Vikings Open Second Half of Big Sky Play at Idaho State Monday

TIPOFF
The Portland State Vikings will be eager to show that they're a better team than they showed Saturday at Montana State. A rare Monday night game within Big Sky play gives them the chance to do that quickly, as the Vikings play Idaho State at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.

The Vikings will look to put Saturday's 91-43 loss to league-leading Montana State behind them. The Bobcats were always going to be a formidable opponent, but the Vikings still would have hoped to avoid a 31-1 deficit after the first quarter like they faced Saturday.

The Bobcats jumped on the Vikings early behind a suffocating defense that forced the Vikings into a season-high 29 turnovers. Those 29 turnovers turned into a 47-11 advantage in points off turnovers for the Bobcats. Montana State also held the Vikings to a season-low 43 points, while the Vikings' .313 field goal percentage marked a conference season low.

The Vikings had a better showing Thursday night against Montana. The Vikings led by as many as six points in the fourth quarter of that game, while they committed a season-low four turnovers against the Lady Griz. The Vikings still lost 69-63 thanks in part to a cold fourth quarter in which they shot 2-for-15 (.133) from the field.

The poor shooting in the fourth quarter against the Lady Griz was exacerbated by a tough rebounding night. Montana and Montana State became the fourth and fifth straight teams to out-rebound the Vikings, doing so by nine and 10 rebounds, respectively. That's been a puzzling turn of fortune for the Vikings, who had been out-rebounded in only four of their first 16 games of the season.

The Vikings had a strong rebounding performance in their first game against Idaho State this season. The Bengals came into the game having out-rebounded all but two of their first 13 opponents, and yet the Vikings finished level with the Bengals, 37-to-37.

A strong rebounding performance will be key for the Vikings again Monday night. Idaho State hasn't let up since that earlier meeting with the Vikings, which the Bengals won 72-63 on Jan. 3. The Bengals still rank second in the Big Sky and 25th nationally with a +8.2 rebounding margin.

The strong rebounding fuels an Idaho State defense that leads the Big Sky in both scoring defense – giving up only 58.6 points per game – and field goal percentage defense (.366). The Bengal defense has been good at forcing turnovers as Idaho State ranks third in the Big Sky in steals (10.5) and turnovers forced (18.6) per game, as well as third in turnover margin (+1.75).

Turnovers were key in the Vikings' first game against the Bengals. The Bengals were +7 in turnovers against the Vikings, which they turned into a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers – a key stat in what ended up being a nine-point game.

Tasia Jordan led the Bengals with 20 points in that earlier meeting with the Vikings. Jordan leads the Bengals with 15.3 points per game this season, ranking her fourth in the conference.

Piper Carlson also had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. Carlson leads the Bengals with 8.0 rebounds per game, ranking her fourth in the conference.

Maeva Gauffrenet (13 points) and Aspen Caldwell (11) also went into double figures, while Kacey Spink filled the stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Spink ranks second in the Big Sky in both assists (4.2) and steals (3.2) per game, while also ranking ninth in the conference with 7.1 rebounds per game.

Kyleigh Brown led the Vikings with 23 points in the earlier meeting with the Bengals. That was the sixth of nine 20-point games this season for Brown. She had scored 20+ points in three straight games before being held to 11 points Saturday at Montana State.

Cici Ellington contributed with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Bengals. Hannah Chicken also went into double figures with 12 points.

The Vikings whittled down a 10-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter to two points with 4:23 remaining in that game. The Bengals stretched the lead from there, but it was the first of what's been several near misses for the Vikings within Big Sky play.

After that game, the Vikings have led or been tied in the fourth quarter in three of their five Big Sky road games. That includes their six-point lead in the fourth quarter against Montana this past Thursday. Additionally, they led Northern Arizona in the fourth quarter on Jan. 17, while they were tied late against Sacramento State on Jan. 10.

It's part of why the Vikings want to show that they're a better team than the one that lost big to Montana State Saturday. They have that chance Monday against the Bengals.

GAME #22: PORTLAND STATE (5-16, 1-8) vs. IDAHO STATE (13-7, 6-3)
GAME DETAILS: Monday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT, Pocatello, Idaho (Reed Gym)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals head into Monday's game having won three of their last four games, including a 65-54 home win over Weber State Saturday. The Bengals' best win of the season came on Jan. 22, when they handed Montana State their only loss of the Big Sky season so far, beating the Bobcats 79-60 at home. The Bengals also opened the conference season with three of four wins, including a 72-63 victory over the Vikings in Portland on Jan. 3. Statistically, the Bengals feature the best defense in the Big Sky Conference this season. They lead the Big Sky in both scoring defense – giving up only 58.6 points per game – and field goal percentage defense (.366). The Bengal defense has been good at forcing turnovers as Idaho State ranks third in the Big Sky in steals (10.5) and turnovers forced (18.6) per game, as well as third in turnover margin (+1.75). Strong rebounding has helped fuel the Bengals' defense. Idaho State ranks second in the Big Sky and 25th nationally with a +8.2 rebounding margin. They also rank third in the conference with 39.5 total rebounds per game. Individually, Tasia Jordan leads the Bengals with 15.3 points per game, ranking her fourth in the conference. Piper Carlson leads the Bengals with 8.0 rebounds per game, ranking her fourth in the conference. Kacey Spink has been the do-everything player for the Bengals. She ranks second in the Big Sky in both assists (4.2) and steals (3.2) per game, while also ranking ninth in the conference with 7.1 rebounds per game. Jordan led the Bengals with 20 points in their earlier win over the Vikings this season. Carlson had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Maeva Gauffrenet (13 points) and Aspen Caldwell (11) also went into double figures. Spink didn't hit double figures but still contributed with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Idaho State Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 47-26. The Bengals have won the last three in the series, including a 72-63 win over the Vikings at Viking Pavilion on Jan. 3. The Vikings' last victory over the Bengals came at home, 59-53, on Feb. 10, 2024. The Vikings' last victory in Pocatello came on Jan. 18, 2020, when they beat the Bengals 69-64. The Vikings are 8-26 all-time in Pocatello, while they've lost 15 of their last 16 road games to the Bengals.

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The Vikings trailed 31-1 after the first quarter en route to a 91-43 loss at Montana State Saturday. It was the Vikings' eighth straight loss after a Big Sky-opening win over Weber State on Jan. 1.
Montana State forced the Vikings into a season-high 29 turnovers, which they turned into a 47-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Fifteen of the Bobcats' 31 first-quarter points came off PSU turnovers.
The Bobcats' 91 points and .514 field goal percentage both marked conference season highs for Viking opponents.
Five of the Vikings' last six opponents have scored 80 points or more. Big Sky opponents are averaging 75.9 points pe game against the Vikings, ranking the Vikings last within the conference in scoring defense.
The Vikings' 43 points marked a new season low. Their previous season low came against Colorado, when they scored 45 points on Nov. 16.
Montana State became the fifth straight opponent to out-rebound the Vikings (37-to-27). The Vikings had only been out-rebounded four times through their first 16 games of the season but have a rebounding margin of minus-13.4 over the last five games.
The Vikings' .313 field goal percentage against Montana State Saturday marked a new conference season low. The Vikings have shot .365 or lower in their last three games. They had made 40 percent of their shots in the five games before that.
Despite Saturday's blowout loss, the Vikings have actually led or been tied in the fourth quarter in three of their five Big Sky road games. That included a six-point fourth-quarter lead at Montana this past Thursday. A cold fourth quarter in which the Vikings went 2-for-15 from the field cost the Vikings in that game, as the Lady Griz came back to win 69-63.
Kyleigh Brown stretched her double-digit scoring streak to 27 straight games with 11 points Saturday at Montana State. Brown had scored 20+ points in three straight games before the Bobcats held her to 11.
Laynee Torres-Kahapea scored in double figures for the second time in the last three games with 11 points. Seven of Torres-Kahapea's 11 points came from the free throw line.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

Opponents are averaging 6.6 more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings. Montana State had 26 more field goal attempts than the Vikings Saturday. The Vikings are 4-1 when they record more field goal attempts than their opponent this season versus 1-15 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
The Vikings go into Monday's game at Idaho State having lost 26 straight Big Sky road games. The Vikings' last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023.
The Vikings' best quarter has been the fourth where they're outscoring opponents by an average of 1.1 points per game 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 (14.7) and attempted (20.6) per game this season. Their 20.6 attempts are 4.3 more per game than their opponents.
The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 6.4 points per game in the opening quarter this season. Montana State's 31-1 first quarter against the Vikings Saturday was the seventh time this season an opponent has outscored the Vikings by 10 or more in the opening period. The Vikings are 4-1 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 1-15 when they're trailing.
Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.95 points per game in the first half this season.
Three-point shooting has been a sore spot for the Vikings. They rank last in the Big Sky in three-point makes per game (4.29), percentage (.260) and defense (.333). Opponents are averaging 2.38 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
The Vikings have attempted at least 20 free throws 11 times 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 rebounding deficits in their last five games, the Vikings still rank sixth in the Big Sky in total rebounds per game (36.8) as well as seventh in rebounding margin (-2.48). 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 1-16 when they fail to score 70 points.
The Vikings are 4-3 when winning the turnover battle versus 1-13 when they lose it. The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.1), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.2) and 10th in turnover margin (-3.90).
The Vikings are 5-2 when holding their opponent below 40 percent shooting versus 0-14 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
Three different players rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky for rebounds. Ajae Yoakum leads that group with 6.47 rebounds per game, ranking her 12 in the conference. Hannah Chicken and Cici Ellington rank 14th and 15th in the conference behind her with 5.86 and 5.85 rebounds per game, 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, 1-3 on Thursday, 1-0 on Friday, 1-7 on Saturday and 0-3 on Sunday.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 27 straight games, the longest such streak by any player over the last 20 seasons at Portland State. She scored 20+ in three straight games before being held to 11 points Saturday at Montana State.
Brown leads the Vikings with 18.3 points per game this season, ranking her tied for second in the Big Sky and 49th nationally.
Brown has shot 50 percent or better from the field in four of the Vikings' last seven games. Brown ranks fifth in the Big Sky with a .436 field goal percentage this season.
Brown has been especially effective in the second half of games recently. Since Jan. 10 against Sacramento State, Brown is averaging 12.6 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting in the second half alone.
Brown is 4-for-23 (.174) from three-point range over the Vikings' last seven games. She had been 22-for-50 (.440) from three-point range through the Vikings' first 14 games of the season.
Brown has made 17 straight free throws entering Monday's game at Idaho State. She's had streaks of 21 and 26 straight free throws earlier in the season. The school record is 35 straight free throws made by Kiana Brown between Nov. 28, 2017, and Jan. 20, 2018.
Brown leads the Big Sky and ranks 21st nationally with an .893 free throw percentage. That would rank tied for sixth 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 ninth 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 scored a season-low two points on 1-for-7 shooting against Montana State Saturday. It was the third time out of the last four games that she was held under 10 points, after scoring 10+ points in nine straight games between Dec. 6 and Jan. 17.
Despite not scoring in double figures, Chicken had one of her best all-around games against Montana Thursday with eight points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Her 12 rebounds and three blocks against the Lady Griz were both career highs.
Chicken is 5-for-20 combined from the field over the previous two games. That's been an uncharacteristic stretch for Chicken, who despite that still leads the Vikings with a .489 field goal percentage this season.
Chicken ranks second on the team with 10.8 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 is 13-for-29 (.448) from three-point range this season. She was 10-for-13 (.769) over a six-game from Jan. 3-24 but is 0-for-5 over the Vikings' last two games.
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 14th in the Big Sky with 5.86 rebounds per game. She's 12th in the conference with 2.05 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's been close to a second a couple of different times, including Thursday against Montana.
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 the Vikings' game against Eastern Washington on Jan. 22. She hit 500 career rebounds with six boards Thursday night against Montana.
Ellington has scored in double figures in four of the Vikings' last eight games. That includes 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting against Montana, eight of which came during a key 15-3 PSU run in the third quarter.
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 sixth 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 returned to double figures for the first time since the Vikings' Big Sky opener against Weber State on Jan. 1 with 10 points to go with six rebounds Thursday at Montana. She was held to two points on 1-for-4 shooting at Montana State Saturday.
Yoakum has scored at least eight points in seven of the Vikings' nine Big Sky 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 12th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.47 rebounds per game. She also ranks seventh with 2.84 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.63 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 has scored in double figures in two of the Vikings' last three games. She scored 11 points Saturday at Montana State, after totaling 12 points against Idaho on Jan. 24. Before the game against Idaho, Torres-Kahapea hadn't scored in double figures since the Vikings' game against Seattle U on Dec. 17.
Torres-Kahapea – despite being just five-feet, six-inches tall – is averaging a career-best 3.4 rebounds per game. That's 0.6 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 16 made three-pointers this season while shooting 16-for-60 (.267) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 2.29 assists per game. 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 is 4-for-23 from three-point range over her last eight games. That stretch followed an 8-for-16 (.500) stretch from Dec. 3-17.
Moffat ranks second on the team with 1.84 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 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.

#2 Jamia Carter

Jamia Carter has been held scoreless in the past two games. She had been averaging 6.75 points over the previous four games.
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 3.1 points and 11.0 minutes per game since her return.

Additional Players

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 2.1 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 5.9 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.