third in the Big Sky with 7.2 three-pointers made per game as a team. The Vikings, by comparison, rank 10th in the conference with 4.7 three-pointers per game. They were averaging 7.25 over their previous four games before being held without a three-pointer against Portland.
 
Billy leads the Wildcats from the outside, as her 2.46 three-pointers per game rank her second in the Big Sky and 74th nationally. Robbins ranks second on the team with 1.23 three-pointers per game.
 
The Vikings will need to make sure their defense is on it from the tip, then. That will lead to a good start to the game, a good start to Big Sky Conference play, and a good start to 2026.
 
GAME #13: PORTLAND STATE (4-8, 0-0) vs. WEBER STATE (6-7, 0-0)
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 1, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore., (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING WEBER STATE: The Weber State Wildcats closed non-conference play with four straight wins. They capped that stretch with a 2-0 weekend at the LMU Tournament in Los Angeles just before the holiday break, beating host LMU 68-60 on Dec. 20, then Omaha 74-61 on Dec. 21. The Wildcats shared one common opponent with the Vikings during non-conference play, as both teams played Utah Tech. The Wildcats beat the Trailblazers at home, 82-76, on Nov. 15, while the Vikings lost to them on the road, 71-63, on Nov. 22. The Wildcats came into the season picked to finish seventh or eighth in the Big Sky between the preseason media and coaches poll, respectively. The Wildcats lost All-Big Sky first-team selection Taylor Smith, as well as second-team selection Kendra Parra off last year's team that finished tied for third in the Big Sky standings. Returners Antoniette Emma-Nnopu and Lanae Billy, as well as newcomer Hannah Robbins, have stepped up in that regard. Those three all average in double figures for the Wildcats. Emma-Nnopu and Billy rank ninth and tied for 10th in the Big Sky with 14.0 and 13.9 points per game, respectively. Robbins, meanwhile, ranks third on the team with 11.3 points per game. Emma-Nnopu is also averaging double-digit rebounds with 10.0 per game, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 27th nationally. Billy leads the Wildcats from the outside as her 2.46 three-pointers per game rank her second in the Big Sky and 74th nationally. The Wildcats rank third in the Big Sky with 7.2 three-pointers per game as a team. Robbins and Sydney White, meanwhile, have led the Wildcats to a conference-best 15.5 assists per game as a team. White ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 3.9 assists per game individually, while Robbins stands ninth at 3.3. The Wildcats also lead the Big Sky and rank 22nd nationally in free throw percentage (.776). Seven different players, including Billy and Emma-Nnopu, are making better than 75.0 percent from the line so far this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Wildcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 36-31. The Wildcats have won the last six games in the series and eight of the last nine. The Vikings' last win in the series came on a last-second buzzer beater, 65-64, at home on Jan. 19, 2023.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Big Sky Opener/New Year's Day

• The Vikings have lost their last seven Big Sky openers. They last won their conference opener during the 2017-18 season when they beat Sacramento State, 74-73, on Dec. 30, 2017.
• The Vikings have played on New Year's Day only once before over their previous 40 seasons (dates of games are incomplete before the 1984-85 season). That was an 86-74 road loss to Southern Utah to open Big Sky play during the 2014-15 season.

 
Recent Results

• The Vikings dropped their non-conference finale to cross-town rival University of Portland, 98-53, on Dec. 21.
• The Pilots' 98 points tied the most by a Viking opponent since Idaho scored 102 points against the Vikings on March 9, 2018.
• The Pilots shot 60.9 percent (39-for-64) from the field against the Vikings. They were the first team to shoot over 60 percent against Portland State since Weber State shot 64.3 percent on Jan. 13, 2024.
• The Pilots opened the game on a 20-2 run and were leading 35-12 at the end of the first quarter when they shot 86.7 percent (13-for-15) from the floor.
• The Pilots outscored the Vikings 35-15 in points off turnovers and 58-28 in the paint. Both were season highs for a Viking opponent.
• The loss to the Pilots came after one of the Vikings' best performances of the season as they beat Seattle U, 85-62, on Dec. 17. It was the Vikings' largest margin of victory over an NCAA Division I opponent in four years. The +23 margin was their best since they beat Utah Tech by 28 (80-52) on Nov. 12, 2021.
• Five different Vikings scored in double figures against Seattle U between Cici Ellington (18), Kyleigh Brown (16), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (13), Hannah Chicken (13) and Ajae Yoakum (10). It was the second time in the previous three games that the Vikings had five players in double figures, after they didn't have any in the previous four years.
• The Vikings hit a season-high 12 three-pointers against Seattle U, five more than their previous season high. They were 4-for-17 (.235) from deep in the first half but then went 8-for-12 (.667) in the second half. The Vikings followed up by going 0-for-8 from three-point range against Portland, however.
• The Vikings recorded a season-high 25 assists on 33 field goals against Seattle U. Six different players recorded at least three assists in the game. Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Taylor Moffat led the way with five assists each.
• The Vikings shot 46.5 percent (33-for-71) from the field against Seattle U, their second-best mark of the season. Their 85 points also tied their second-highest scoring output of the season.

 
Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

• Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 18 straight games going back to last season. She's scored 20+ in five of the team's 12 games this season.
• Brown has made 18 straight free throws going into Thursday's game. She had a streak of 26 straight free throws earlier in the season, which included a 14-for-14 performance against South Dakota on Dec. 3. That tied a program record for most makes without a miss in a single game.
• Brown leads the Big Sky and ranks fifth nationally with a .932 (55-for-59) 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 18.3 points per game this season, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 45th 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 ninth in the conference with 1.58 three-pointers made per game.
• Brown ranks eighth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.422).
• Brown is averaging a career-best 4.5 rebounds per game, 1.1 more per game than she averaged as a freshman.
• 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 led the Vikings in both points (18) and rebounds (14) against Seattle U on Dec. 17. It was her first double-double since Jan. 8, 2022, when she was playing at Grambling State.
• Ellington set or tied season highs for field goal percentage (.636), field goals (7), three-pointers (2), rebounds (14), assists (4) and blocks (3) against Seattle U.
• Ellington's average of 9.1 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 46 points away from reaching 1,000 points over her entire collegiate career. She is also 57 rebounds away from reaching 500 in her career.
• Ellington ranks tied for seventh in the Big Sky with 0.91 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.

 
#9 Hannah Chicken

• Freshman Hannah Chicken scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and eighth out of the last 10 with a team-high 14 points against Portland on Dec. 21. Chicken was 5-for-8 (.625) from the field in the game and 4-for-5 (.800) from the free throw line.
• Chicken recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 13. She led the Vikings in both categories in the game.
• Chicken ranks second on the team with 10.7 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 ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 6.0 rebounds per game. Chicken also ranks 10th in the Big Sky in offensive rebounds per game (2.2).
• Chicken ranks second on the team in free throw percentage while shooting 87.1 percent (27-for-31) from the line.
• Chicken leads the Vikings with a .505 field goal percentage this season. She's shot 60.0 percent or better from the field in seven of the team's 12 games.
• Chicken leads the Vikings with 1.83 steals per game, ranking her 13th in the Big Sky Conference.
• Head coach Karlie Burris said of Chicken after a game during the first month of the season: "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.

 
#5 Ajae Yoakum

• Ajae Yoakum recorded her second double-double in the previous three games with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Seattle U on Dec. 17.
• Yoakum's first double-double came against Kansas City on Dec. 6, when she had 11 points and 14 rebounds. The 14 rebounds tied a career high for Yoakum. Five of the 14 came on the offensive end.
• Yoakum leads the Vikings while ranking ninth in the Big Sky Conference with 6.4 rebounds per game. She also ranks eighth in offensive (2.3) and 13th in defensive (4.1) rebounds per game.
• Yoakum ranks 12th in the Big Sky with 0.70 blocks per game.
• 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.
• 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 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 scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' last six non-conference games.
• Torres-Kahapea tied her career high with three three-pointers against Seattle U while finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
• Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – ranks third on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game. She set her career high with nine rebounds against Utah Tech on Nov. 22.
• Torres-Kahapea ranks ninth in the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.756). She had a streak of 15 straight made free throws earlier in the season.
• 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 12 made three-pointers this season while shooting 12-for-38 (.316) from beyond the arc.
• Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 2.4 assists per game. She had a career-high seven assists against San Jose State on Nov. 28. She's recorded five assists in each of the last two games.
• Torres-Kahapea ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 31.3 minutes played per game. That's actually down from last season when she led the conference with 35.8 minutes per game.

 
#23 Taylor Moffat

• Taylor Moffat has started the last five games for the Vikings, during which time she's averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 8-for-18 (.444) from three-point range. Moffat was 1-for-9 (.111) from three-point range before her run of starts.
• Moffat set or tied season highs for points (9), three-pointers (3), rebounds (3), assists and steals (2) against Seattle U on Dec. 17.
• 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.

 
#4 Sophie Buzzard

• Freshman Sophie Buzzard scored in double figures in back-to-back games with 10 points against both Kansas City (Dec. 6) and Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 13).
• Buzzard ranks fourth on the team in both free throws made (24) and attempted (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.

 
#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 for every game since. The nine starts 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 has  a combined two points in her eight appearances outside of that game, however.
• Alani Encinas started the first two games of the season. She's only appeared in six of the 10 games since then, however, while averaging 5.6 minutes played per game this season.
• Jamia Carter saw her first action of the season at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 13. She had been out with a knee injury since the Vikings' game against Montana State on Feb. 1 last season. Carter scored four points on 2-for-5 shooting from the field against Portland on Dec. 21.

 
Team Tendencies/Stats

• The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (16.3) and attempted (22.5) per game this season. Their 22.5 attempts per game are 5.9 more per game than their opponents.
• The Vikings have shot under 60 percent from the line in their last two games, shooting 58.3 percent (7-for-12) against Seattle U on Dec. 17, and 56.5 percent (13-for-23) against Portland on Dec. 21. Despite that, the Vikings still rank fourth in the Big Sky Conference with a .726 free throw percentage.
• Opponents are scoring 5.5 more points per game than the Vikings in the first quarter this season. The Vikings are 3-1 when they're leading after the opening quarter versus 1-7 when they trail.
• The Vikings have recorded at least 20 free throws in eight of 12 games this season, including a season-high 40 against Kansas City on Dec. 6. For comparison's sake, the Vikings only had four games with 20+ free throws last season.
• The Vikings have won the rebounding battle in six of 12 games this season, while they finished tied with their opponent in two of the other six. That's a significant improvement over last season, when the Vikings were out-rebounded in all but six games.
• The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (37.6) as well as seventh in rebounding margin (+0.17). The Vikings haven't finished a season with a positive rebounding margin since they finished the 2018-19 season at +1.0.
• The Vikings rank fifth in the Big Sky with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game. They recorded 20+ offensive rebounds in back-to-back games against Kansas City and Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 6 and 13, respectively. They're averaging 19.3 offensive rebounds per game over their last four games.
• The Vikings are 4-0 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 0-7 when they fail to score 70 points.
• The Vikings won the turnover battle for only the fourth time this season while finishing +1 against Seattle U on Dec. 17. The Vikings are 3-1 when winning the turnover battle versus 1-7 when they lose it. The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in turnover margin (-3.25).
• The Vikings are 4-1 when shooting over 40 percent this season versus 0-7 when they shoot below 40 percent. The Vikings shot better than 40 percent in all four quarters against Seattle U, while they finished at 46.5 percent (33-for-71) for the game.  
• Five different players average at least 4.5 rebounds per game for the Vikings this season. That list includes Ajae Yoakum (6.4), Hannah Chicken (6.0), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (4.9), Cici Ellington (4.8) and Kyleigh Brown (4.5).
• Portland made eight more three-pointers than the Vikings on Dec. 21. That reversed a recent trend as the Vikings were +10 from three-point range against their previous four opponents. The Vikings are 3-2 when they either tie or outshoot their opponent from three-point range versus 1-6 when their opponent outshoots them.
• With their season-high 25 assists against Seattle U, the Vikings moved up from last to eighth in the Big Sky for assists per game (11.5).
• Despite only having one player taller than 6-0, the Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky with 2.83 blocks per game. The Vikings tied their season high with five blocks against Seattle U.

 
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.