Complete game notes (PDF)

TIPOFF
Any upset at the Big Sky Conference Tournament should come with a free order of fries at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. It'd only be fitting given the tournament's nickname of Starch Madness.
 
The Portland State women's basketball team hopes to deliver on both accounts – the starch and the madness – as the Vikings open the tournament with a first-round game against ninth-seeded Northern Colorado Saturday at 11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT.
 
The Vikings head into the tournament on a tough stretch. They've lost 14 games in a row and 21 of their last 22. But the one win during that stretch? A 58-52 victory in Portland on Jan. 16 against the same Northern Colorado team they'll face Saturday. The Bears returned the favor with a 68-50 victory over the Vikings in Greeley, Colo., on Feb. 15.
 
Rebounding led the Vikings to that win over the Bears back in January. The Vikings out-rebounded UNC 35-to-28, with the +7 margin representing the Vikings' best mark in any Big Sky game this season. Rhema Ogele and Lana Wenger led the way, combining for 17 of the team's 35 rebounds in the game. Ogele recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Wenger added 13 points and seven rebounds. Alaya Fitzgerald also scored in double figures with 13 points, including the Vikings' last eight points in the game.
 
The Bears reversed several key statistical categories when the teams faced each other again in February. The rebounding battle swung to the Bears in that game, 36-to-31. Additionally, the Bears forced the Vikings into 15 turnovers, 11 of which came in the second half when they outscored the Vikings 36-24.
 
Pressure defense has been a strength of the Bears throughout this season. They head into the Big Sky tournament ranked second in the conference in both steals (10.4) and turnovers forced (18.2) per game. Gabi Fields leads the Bears with 2.34 steals per game individually, ranking her third in the conference. Tatum West ranks seventh in the conference with 1.62 steals per game.
 
Another consistent strength for the Bears has been their bench. They rank third in the Big Sky and in the top 50 nationally with 23.6 bench points per game. Against the Vikings in February, the Bears' bench outscored their PSU counterparts 31-6.
 
The Vikings hope to counter behind Ogele and some others. Ogele added three more double-doubles after her one against the Bears in January. That includes 14 points and 10 rebounds at Montana last Saturday. She followed up with 15 points and a career-high-tying five steals Monday at Sacramento State.
 
The most-in-form player for the Vikings recently has been Kyleigh Brown. The freshman has scored in double figures in five straight games, a stretch in which she's averaging 14.0 points per game. Brown scored a career-high 19 points last Saturday at Montana. She also scored 17 points to go with six rebounds and four assists while playing over 49 minutes in the Vikings' double-overtime loss to Idaho State on Feb. 20.
 
Wenger comes into the tournament after scoring a conference season-high 17 points at Sacramento State Monday.
 
As a team, the Vikings shot better than 43 percent from the field in four of their last seven games of the regular season. That included a conference season-high 47.4 percent (27-of-57) in the double-overtime loss to Idaho State. They also tied their season high with nine three-pointers in that game, while their 80 points marked another season high.
 
The Vikings found some success on the road offensively at Montana last Saturday. The Vikings shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the floor with three different players in double figures.
 
Road gyms haven't always been friendly to the Viking offense this season. But Idaho Central Arena should be familiar to the Vikings' returners who have played there in March throughout their careers.
 
They know what to order if they pull off the upset Saturday, then. Just don't forget the ketchup packets.
 
GAME #28: #10 PORTLAND STATE (4-23, 1-17) vs. #9 NORTHERN COLORADO (13-16, 6-12)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT, Boise, Idaho (Idaho Central Arena)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Northern Colorado Bears let a six-point lead in overtime slip away against Weber State Monday, losing 68-67 after Weber State's Taylor Smith hit a game-winning layup with six seconds left in overtime. The loss extended a three-game losing streak for the Bears heading into the conference tournament. A three-game winning streak preceded the losing streak, with one of the Bears' three wins coming over the Vikings in Greeley on Feb. 15. The Bears beat the Vikings 68-50 that day, earning a split against the Vikings after PSU won 58-52 in Portland on Jan. 16. The Vikings won the first meeting behind a 35-to-28 rebounding advantage. The Bears won the rematch thanks to an 11-1 start to the second half. Eleven of the Vikings' 15 turnovers in the rematch came in the second half, when the Bears outscored the Vikings 36-24. Pressure defense has been a strength of the Bears throughout this season. They head into the Big Sky tournament ranked second in the conference in both steals (10.4) and turnovers forced (18.2) per game. Gabi Fields leads the Bears with 2.34 steals per game individually, ranking her third in the conference. Tatum West ranks seventh in the conference with 1.62 steals per game. The Bears also rank second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense (.300) and third in scoring defense (60.45). Offensively, London Gamble leads the Bears with 10.4 points per game. Aniah Hall and Tatum West average 9.6 and 8.6 points per game, respectively, behind Gamble. West and Hall also lead the Bears with 6.9 and 6.5 rebounds per game. Gamble scored a game-high 21 points in the Bears' win over the Vikings in February, while four UNC players went into double figures overall. In the Vikings' win back in January, Hall and Ella Van Weelden were the only two in double figures with 12 each.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 26-12. The teams split their series during the regular season, with both teams winning at home – Portland State 58-52 on Jan. 16, Northern Colorado 68-50 on Feb. 15. Overall, the Bears have owned the series of late. Including this season's results, the Bears have won 21 of their last 24 meetings with the Vikings. The teams have met at the Big Sky tournament only once before, with the Vikings winning 82-69 on March 13, 2008, in Missoula, Mont.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• Sacramento State outscored the Vikings 21-5 in the first quarter of Monday's game, then maintained the lead throughout a 69-57 victory over the Vikings to close out the regular season.
• The Vikings have now lost 14 games in a row and 21 of their last 22.
• The Vikings ran out to early leads at Montana State and Montana last week, only to give up the leads in the second half. Big Sky opponents are now outscoring the Vikings 676-494 in the second half of games this season, an average of 10.1 points per game. It's split fairly evenly between the third quarter (333-243, 5.0 per game) and fourth quarter (343-251, 5.1 per game).
• Kyleigh Brown scored a career-high 19 points against Montana last Saturday. She's scored in double figures in five straight games and 11 of the team's 18 Big Sky games. She's averaging 14.0 points per game over her last five games.
• Rhema Ogele recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Montana. She now ranks tied for seventh on the single-season list for double-doubles, as well as tied for fifth on the career list with 12.
• Lana Wenger led the Vikings with a conference season-high 17 points Monday at Sacramento State. She's battled through injuries this season to record eight 10-point games.
• The Vikings swiped a season-high 14 steals against Montana State last week, then another 10 Monday at Sacramento State. Laynee Torres-Kahapea led the way with six steals against Montana State – the most by a Viking since Nov. 7, 2022 – while Rhema Ogele led with five against Sacramento State.
• The Vikings forced Sacramento State into 20 turnovers Monday, tying a season high for a Viking opponent. Portland also had 20 turnovers against the Vikings on Dec. 13.
• Joy Haltom made her first three attempts from three-point range at Montana State, while finishing with a career-high 13 points to lead the Vikings. She then started the Vikings' games at Montana and Sacramento State.
• The Vikings have shot better than 43 percent from the field in four of their last seven games. That includes a conference season-high 47.4 percent (27-of-57) against Idaho State on Feb. 20. But at the same time, eight of the Vikings' last 12 opponents have also shot better than 43 percent from the field.
• Seven of 18 conference opponents out-rebounded the Vikings by 10 or more this season, including Montana State, 39-to-27, last week. The Vikings won the rebounding battle outright in only two of their 18 conference games, while they finished tied in another.
• The Vikings set a season high with 80 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20. The Vikings also tied their most points in a regulation game with 67 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 13.
• The Vikings averaged 6.67 three-pointers per game over their last six home games. That's a sharp uptick over their season-long average of 4.74 three-pointers per game. But the Vikings averaged only 4.08 three-pointers in road games this season.
• Alaya Fitzgerald scored in double figures in 12 of the Vikings' 18 Big Sky games this season, though she was held under 10 points in all three games last week. Heading into the tournament, Fitzgerald ranks 11th in the Big Sky in points (12.0), tied for 15th in three-pointers made (1.38) and fifth in minutes played (33.3) per game.
• Rhema Ogele has entered the career top 10s for rebounds (7th, 664), games started (4th, 112) and double-doubles (T-5th, 12) as a senior. Within this season, she ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 7.22 rebounds per game. She also ranks fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.93) and 12th in defensive rebounds (4.30) per game.
• Sixty points has been the magic number for the Vikings this season, more so defensively than offensively. Defensively, the Vikings are 3-1 when holding opponents below 60 points and 1-22 when they don't. Offensively, the Vikings are 3-6 when scoring 60 or more points this season and 1-17 when they don't.
• Defensively, the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage defense (.312). They had ranked in the top half of the Big Sky for scoring defense, but their last 14 opponents have all scored more than 60 points.
• Laynee Torres-Kahapea played all 50 minutes of the Vikings' double-overtime loss to Idaho State on Feb. 20. She leads the Big Sky with 35.8 minutes played per game this season. She also ranks 13th in the conference with 2.52 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."

 
IMPROVING OFFENSE
The Vikings were deserving of a win in their double-overtime loss to Idaho State on Feb. 20. They didn't get it, but even still, the Vikings set or tied conference season highs for points (80), field goal percentage (.474) and three-pointers made (9). It was the latest in a run of improved offensive performances for the Vikings. The Vikings have shot better than 43 percent in four of their last seven games. Besides their 47.4-percent mark against Idaho State, the Vikings shot 45.8 percent against Weber State on Feb. 22. They also made 44.1 percent of their shots against Northern Arizona on Feb. 13, which was their best shooting percentage in over a month at the time. The Vikings' 67 points against NAU also tied their most in regulation this season – the Vikings had 65 points at the end of regulation against Idaho State – matching their total in their win over Seattle U on Nov. 16. The Vikings' nine three-pointers against ISU tied the season high they set against Seattle U and later matched against Montana on Jan. 30. The Vikings averaged 6.67 three-pointers made per game over their last six home games, a sharp uptick from their season-long average of 4.74 makes per game. Besides their nine three-pointers against Montana and Idaho State, the Vikings also hit eight three-pointers against Eastern Washington on Feb. 8. Additionally, the Vikings have taken care of the ball better of late. They set a season low with only eight turnovers against Montana on Jan. 30, then matched that against Idaho on Feb. 6.
 
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
The Vikings held Northern Colorado to 52 points in their lone conference win of the season 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. The Vikings' last 14 opponents have all topped 60 points, including three 80-point games between their games against Montana State (85 points on Feb. 1), Northern Arizona (83 points on Feb. 13) and Idaho State (89 points on Feb. 20). But defense can still be a strength for the Vikings this season. They showed that early 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 1-22 when they don't. Recently, the Vikings set a season high with 14 steals at Montana State on Feb. 27. They also forced Sacramento State into 20 turnovers Monday, tying a season high for a Viking opponent.
 
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 conference season for the Viking senior. She nearly matched her conference opener against Northern Arizona on Feb. 13. Playing in her home state for the final time in her PSU career, Fitzgerald scored a game-high 25 points while dishing out a season-high six assists to go with five rebounds. Fitzgerald heads into the Big Sky tournament having scored in double figures in 12 of the team's 18 conference games. That includes the two 20-point games against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. Fitzgerald reached the 1,000-point career milestone in the first half against Eastern Washington on Feb. 8 while tying for the game high with 17 points. She reached another milestone at NAU with her 100th-career start, becoming just the 10th player to start 100 games in program history. Across all games, Fitzgerald ranks 11th in the Big Sky in points (12.0), tied for 15th in three-pointers made (1.38) and fifth in minutes played (33.3) per game.
 
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 13 times this season, including six double-doubles. Her latest double-double came last Saturday against Montana, recording 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with four steals. Ogele also had a double-double on her Senior Day against Weber State on Feb. 22, totaling 14 points and 14 rebounds. She also had two other double-doubles within Big Sky play between the Vikings' games against Eastern Washington on Feb. 8 (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Northern Colorado on Jan. 16 (14 points, 10 rebounds). The double-double against UNC led the Vikings to their lone conference victory of the season, a 58-52 win over the Bears. Ogele's two double-doubles in non-conference play also came in wins against Seattle U on Nov. 16 (12 points, 10 rebounds) and UC Davis on Nov. 30 (16 points, 13 rebounds). She now has 12 double-doubles in her Portland State career, ranking her tied for fifth 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. Additionally, she entered the career top 10 for rebounds with 12 against Northern Arizona on Feb. 13. She now ranks seventh all-time with 664 rebounds in her career. Within this season, Ogele leads the Vikings with 7.22 rebounds per game, ranking her eighth in the Big Sky Conference. She also ranks fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.93) and 12th in defense rebounds (4.30) 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. Recently, Brown has found her stroke again, scoring in double figures in each of the last five games. That includes a career-high 19 points at Montana last Saturday. She scored 17 points to go with six rebounds and four assists against Idaho State on Feb. 20 while playing over 49 minutes in the Vikings' double-overtime loss to the Bengals. Outside of scoring, Brown recorded nine assists in the team's lone conference win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 16. The nine assists tied the single-game freshman record, 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 against Idaho on Feb. 6. 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. She nearly matched that with 14 points and five assists while playing all 50 minutes in the team's double-overtime loss to Idaho State on Feb. 20. The 50-minute game shouldn't come as a surprise as Torres-Kahapea has been the Vikings' Iron Woman this season. She leads the Big Sky while playing 35.8 minutes per game. She also ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 2.52 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, then matched that in the Vikings' second game against NAU on Feb. 13. She went into double figures again with 11 points against Northern Colorado on Feb. 15. Against Montana on Jan. 30, Ellington scored 11 points while grabbing a season-high six rebounds.
 
SHE'S HER FROM HERSBERG
Lana Wenger – from Hersberg, Switzerland – made an immediate impact at the start of Big Sky play as she returned 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. She came back from another injury to score 12 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 13. She followed up with 16 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20, scoring 12 of those 16 points in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime. In Monday's regular-season finale, she scored a conference season-high 17 points against Sacramento State. Wenger has now scored in double figures in eight of her 22 appearances this season. Two of her 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
Feb. 20, 2025, Idaho State 89, Portland State 80 (2OT): The Vikings played their first double-overtime game since Nov. 15, 2012. They set or tied conference season highs for points (80), field goal percentage (.474) and three-pointers made (9).
Feb. 8, 2025, Eastern Washington 65, Portland State 58: Alaya Fitzgerald became the 22nd player to reach the 1,000-point career milestone at Portland State while finishing with 17 points. Rhema Ogele also recorded her 10th-career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
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.