Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
Portland State head women's basketball coach Chelsey Gregg eschews moral victories. But when moral victories precede actual victories, that's something else entirely. That's what the Vikings will be tasked to do Saturday, as they look to use a good performance Thursday – albeit in a loss – to spark them against Eastern Washington (2 p.m. tipoff) at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings earned a number of moral victories Thursday against Idaho despite a narrow, 66-62 loss to the Vandals.
 
Rebounding had been a sore spot the last time the Vikings played the Vandals. Idaho out-rebounded them 47-to-32, including a 21-to-4 advantage on the offensive glass back on Jan. 11. But Thursday, the Vikings narrowed the overall margin to minus-2 (41-to-39) while battling to a draw on the offensive glass (16-to-16). The Vikings out-scored the Vandals 16-9 in second-chance points as a result, after Idaho had out-scored them 16-2 in the category the first time around.
 
Outside of rebounding, the Vikings also showed improvement on the ball. Turnovers cost the Vikings in the fourth quarter of their last game against the Vandals. They committed nine in the fourth quarter alone, as Idaho scored 14 of their 21 points in the final period off PSU turnovers. But Thursday, the Vikings tied their season low with only eight turnovers against the Vandals.
 
Laynee Torres-Kahapea led the team's effort on the ball with a career game Thursday. She scored a career-high 15 points while tying her career high with five assists. All while committing zero turnovers in the game.
 
Torres-Kahapea's five assists led the Vikings to 13 as a team on 24 field goals. The Vikings have assisted on at least 50 percent of their field goals in each of their last three games. The Vikings have also scored more than 60 points in two of their last three games, after only doing so four times in their first 16 games of the season.
 
So, there's been a lot of positives for the Vikings recently, even without a breakthrough win. They'll get another chance Saturday against the Eagles, who will be coming off their own breakthrough win Thursday.
 
The Eagles broke through on the road, winning their first true road game of the season with a 68-53 victory over Sacramento State. The Eagles led by only one point entering the fourth quarter, but they outscored the Hornets 26-12 in the final period to wrap up the win. Four different players scored in double figures for the Eagles. Peyton Howard and Kourtney Grossman led the way with 17 points each, while Jaecy Eggers and Alexis Pettis added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Eagles also had four players score in double figures in their 78-49 victory over the Vikings in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 9. Eggers led the Eagles with 13 points in that one, while Howard added 12 and Grossman and Ella Gallatin scored 11 each.
 
The commonality within all of the Eagles' victories has been three-point shooting. Against the Vikings, they tied their season high with 11 makes while shooting 55.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Eagles have hit at least seven three-pointers in their three other conference wins so far, while they haven't made more than six in any of their seven conference losses.
 
The more consistent part of the Eagles' game has been their rebounding. The Eagles lead the Big Sky with 12.9 offensive rebounds per game while they rank second in rebounding margin (+4.0) and third in both total rebounds (40.8) and defensive rebounds (27.9) per game.
 
Grossman leads the Big Sky while ranking in the top 25 nationally in both total rebounds (10.0) and defensive rebounds (7.7) per game individually. She also ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally with 10 double-doubles this season, as she averages 10.5 points per game to go with her 10.0 rebounds per game.
 
Howard leads the Eagles in scoring with 13.7 points per game, ranking her sixth in the Big Sky Conference. She also ranks tied for fifth in the conference with 3.61 assists per game, as well as fourth with 1.87 three-pointers made per game.
 
The Vikings will counter with Torres-Kahapea, Kyleigh Brown and Alaya Fitzgerald, all coming off double-digit scoring games Thursday against Idaho. Brown tied for the game high with 17 points behind a career-high three made three-pointers. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
Fitzgerald could also see history made Saturday. She needs only seven points to reach 1,000 in her career at which point she will become the 22nd member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State.
 
History is a heck of a lot nicer when it comes within a win, though. Just as moral victories are only worth a darn if they precede actual victories. Just ask Gregg.
 
PROMOTIONS
Portland State will run a pre-game clinic from 1-2 p.m. Saturday in the practice gym within Viking Pavilion in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. There will be stations for all available women's sports teams at Portland State. All kids 12 and under are welcome. No registration is required, just a ticket to the game. Saturday's game will also double as the Vikings' Pink Out. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in honor of those affected by breast cancer.
 
GAME #20: PORTLAND STATE (4-15, 1-9) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (8-15, 4-7)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles got a breakthrough win of their own Thursday, winning on the road for the first time this season while beating Sacramento State 68-53. It was a one-point game entering the fourth quarter before the Eagles outscored the Hornets 26-12 in the final period. The Eagles have now won two of their last three games – they also beat Idaho State 78-71 in overtime on Jan. 30 – after dropping four straight before that. The Eagles' biggest conference win came over the Vikings via a 78-49 victory in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 9. The Eagles tied their season high with 11 made three-pointers in the game on 55.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Three-point shooting has been key in all of the Eagles' conference victories. They've hit at least seven in all four victories while they haven't made more than six in any of their seven conference losses. For the season, the Eagles rank sixth in the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (6.2) while they rank ninth in percentage (.310). The bigger strength for the Eagles has been their rebounding. They lead the Big Sky with 12.9 offensive rebounds per game while they rank second in rebounding margin (+4.0) and third in both total rebounds (40.8) and defensive rebounds (27.9) per game. Individually, Kourtney Grossman leads the Eagles' efforts on the glass as she tops the Big Sky and ranks in the top 25 nationally in both total rebounds (10.0) and defensive rebounds (7.7) per game. Additionally, she ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally with 10 double-doubles this season, as she averages 10.5 points per game to go with her 10.0 rebounds per game. Peyton Howard leads the Eagles in scoring with 13.7 points per game, ranking her sixth in the Big Sky Conference. Howard also ranks tied for fifth in the conference with 3.61 assists per game, as well as fourth with 1.87 three-pointers made per game. Howard and Grossmann scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the Eagles' earlier win over the Vikings. Jaecy Eggers led the Eagles with 13 points while Ella Gallatin added 11 points of her own.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 46-36. They've won six of the last seven meetings between the teams, including a 78-49 win in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 9 earlier this season. The Vikings' last win over the Eagles came in Cheney on Feb. 4, 2023. The Eagles have won the last five meetings in Portland, with the Vikings' latest home win coming on Jan. 4, 2020.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings cut their deficit to a single possession at three different points of the fourth quarter Thursday against Idaho, but couldn't get over the hump as the Vandals won 66-62. It was the Vikings' sixth loss in a row and 13th out of their last 14 games.
• The Vikings tied their season low with only eight turnovers against Idaho Thursday. They've now committed fewer than 10 turnovers in two of their past three games as they also had eight turnovers against Montana on Jan. 30.
• After Idaho out-rebounded the Vikings 47-to-32 in their first meeting, the Vikings were much better on the glass Thursday as Idaho only out-rebounded them 41-to-39. The teams were even on the offensive glass, 16-to-16. In their first meeting, Idaho out-rebounded them 21-to-4 on the offensive end.
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea scored a career-high 15 points while tying her career high with five assists Thursday. She did not commit a turnover at any point during the game despite playing 35 minutes.
• Kyleigh Brown tied for the game high with 17 points behind a career-high three three-pointers against Idaho. She's now scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' last four games.
• Alaya Fitzgerald filled the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Idaho. She's now scored in double figures in eight of the team's 10 Big Sky games. She's averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game within Big Sky play.
• The Vikings have topped 60 points in two of their last three games, scoring 61 against Montana on Jan. 30 and 62 against Idaho Thursday. That's been the magic number for the Vikings most of the season. They're 3-3 when scoring 60 or more points this season and 1-12 when they don't. Additionally, they're 3-1 when allowing fewer than 60 points and 1-14 when they don't.
• The Vikings won the second half for the first time within Big Sky play when they outscored Montana 36-31 after halftime on Jan. 30. Overall, though, the Vikings have still been outscored 375-269 in the second half of Big Sky games this season. They've been outscored 191-137 in the fourth quarter alone.
• Alaya Fitzgerald needs just seven points Saturday to reach 1,000 in her Portland State career. When she reaches the milestone, she will become the 22nd member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State.
• Rhema Ogele needs 12 rebounds to enter the career top 10 at Portland State. She will become the first Viking since Tatiana Streun (2016-21) to enter the career top 10 for rebounds.
• After a season-low three assists at Idaho State on Jan. 25, the Vikings have assisted on more than 50 percent of their field goals in each of their last three games. That includes 13 assists on 24 field goals Thursday against Idaho. The Vikings recorded a season-high 17 assists on 25 field goals in their win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. But the Vikings still rank last in the Big Sky with 10.3 assists per game over the entire season.
• Three of the Vikings' four-best field goal percentages this season came in their first four conference games. Those games came against Sacramento State (.460 on Jan. 4), Idaho (.442 on Jan. 11) and Northern Colorado (.439 on Jan. 16). But the Vikings have failed to top 40 percent from the floor in their last six games. That includes a season-low 27.7 percent from the floor last Saturday against Montana State.
• Defensively, the Vikings dropped to seventh in the Big Sky in scoring defense (66.3) after Montana State's season-high 85 points last Saturday. They had been ranked in the top half of the conference pretty consistently before then. They held Northern Colorado to a season-low 52 points in their lone conference win on Jan. 16.
• Rhema Ogele recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. She heads into this week ranked eighth in the Big Sky for rebounds per game (6.89), as well as fifth in offensive rebounds (2.63) and 12th in defensive rebounds (4.26) per game.
• Alaya Fitzgerald ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 11.8 points per game across all games this season. She also ranks third in minutes played per game (33.0).
• Cici Ellington has started the last three games for the Vikings, marking a triumphant return from a two-year injury absence. In her last five games, Ellington has averaged 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
• Lana Wenger has scored in double figures five times out of her 14 appearances this season. She heads into Saturday's game averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea leads the Big Sky and ranks 48th nationally while playing 34.9 minutes per game. She also ranks 12th in the Big Sky with 2.74 assists per game.
• 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 held Northern Colorado to 52 points in their breakthrough win over the Bears on Jan. 16. That'll usually do the job. The 52 points tied a season low for a Viking opponent this season. The Vikings also held Cal State Fullerton to a season-low 52 points in a non-conference win on Nov. 24. Things got away from the Vikings a bit last week as Montana State scored a season-high 85 points last Saturday, after Montana scored 73 on the Vikings that Thursday. But defense has still been a strength for the Vikings. They showed that early in the season with the Cal State Fullerton game. The Vikings held the Titans to 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the floor, the lowest mark by a Viking opponent since Idaho shot an identical percentage against the Vikings on Jan. 7, 2023. Coincidentally, the Vikings would also hold Idaho below 30 percent shooting in their first meeting of the season. The Vandals shot just 29.9 percent (20-of-67) from the floor on Jan. 11 despite them pulling out a 60-56 win over the Vikings. Defense has usually been key for the Vikings in victories. They are 3-1 when holding opponents below 60 points this season and 1-14 when they don't. Statistically, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage defense (.296). They had been consistently ranked in the top half of the conference for scoring defense, too, before Montana State's season high last Saturday.
 
EMERGING OFFENSE
Three of the Vikings' four-best shooting performances came in their first four Big Sky Conference games, showing what the Vikings can do when their offense is clicking. The Vikings opened Big Sky play with a bang, scoring a season-high 74 points against Sacramento State while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. The Vikings then outshot Idaho .442-to-.299 despite losing on Jan. 11, then shot 43.9 percent against Northern Colorado in their lone conference win of the season on Jan. 16. The Vikings made 61.8-percent (21-of-34) of their two-point field goals against the Bears while assisting on a season-high 17 of their 25 field goals in the win. Kyleigh Brown and Laynee Torres-Kahapea either set or tied their career highs with nine and five assists, respectively. The Vikings have dropped off a bit since then, however. They've failed to top 40 percent since the game against Northern Colorado. At the same time, they've assisted on at least 50 percent of their field goals in each of their last three games, including 13 on 24 field goals Thursday against Idaho. The Vikings have also topped 60 points in two of their last three games, while they committed only eight turnovers in their games against Montana on Jan. 30 and Idaho Thursday.
 
ROOTING FOR LAY IS A LAYUP
Alaya Fitzgerald – nicknamed Lay – put together a career performance in the Vikings' conference opener against Sacramento State on Jan. 4. The four-year starter scored a career-high 27 points while tying her then-season highs for rebounds (5) and assists (5) against the Hornets. That kicked off a strong start to Big Sky play for the Viking senior. She's scored in double figures in eight of the team's 10 conference games, including some clutch baskets in the Vikings' first conference win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. She scored the Vikings' last eight points in the win while finishing with 13 for the game. Fitzgerald filled the stat sheet against Idaho Thursday, recording 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Within Big Sky play, Fitzgerald is averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Across all games, Fitzgerald ranks 10th in the Big Sky in points (11.8) and third in minutes played (33.0) per game. She heads into Saturday's game against Eastern Washington just seven points shy of 1,000 in her Portland State career. When she reaches the mark, she will be the 22nd member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State.
 
CALL HER SHERWIN-WILLIAMS BECAUSE SHE OWNS THE PAINT
One of two four-year starters on the roster with Alaya Fitzgerald, Rhema Ogele has owned the paint for the Vikings. She's scored in double figures eight times this season, including a game-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor in the team's breakthrough win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. Ogele added 10 rebounds to her 14 points against the Bears, giving Ogele her third double-double of the season. Her other two double-doubles also came in wins, as she recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. She followed up with season highs for points (16) and rebounds (13) two games later against UC Davis on Nov. 30. She now has nine 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. She hit another career milestone at Weber State on Jan. 23, when she started her 100th career game. She now ranks seventh in career starts at Portland State and will move up to fourth all-time if she starts every remaining game. Additionally, she'll enter the career top 10 for rebounds with 12 more, making her the first Viking since Tatiana Streun (2016-21) to enter the top 10. Within this season, Ogele leads the Vikings with 6.89 rebounds per game, ranking her ninth in the Big Sky Conference. She also ranks fifth in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.63) and 12th in defense rebounds (4.26) 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 the first double-double of her career. She led the Vikings with 15 points at Idaho State on Jan. 25. Thursday night, she poured in 17 points behind a career-high three made three-pointers. She heads into Saturday's game having scored in double figures in three of the team's last four games. Outside of scoring, Brown recorded nine assists in the team's first conference win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. The nine assists marked a new career high for the freshman, while it led the Vikings to a season-high 17 as a team.
 
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 – put together a career performance Thursday against Idaho. She scored a career-high 15 points while tying her career high with five assists. All while not committing a single turnover in the game despite playing nearly 35 minutes. Torres-Kahapea has been the Vikings' Iron Woman this season, as she leads the Big Sky and ranks 48th nationally while playing 34.9 minutes per game. She also ranks 12th in the Big Sky with 2.74 assists per game.
 
CICI IS PLAYING A+ IN HER RETURN FROM TWO-YEAR INJURY ABSENCE
A former OSAA 6A State Co-Player of the Year, Cici Ellington went through a two-year injury absence before arriving at Portland State. Her first game back in two years came against Air Force on Dec. 20. Her first points in nearly three years came against Eastern Washington on Jan. 9, while her first start since the 2021-22 season came against Idaho State on Jan. 25. All the milestones have been rewards for Ellington's increasingly strong play for the Vikings. She scored a season-high 13 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18. She went into double figures again versus Montana on Jan. 30, scoring 11 points while setting season highs for rebounds (6) and minutes played (28). Over the Vikings' last six games, Ellington has averaged 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 steals 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 on Jan. 4. She went into double figures again in the Vikings' breakthrough win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16, scoring 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds. After tying for the team lead with 11 points against Weber State on Jan. 23, Wenger has now scored in double figures in five of her 14 appearances this season. Two of her five double-digit scoring games came before her injury absence. That included a career-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds in the Vikings' loss at San Francisco on Nov. 12.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Jan. 16, 2025, Portland State 58, Northern Colorado 52: The Vikings won their first conference game of the season behind a season-high 17 assists. They out-rebounded the Bears 35-to-28, while tying their fewest points allowed with 52.
Nov. 30, 2024, 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.
Nov. 24, 2024, 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.
Nov. 16, 2024, 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.