Vikings Open Three-Game Road Trip at Sacramento State Saturday

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team won their first Big Sky opener since the 2017-18 season with a 68-58 win over Weber State last Thursday. The Vikings will now look for a breakthrough on the road, as they play their next three games away from home, starting with a 1 p.m. tipoff Saturday against Sacramento State.

The Vikings haven't won a conference game on the road since Feb. 4, 2023, when they beat Eastern Washington, 80-71. They'll look to end that drought against the Hornets.

Sacramento State, for its part, had an identical opening weekend to the Vikings, beating Weber State while losing to Idaho State. The Hornets relied on their defense for their win over the Wildcats, as they held Weber State to 28.6 percent (14-for-49) shooting Saturday.

Defense has been the Hornets' strength throughout this season. They rank second in the Big Sky in scoring defense (58.5), field goal percentage defense (.373) and blocks per game (4.2).

The Vikings played a similar team in that regard in Idaho State last Saturday. The Bengals rank ahead of the Hornets in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, and while the Vikings lost to the Bengals, they were one of only three teams this season to shoot better than 40 percent against them. The Vikings shot 41.1 percent (23-for-56) against the Bengals, with Kyleigh Brown (23 points), Cici Ellington (14) and Hannah Chicken (12) all scoring in double figures.

The performance against the Bengals showcased what's been an improved offense from the Vikings recently. The Vikings have assisted on 66.7 percent of their field goals over their last four games compared to 47.7 percent in their first 10 games of the season. The Vikings are averaging 16.5 assists and 40.2 percent shooting over the last four games, compared to 10.4 assists and 38.1 percent shooting over their first 10 games.

Ellington has mirrored the Vikings' improvements individually. The former Oregon State Co-Player of the Year recorded her second double-double out of the past four games with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Idaho State. The double-double came after a career-high 16 rebounds from Ellington against Weber State, the most rebounds by a Viking since Pia Jurhar had 16 rebounds against Multnomah on Nov. 25, 2017.

Ellington is now averaging 11.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over the Vikings' last four games. It's a return to form for Ellington, who missed all but one game over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to multiple knee injuries.

Brown has been consistent throughout this season. Even still, her 23-point game against Idaho State marked her sixth 20-point game of the season despite frequently being double teamed by the Bengals. Brown has now scored in double figures in 20 straight games, believed to be the longest such streak in the past 20 seasons for the Vikings.

Chicken has scored in double figures in six straight games and 10 of the last 12 for the Vikings. The freshman forward added an outside shooting touch to her repertoire against Idaho State. She went 3-for-4 from three-point range against the Bengals, doubling her season total for makes in a single game.

Preseason Big Sky MVP Benthe Versteeg will lead the Hornets. She finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals in her team's win over the Wildcats last weekend. She leads the Big Sky with 5.2 assists per game this season.

Keanna Salave'a and Natalie Picton also went into double figures against the Wildcats with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Rubi Gray, who leads the Hornets with 14.5 points per game this season, was held to just nine points in the win, snapping a run of 11 straight games in double figures. Gray ranks seventh in the Big Sky with her 14.5 points per game. She and Picton also rank tied for sixth in the conference with 2.07 three-pointers per game each. Picton leads the Hornets with 2.67 steals per game, ranking her third in the conference and 45th nationally.

Rebounding will be a key statistic for both teams. The Hornets rank ahead of the Vikings within the Big Sky Conference in both total rebounds per game (4th, 39.0) and rebounding margin (4th, +3.7).

But the Vikings had success against an even stronger rebounding team in Idaho State last Saturday. The Bengals came into the game with a rebounding margin of +10, and yet the Vikings finished level with the Bengals (37-to-37). They were only the third team to finish level or better against the Bengals this season.

Head coach Karlie Burris noted that the team's rebounding will have to travel with them. The Vikings had success on the road earlier in the season, when they beat Kansas City, 85-79 in overtime, on Dec. 6. That was the Vikings' first road win in over a year at the time.

Now they just have to do it against a Big Sky opponent.

GAME #15: PORTLAND STATE (5-9, 1-1) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (7-8, 1-1)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Jan. 10, 1 p.m. PT, Sacramento, Calif., (Hornet Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE: The Sacramento State Hornets matched the Vikings by splitting their opening weekend of Big Sky play with a win over Weber State (60-39 Saturday) and a loss to Idaho State (61-46 Thursday). The Hornets held the Wildcats to 28.6 percent (14-for-49) shooting in their win last Saturday. That's been a strength for the Hornets all season as they rank second in the Big Sky in a number of defensive categories including scoring defense (58.5), field goal percentage defense (.373) and blocks per game (4.2). The Hornets also lead the conference and rank 40th nationally while holding opponents to 26.6 percent shooting from three-point range this season. Additionally, they rank third in the conference with 19.5 turnovers forced per game, though they're giving up 19.1 turnovers per game themselves. Individually, Benthe Versteeg – the preseason Big Sky MVP – led the Hornets with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals against the Wildcats last Saturday. Keanna Salave'a and Natalie Picton also went into double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Rubi Gray, who leads the Hornets with 14.5 points per game this season, was held to just nine points in the win, snapping a run of 11 straight games in double figures. Gray ranks seventh in the Big Sky with her 14.5 points per game. She and Picton also rank tied for sixth in the conference with 2.07 three-pointers per game each. Picton leads the Hornets with 2.67 steals per game, ranking her third in the conference and 45th nationally. Versteeg leads the conference and ranks 32nd nationally with 5.2 assists per game. Salave'a ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 0.93 blocks per game to lead the Hornets on the interior.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 34-27. The Hornets have dominated the series of late, however, as they've won eight of the last 10, including both last season. The Vikings last beat the Hornets, 57-51, at home on March 2, 2024. The Vikings last won in Sacramento, 74-64, on Jan. 9, 2021. That was in the Hornets' old gym, however. Saturday's game will be the Vikings' first in the new Hornet Pavilion.

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The Vikings split their opening weekend of Big Sky play, beating Weber State 68-58 on Jan. 1, before losing to Idaho State, 72-63. The Vikings' victory over Weber State was the program's first in its Big Sky opener since the 2017-18 season.
The Vikings finished their victory over Weber State with a 17-0 run over the final 6:22 of game time. They trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, making it the largest comeback victory of the season for the Vikings.
The Vikings shot 41.1 percent (23-for-56) from the field against Idaho State Saturday. They were only the third team to top 40 percent against a Bengals defense that entered the game leading the Big Sky Conference in opponent field goal percentage.
The Vikings held Weber State to 34.5 percent (19-for-55) shooting from the field, tying a season low for a Viking opponent. Weber State missed its last nine shots from the field while being held scoreless over the final 6:22 of the game.
The Vikings were held without a free throw attempt in the first half against Weber State, the first time the Vikings have not had a free throw attempt in any half this season. They finished 18-for-21 (.857) from the line thanks to shooting 14 free throws over the final six minutes of the game.
Kyleigh Brown surpassed 20 points for the sixth time this season with a game-high 23 points Saturday. She also had a game-high 18 points against Weber State, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.
Cici Ellington recorded her second double-double in the past four games with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Idaho State Saturday. The double-double followed a career-high 16 rebounds against Weber State Thursday. The 16 rebounds were the most by a Viking since Pia Jurhar had 16 against Multnomah on Nov. 25, 2017.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

The Vikings are outscoring opponents by 2.7 points per game 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 have been outscored in all other quarters.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (16.1) and attempted (22.1) per game this season. Their 22.1 attempts per game are 5.2 more per game than their opponents.
The Vikings held an 18-8 lead after the opening quarter against Weber State, the second-largest margin for the Vikings after the opening quarter this season. The Vikings are 4-1 when winning the first quarter this season versus 1-8 when they lose it. Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 4.5 points per game in the first quarter this season.
The Vikings have assisted on 66.7 percent of their field goals over their last four games. That's been a sharp improvement over their first 10 games when the Vikings assisted on only 47.7 percent of their field goals.
The Vikings have attempted at least 20 free throws in nine of 14 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 seven of 14 games this season, while they finished tied with their opponent in three of the other seven. 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 (38.0) as well as sixth in rebounding margin (+0.79). 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 fourth in the Big Sky with 13.7 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.
The Vikings are 4-0 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 1-8 when they fail to score 70 points.
The Vikings are 4-1 when winning the turnover battle versus 1-8 when they lose it. Last weekend followed that exactly, as the Vikings won the turnover battle against Weber State (+3) while they lost it to Idaho State (-7). The Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in turnover margin (-3.07).
The Vikings' opponent field goal percentage has been the best indicator of success for the Vikings. They are 5-0 when holding their opponent below 40 percent shooting versus 0-9 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
Five different players average at least 4.3 rebounds per game for the Vikings this season. That list includes Ajae Yoakum (6.3), Cici Ellington (6.2), Hannah Chicken (6.0), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (4.4) and Kyleigh Brown (4.3).
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, 1-0 on Thursday, 1-0 on Friday, 1-3 on Saturday and 0-3 on Sunday.
The Vikings go into Saturday's game at Sacramento State having lost 21 Big Sky road games in a row. The Vikings' last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 20 straight games going back to last season. She's scored 20+ six times this season.
Brown had a streak of 21 straight free throws snapped with her first attempt against Idaho State last Saturday. 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 12th nationally with a .910 (61-for-67) free throw percentage. That's just off the single-season program record that Esmeralda Morales set at .913 during the 2021-22 season.
Brown leads the Vikings with 18.6 points per game this season, ranking her second in the Big Sky and 41st 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 12th in the conference with 1.57 three-pointers made per game. She's shooting 44.0 percent (22-for-50) from three-point range this season.
Brown ranks seventh in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.428).
Brown is averaging a career-best 4.3 rebounds per game, nearly one more per game than she averaged as a freshman.
Brown leads the Vikings while ranking 10th in the Big Sky with 31.3 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.

#8 Cici Ellington

Cici Ellington recorded her second double-double in the past four games with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Idaho State Saturday. Her first double-double came against Seattle U on Dec. 17, when she led the Vikings with 18 points and 14 rebounds. That was her first double-double since Jan. 8, 2022, when she was playing at Grambling State.
Ellington set a career high with 16 rebounds against Weber State, recording the most rebounds by a Viking since Pia Jurhar had 16 against Multnomah on Nov. 25, 2017.
Ellington is averaging 11.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over the Vikings' last four games.
Ellington's average of 9.3 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 25 points away from reaching 1,000 points over her entire collegiate career. She is also 30 rebounds away from reaching 500 in her career.
Ellington ranks tied for sixth in the Big Sky with 0.92 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 sixth straight game and 10th out of the last 12 with 12 points against Idaho State Saturday. She went 3-for-4 from three-point range, matching the number of makes she had through the Vikings' first 13 games of the season.
Chicken nearly had a double-double against Weber State Thursday, recording 17 points and nine rebounds. Chicken scored nine of her 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Chicken recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 13.
Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.2 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 14th in the Big Sky with 6.00 rebounds per game. She also ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 2.21 offensive rebounds per game.
Chicken ranks third in the Big Sky and 99th nationally in free throw percentage while shooting 82.2 percent (37-for-45) from the line.
Chicken leads the Vikings with a .504 field goal percentage this season. She's shot 60.0 percent or better from the field seven times this season.
Chicken leads the Vikings with 1.71 steals per game, ranking her 14th 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 filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the Vikings' win over Weber State last Thursday. The four assists tied a career high for Yoakum.
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.
Yoakum leads the Vikings while ranking 12th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.33 rebounds per game. She also ranks seventh in the conference with 2.50 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks 15th in the Big Sky with 30.0 minutes played 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 has recorded five assists in three of the Vikings' last four games. She's averaging 4.25 assists per game over the last four games.
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. She's averaging just 3.33 points per game in the three games since then, however.
Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – is averaging a career-best 4.4 rebounds per game. That's 1.6 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 13 made three-pointers this season while shooting 13-for-43 (.302) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 2.57 assists per game. She had a career-high seven assists against San Jose State on Nov. 28.
Torres-Kahapea ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 30.5 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 seven games for the Vikings. She averaged 6.25 points per game over her first four starts but only has five combined points over the last three.
Moffat went 8-for-16 (.500) from three-point range over her first four starts but is 0-for-6 from three-point range over her last three games.
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. She hit the first three-pointer of her career in Saturday's game against Idaho State.
Alani Encinas started the first two games of the season. She's only appeared in six of the 12 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.

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.