'You Play to Win The Game!' Vikings Hopeful Heading into First of Three-Game Road Trip at Montana Thursday

TIPOFF
Portland State head women's basketball coach Karlie Burris made it clear following her team's loss to Idaho last Saturday that the Vikings wouldn't accept their current six-game losing streak as status quo.

"I'm not used to this feeling and they can't be either. We expect to be in games because I think we can be. That's still the message. We can be in these games. We're going to compete and we expect to win them," Burris -- a four-time Mountain West regular-season champion while at UNLV -- said after the loss.

Credit Burris with expanding on what New York Jets coach Herm Edwards said once: "You play to win the game!"

So, the Vikings head into Thursday's game (6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT) at Montana expecting to compete and win.

Montana is proof that all you need is one win sometimes to start a snowball effect. The Lady Griz snapped a five-game losing streak to start Big Sky play with a 76-72 home win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 19. They followed that up with single-possession wins at Weber State (51-50) and Idaho State (70-67, in overtime) last weekend, giving them a three-game winning streak heading into Thursday.

If the Vikings are to snap the Lady Griz's win streak and start one of their own, then they'll have to be better from three-point range than they were last Saturday against Idaho. The Vandals tied a season high for a Viking opponent with 11 three-pointers in the game, which was six more than the Vikings hit. That represented an 18-point swing in what ended up being an 18-point game as the Vandals beat the Vikings 84-66.

Opponents are now averaging 2.26 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season. Against the Lady Griz, the discrepancy could be even bigger if the Vikings aren't careful. Montana heads into the game leading the Big Sky and ranked seventh nationally with 9.7 three-pointers per game this season.

Three-point shooting was key in two of Montana's three recent wins. The Lady Griz hit 14 three-pointers on 50.0 percent shooting from deep against Northern Arizona. They topped that with 15 three-pointers on 41.7 percent shooting against Idaho State last Saturday.

Individually, a total of five active players average at least 1.0 three-pointer per game for the Lady Griz. Jocelyn Land leads the team while ranking sixth in the Big Sky in both three-pointers per game (2.00) and percentage (.309). Besides Land, Aby Shubert ranks second on the team with 1.74 three-pointers per game, while Rae Ehrman (1.50), Avery Waddington (1.42) and Draya Wacker (1.00) rank behind her.

Hannah Chicken represents the Vikings' top three-point shooting threat lately. She was 4-for-4 from deep Saturday against Idaho, continuing a hot run for Chicken ever since her breakout against Idaho State on Jan. 3. Chicken is 10-for-13 from three-point range since that game against the Bengals, when she had been just 3-for-11 through the Vikings' first 13 games of the season.

Kyleigh Brown is also due for a breakout game from three-point range. She's 3-for-17 (.176) from three-point range over the last five games, but she stared the season 22-for-50 (.440) over the team's first 14 games.

Brown's cold spell from three-point range hasn't hurt her scoring numbers. The sophomore guard scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games last week, starting with 25 against Eastern Washington last Thursday, then following with 23 points against Idaho Saturday. She's been efficient from inside the arc, too, shooting better than 50 percent from the field in four of the team's last five games.

If the Vikings can avoid a big deficit from three-point range against the Lady Griz, then they could be set up well in other facets. Extra possessions for their opponents have been a struggle for the Vikings recently, but the Lady Griz rank last in the Big Sky in rebounding margin (-10.4) while they rank second to last in turnover margin (-2.47).

The Vikings will also need to avoid a slow start. They trailed Idaho 27-16 after the opening quarter last Saturday, the sixth time they've been down by 10+ points after the first quarter this season. The Vikings are 4-1 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 1-13 when they're trailing.

More than anything, though, Burris wants her team to play to win.

"We expect to go on a run. That's the expectation," Burris said after the loss to Idaho. "It hasn't turned out for us just yet, but we've lost some close games and hopefully we're going to turn that around."

GAME #20: PORTLAND STATE (5-14, 1-6) vs. MONTANA (6-13, 3-5)
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. PT, Missoula, Mont. (Dahlberg Arena)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING MONTANA: The Montana Lady Griz head into Thursday's game against the Vikings having won three straight games. The streak started with a 76-72 home win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 19, snapping a five-game losing streak to open Big Sky play in the process. The Lady Griz then swept their road trip to Weber State and Idaho State last week. Both games were decided by a single possession, as the Lady Griz beat Weber State, 51-50, last Thursday, while they beat Idaho State, 70-67, in overtime last Saturday. The Lady Griz have gone to a short rotation with just seven players appearing in the team's three-game winning streak. Three-point shooting has helped spur the Lady Griz's recent win streak. They hit 14 three-pointers on 50.0 percent shooting from deep against Northern Arizona. They topped that with 15 three-pointers on 41.7 percent shooting against Idaho State. For the season, the Lady Griz lead the Big Sky and rank seventh nationally with 9.7 three-pointers per game. They also rank second in the conference in three-point percentage, hitting 31.9 percent of their shots from deep. Individually, a total of five active players average at least 1.0 three-pointer per game for the Lady Griz. Jocelyn Land ranks sixth in the Big Sky in both three-pointers per game (2.00) and percentage (.309). Besides Land, Aby Shubert ranks second on the team with 1.74 three-pointers per game. Rae Ehrman (1.50), Avery Waddington (1.42) and Draya Wacker (1.00) rank behind her. Outside of their three-point shooting, the Lady Griz have protected the ball well, ranking second in the Big Sky with only 14.9 turnovers per game. However, they haven't forced a lot of turnovers from their opponents, as they rank ninth in turnover margin (-2.47). Waddington also ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.4 rebounds per game individually, while she also ranks fourth with 1.05 blocks per game. Mack Konig leads the Lady Griz with 17.4 points per game, though she hasn't played since the team's game against Northern Colorado on Jan. 3. Land and Waddington rank tied for second on the team with 11.9 points per game each.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Lady Griz lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 58-22. They've won four in a row in the series including eight of the last nine. The Vikings' last victory came at home in overtime, 74-72, on Feb. 23, 2023. Their last victory in Missoula came 61-60 on Feb. 4, 2021. The Vikings are 5-34 all-time in Missoula.

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The Vikings fell 84-66 to Idaho at Viking Pavilion last Saturday. It was their sixth straight loss after opening Big Sky play with a 68-58 win over Weber State on Jan. 1.
Idaho was the fourth straight team to score over 80 points against the Vikings. Big Sky opponents are averaging 74.7 points per game against the Vikings within conference play.
The Vikings trailed Idaho 27-16 after the opening quarter Saturday. It was the sixth time this season that the Vikings have trailed by 10+ points after the opening quarter.
Idaho outshot the Vikings .456-to-.365 Saturday. The .365 field goal percentage for the Vikings marked a new conference season low. It also snapped a streak of five straight games above 40 percent for the Vikings.
Idaho went 11-for-23 (.478) from three-point range Saturday, tying a season high for makes by a PSU opponent. Their 11 makes were six more than the Vikings, leading to an 18-point swing from three-point range.
The Vikings were out-rebounded for the third straight game – and out-rebounded by 10+ for the second straight game – as Idaho won the glass, 46-to-34. Eastern Washington out-rebounded the Vikings by 31 (58-to-27) Thursday.
Hannah Chicken went 4-for-4 from three-point range against Idaho Saturday. She's 10-for-13 from three-point range since breaking out with a 3-for-4 performance against Idaho State on Jan. 3. Outside of Chicken, the rest of the Vikings were 1-for-20 (.050) from three-point range Saturday.
Kyleigh Brown scored 20+ for the second straight game, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting Saturday against Idaho. Brown now has eight 20-point games this season. She's never scored 20+ in three straight games, which she could Thursday at Montana.
Laynee Torres-Kahapea scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter Saturday against Idaho. It was her first double-digit scoring game since the Vikings' win over Seattle U on Dec. 17.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

Opponents are averaging 6.3 more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings. The Vikings are 4-0 when they record more field goal attempts than their opponent this season versus 1-14 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
The Vikings go into Thursday's game at Montana having lost 24 straight Big Sky road games. The Vikings' last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023.
The Vikings average 1.6 more points per game than their opponents in the fourth quarter this season. That includes a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks as the Vikings erased six-point and eight-point deficits in wins over Kansas City (Dec. 6) and Weber State (Jan. 1), respectively.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (15.1) and attempted (21.3) per game this season. Their 21.3 attempts per game are 4.7 more per game than their opponents.
The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.1 points per game in the opening quarter this season. The Vikings are 4-1 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 1-13 when they're trailing.
Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.1 points per game in the first half this season.
The Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with a .409 field goal percentage during conference play. They've topped 40 percent from the field in five of their seven conference games, while they've out-shot five of their seven conference opponents as well.
Three-point shooting has been a sore spot for the Vikings. They rank last in the Big Sky in both three-pointers per game (4.47) and three-point field goal percentage (.274). Opponents are averaging 2.26 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
The Vikings have attempted at least 20 free throws in 11 of 19 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 eight times this season, while they finished tied with their opponent four other times. That's a significant improvement over last season, when the Vikings were out-rebounded in all but six games.
Despite the large rebounding deficits last week against Eastern Washington and Idaho, the Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (37.3) as well as sixth in rebounding margin (-1.74). The Vikings haven't finished a season with a positive rebounding margin since they finished the 2018-19 season at +1.0.
The Vikings are 4-0 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 1-14 when they fail to score 70 points.
The Vikings are 4-2 when winning the turnover battle versus 1-12 when they lose it. In their five wins, the Vikings are plus-0.6 in the turnover battle. But in their 14 losses, the Vikings are minus-5.3.
The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.2), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.5) and 10th in turnover margin (-3.74).
The Vikings are 5-1 when holding their opponent below 40 percent shooting versus 0-13 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
Three different players average at least 5.7 rebounds per game for the Vikings between Ajae Yoakum (6.6), Cici Ellington (5.8) and Hannah Chicken (5.7). Ellington and Yoakum are averaging 7.3 and 7.0 rebounds per game within Big Sky play, respectively.
The Vikings' five wins this season have all come on different days of the week. The Vikings are 1-2 on Tuesday, 1-1 on Wednesday, 1-2 on Thursday, 1-0 on Friday, 1-6 on Saturday and 0-3 on Sunday.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 25 straight games, the longest such streak by any player over the last 20 seasons at Portland State. She's scored 20+ in two straight games going into this week, scoring 25 against Eastern Washington last Thursday, then 23 against Idaho last Saturday.
Brown leads the Vikings with 18.6 points per game this season, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 39th nationally.
Brown has shot 50 percent or better from the field in four of the Vikings' last five games. She shot 53.1 percent (17-for-32) from the field against Eastern Washington and Idaho last week. Brown ranks fifth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.439) over the whole season.
Brown had been averaging only 3.25 points per game in the first half of the Vikings' previous four games before scoring 14 of her 23 points against Idaho in the first half Saturday.
Brown is 3-for-17 (.176) from three-point range over the Vikings' last five games. She had been 22-for-50 (.440) from three-point range through the Vikings' first 14 games of the season. She ranks tied for 14th in the conference with 1.32 three-pointers made per game.
Brown hadn't missed more than two free throws in any game this season until going 8-for-12 from the line against Eastern Washington last Thursday. She still leads the Big Sky and ranks 25th nationally with an .884 (84-for-95) free throw percentage. That would rank seventh on the single-season list at Portland State if the season ended today.
Brown is averaging a career-best 3.9 rebounds per game, 0.5 more per game than she averaged as a freshman.
Brown leads the Vikings while ranking eighth in the Big Sky with 31.9 minutes played per game.
Brown was the OSAA 5A State Player of the Year as a senior at Silverton High School when she led her team to the 5A state title in 2024.

#9 Hannah Chicken

Freshman Hannah Chicken has scored in double figures in 10 of the Vikings' last 11 games. She scored 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting overall and 4-for-4 from three-point range against Idaho last Saturday.
Chicken played a season-low 17:45 last Thursday against Eastern Washington due to foul trouble. She had scored in double figures in nine straight games before that but was held to just six points against the Eagles.
Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.4 points per game. That would be the best average by a PSU freshman since Esmeralda Morales averaged 12.5 points per game during the 2021-22 season.
Chicken leads the Vikings with a .519 field goal percentage this season. She's shot 60.0 percent or better in nine games this season.
Chicken's four three-pointers against Idaho last Saturday set a new career high. She's 10-for-13 from three-point range over the Vikings' last six games, after she started the season just 3-for-11 over the team's first 13 games.
Chicken also set a career high with five assists against Idaho last Saturday.
Chicken ranks second on the team in free throw percentage while shooting 80.0 percent (40-for-50) from the line. She doesn't meet the minimum requirements of 2.5 makes per game in order to be ranked statistically, however.
Chicken ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 2.16 offensive rebounds per game.
Chicken recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 13. She nearly had a second with 17 points and nine rebounds against Weber State on Jan. 1.
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.

#8 Cici Ellington

Cici Ellington reached the 1,000-point career milestone in the fourth quarter of last Thursday's game against Eastern Washington.
Ellington is six rebounds away from 500 career rebounds.
Ellington has scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' six games.
Ellington set a career high with 16 rebounds against Weber State on Jan. 1, recording the most rebounds by a Viking since Pia Jurhar had 16 against Multnomah on Nov. 25, 2017.
Ellington's average of 8.7 points per game this season is her best since her true sophomore season at Loyola Marymount when she averaged 9.3 points per game.
Ellington ranks tied for fifth in the Big Sky with 1.00 blocks per game.
Ellington played her first two years at Loyola Marymount (2019-21) before transferring to Grambling State (2021-24). She played 19 games at Grambling during the 2021-22 season 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. She was granted a rare seventh year for COVID and medical hardship.
Ellington was a West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team selection at Loyola Marymount following the 2019-20 season.
Ellington was named the OSAA 6A State Co-Player of the Year in 2019, sharing the award with future NCAA national champion and Los Angeles Sparks player Cameron Brink. Ellington and her Benson Polytechnic High School team – that included fellow Viking Ajae Yoakum – beat Brink and two-time defending champion Southridge in the 2019 state championship game.

#5 Ajae Yoakum

Ajae Yoakum played a season-low 10:46 last Saturday against Idaho due to foul trouble. She was held scoreless for the first time this season as a result. Yoakum had been averaging 8.0 points and 8.25 rebounds per game while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor over the previous four games.
Yoakum has two double-doubles this season. The first came with 11 points and 14 rebounds (tying a career high) against Kansas City on Dec. 6. The second came with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Seattle U on Dec. 17. Both double-doubles came in Portland State wins.
Yoakum leads the Vikings while ranking 11th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.65 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth with 2.71 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.71 assists per game. That's a career-best average for Yoakum.
Yoakum reached 1,000-career points over her entire collegiate career (including junior college points) 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 returned to double figures for the first time since the Vikings' game against Seattle U on Dec. 17, scoring 12 points last Saturday against Idaho. Ten of her 12 points came in the fourth quarter against the Vandals.
Torres-Kahapea had been averaging just 3.0 points per game over the previous seven games before scoring in double figures against the Vandals.
Torres-Kahapea tied her career high with three three-pointers against Seattle U on Dec. 17 while finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – is averaging a career-best 3.6 rebounds per game. That's 0.8 more per game than her previous career-best average (2.8 as a sophomore).
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 15 made three-pointers this season while shooting 15-for-55 (.273) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 2.42 assists per game, ranking her tied for 15th in the Big Sky. She had a career-high seven assists against San Jose State on Nov. 28.

#23 Taylor Moffat

Taylor Moffat set or tied PSU career highs in back-to-back games against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. She started with nine points against Northern Colorado on Jan. 15, then topped that with 12 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 17.
Moffat also set season highs for field goals (4), rebounds (4, tied), steals (3) and minutes (33) against Northern Arizona.
Moffat broke out of a slump from three-point range against NAU, going 2-for-6 from deep. She had been 1-for-9 over the previous five games.
Moffat ranks second on the team with 2.0 assists per game. She set a PSU career high with seven assists in the Vikings' game against Idaho State on Jan. 3.
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 recorded one of her better all-around games at Sacramento State on Jan. 10, totaling nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks. She had three points each against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona.
Buzzard ranks fourth on the team in both free throws made (27) and attempted (40) 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.

Additional Players

Jamia Carter set season highs for points (9), rebounds (4) and minutes played (22) against Northern Colorado on Jan. 15. She followed up with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting at Northern Arizona on Jan. 17.
Carter missed the first nine games of the season after suffering a knee injury last February. She's averaging 3.4 points and 12.0 minutes per game since her return.
Kirstine Munk started the first nine games of the season for the Vikings before coming off the bench for every game since. She's averaging 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season.
Katelyn Best scored a career-high 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field against Willamette on Nov. 11. She's averaging 1.3 points per game this season.
Alani Encinas started the first two games of the season. She's averaging 0.5 points and 6.0 minutes played per game 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.
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.