Be Mine! Vikings Host Northern Colorado for Valentine's Day Matchup Saturday

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team put in a game effort Thursday night against Northern Arizona. They erased a four-point deficit in the final 30 seconds with a pair of clutch three-pointers from Kyleigh Brown and Cici Ellington to force overtime.

But a cold overtime period in which the Lumberjacks outscored the Vikings 10-2 meant Northern Arizona left Viking Pavilion with an 88-80 victory over the Vikings. The loss kept the Vikings from earning their first back-to-back wins of the season, after they had broken through last Saturday with a 64-62 victory over Sacramento State.

The challenge increases Saturday as Northern Colorado – 18-8 overall and 9-4 in Big Sky play – comes into Viking Pavilion for a 2 p.m. tipoff. But head coach Karlie Burris still must like the direction her team is trending.

One improvement of late has been the Vikings' balance offensively. The Vikings had four players score in double figures for the second time in their last three games, after not having that in their first nine conference games. Thursday night, all four players scored at least 16 points as Ellington led the Vikings with 20 points while Brown (18), Laynee Torres-Kahapea (18) and Hannah Chicken (16) followed closely behind.

Ellington and Torres-Kahapea have both emerged recently to provide the scoring balance for the Vikings. Ellington has now scored in double figures in three straight games, including setting conference season highs in back-to-back games. Ellington finished with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State. She then scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter Thursday against Northern Arizona, including the tying three-pointer with 6.0 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game to overtime.

Torres-Kahapea, meanwhile, has scored in double figures in three of the last four games, as well as four of the last six. Her 18 points Thursday represented the second-highest total of her career, trailing only the 22 points she scored in front of family and friends in the Vikings' season opener at Hawai'i.

Getting to the line has helped spark Torres-Kahapea offensively. In her four recent double-digit scoring games, Torres-Kahapea has made at least five free throws every time. She enters Saturday's game against Northern Colorado having made 17 straight free throws and 23 of her last 25.

The added balance behind Brown and Chicken – the Vikings' two leading scorers – will be a key factor against Northern Colorado. The Bears represent one of the most balanced teams within the Big Sky. They lead the conference and rank sixth nationally with 31.1 bench points per game. Four different players average at least 10 points per game for the Bears between Neenah George (12.9), Heather Baymon (12.3), Tatum West (10.5) and Aniah Hall (10.1).

The platoon approach – 12 different players average at least 10 minutes per game for the Bears – allows Northern Colorado to play a high-energy defense that ranks second in the Big Sky and in the top 40 nationally in both turnovers forced (20.6) and steals (11.5) per game. They also rank third in the conference with a +1.85 turnover margin.

Turnovers were key in the Vikings' first game against the Bears this season, an 80-60 victory for Northern Colorado on Jan. 15. The Bears forced the Vikings into 12 more giveaways in the game, which they turned into a 31-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

Another key statistical battle in the team's first meeting was three-point shooting. The Bears tied a season high for a Viking opponent with 11 three-pointers in the game while the Vikings went 0-for-12 from beyond the arc on the other end.

All of that came to a head in the first quarter as the Bears jumped on the Vikings early, leading 23-7 after the opening 10 minutes. The Vikings never got closer than 15 points over the final three quarters of the game.

A better start Saturday will be a must for the Vikings, as will better ball control and at least a more equitable showing from three-point range.

The Vikings will have to do all that only two days removed from Thursday night's heartbreak. But leave it to Valentine's Day, to put the Vikings' hearts back together for another push against the Bears.

GAME #25: PORTLAND STATE (6-18, 2-10) vs. NORTHERN COLORADO (18-8, 9-4)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore., (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Northern Colorado Bears returned to the win column with a 62-55 road victory over Sacramento State Thursday. The win followed a six-game stretch in which the Bears went 3-3. Their four conference losses have all come against the top three teams in the Big Sky standings, including two losses to preseason favorite Montana State. The Bears beat the Vikings in Greeley, 80-60, on Jan. 15 as part of a five-game win streak early in the conference season. Northern Colorado used a dominant first quarter to run away with that game, outscoring the Vikings 23-7 in the opening 10 minutes. Turnovers – the Vikings were -12 in the game, which led to a 31-7 advantage in points off turnovers for the Bears – and three-point shooting – the Bears outshot the Vikings 11-to-0 from beyond the arc – proved decisive in the game. Forcing turnovers has been a strength of the Bears' all season. They rank second in the Big Sky and in the top 40 nationally in both turnovers forced (20.6) and steals (11.5) per game. They also rank third in the conference with a +1.85 turnover margin. The Bears fuel their pressure defense with a platoon approach as 12 different players average at least 10 minutes per game. Additionally, the Bears lead the Big Sky and rank sixth nationally with 31.1 bench points per game. Four different players average at least 10 points per game between Neenah George (12.9), Heather Baymon (12.3), Tatum West (10.5) and Aniah Hall (10.1). West also leads the Bears with 8.7 rebounds per game, 3.8 of which come on the offensive end where she ranks first in the Big Sky and 17th nationally. Gabi Fields and West also rank sixth and seventh in the Big Sky with 2.31 and 2.15 steals per game, respectively. Baymon leads the Bears from the outside as she ranks third in the Big Sky with 2.19 three-pointers per game. Baymon went 5-for-10 from three-point range against the Vikings back in January as she led the Bears with 23 points in the game. West added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while George (15 points) and Julia Riley (10) also went into double figures.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 28-12. That includes an 80-60 win in Greeley on Jan. 15 earlier this season. That was the Bears' third straight win over the Vikings, as well as their 18th out of their last 21 games against the Vikings. The Vikings' last win in the series came at home, 58-52, on Jan. 16 last season.

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The Vikings hit two three-pointers within the final 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime against Northern Arizona Thursday. But the Lumberjacks outscored the Vikings 10-2 in overtime to win, 88-80.
Thursday's loss kept the Vikings from earning their first back-to-back wins of the season. The Vikings were coming off a 64-62 win over Sacramento State last Saturday, which snapped a nine-game losing streak at the time.
Four different Vikings scored in double figures for the second time in the last three games, after not having that scoring depth in their first nine Big Sky games.
NAU out-rebounded the Vikings 9-to-2 in overtime, including three key offensive rebounds on the Lumberjacks' first three possessions of overtime. The rebounding advantage in overtime meant the Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Vikings 43-to-42 for the game, making them the eighth straight team to out-rebound the Vikings.
NAU out-shot the Vikings .429-to-.394 Thursday. The Vikings are winless this season (0-16) when their opponent shoots over 40 percent from the field.
While the Vikings lost the turnover battle, 19-to-17, Thursday, the Lumberjacks' 17 turnovers marked a conference season high. The Vikings also forced 16 turnovers out of Sacramento State last Saturday, putting the Vikings above their season average of 13.5 turnovers forced per game in their last two games.
The Vikings' 80 points Thursday marked a conference season high. They had 78 points by the end of regulation, which was already 10 more than they had in any other Big Sky game.
Thursday's overtime game was the second overtime game of the season for the Vikings. The Vikings beat Kansas City, 85-79, in overtime on the road on Dec. 6. They're 1-1 in overtime games this season, then, after losing Thursday.
Cici Ellington scored 10 of her team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter Thursday. That included the tying three-pointer with 6.0 seconds remaining in regulation. Ellington has now scored in double figures in three straight games, during which time she's averaging 15.7 points per game.
Laynee Torres-Kahapea scored in double figures for the third time in the last four games, with her 18 points Thursday being the most of the bunch. Torres-Kahapea scored 14 of her 18 points after halftime, while also finishing with seven rebounds and three assists during the game.
Kyleigh Brown extended her double-digit scoring streak to 30 straight games with 18 points on 6-for-22 shooting Thursday.
Freshman Hannah Chicken recorded the second double-double of her career with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Chicken also had three steals and two blocks to go with her double-double.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

Opponents are averaging 6.75 more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings. The last two games have actually played against type as the Vikings beat Sacramento State despite the Hornets having eight more shot attempts but then lost to Northern Arizona despite having one more shot attempt. The Vikings are 4-2 when they record more field goal attempts than their opponent this season versus 2-16 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (15.0) and attempted (20.7) per game this season. Their 20.7 attempts are 3.88 more per game than their opponents. They have attempted at least 20 free throws 13 times this season.
Depth of scoring has been a recent theme for the Vikings. They had four players score 16+ for the first time this season Thursday, one game after they had three different players score 17+ points for the first time against Sacramento State last Saturday.
All six wins this season have come when the Vikings held their opponent below 40 percent shooting. The Vikings are 6-2 when their opponent shoots below 40 percent versus 0-16 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.54 points per game in the opening quarter this season. Montana State became the seventh team to out-score the Vikings by more than 10 points in the first quarter on Jan. 31. The Vikings are 4-2 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 2-16 when they're tied or trailing.
Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.08 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 (4.13) and percentage (.256), while they rank ninth in three-point percentage defense (.327). Opponents are averaging 2.21 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
The Vikings have lost the rebounding battle in eight straight games entering this week. That's been a strange turnaround within the season. The Vikings were out-rebounded only four times in their first 16 game. They had a +0.94 rebounding margin through their first 16 games versus -9.50 over their last eight games.
Thursday's loss to Sacramento State marked the first time this season that the Vikings lost when scoring over 70 points. The Vikings are still 4-1 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 2-17 when they fail to score 70 points. Both of their Big Sky wins came when they scored under 70 points.
The Vikings are 4-3 when winning the turnover battle versus 2-15 when they lose it. The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.5), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.5) and 10th in turnover margin (-4.00).
The Vikings are 5-7 at home this season versus 1-11 on the road. Both of the Vikings' Big Sky victories have come at home.
The Vikings are 6-2 on Valentine's Day since joining the Big Sky Conference for the 1996-97 season. They last played on Valentine's Day in 2021, when they beat Northern Arizona at home, 58-56.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 30 straight games, the longest such streak by any player over the last 20 seasons at Portland State. She has nine 20-point games this season, four of which have come in Big Sky play.
Brown leads the Vikings with 17.9 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 52nd nationally.
Brown played all 45 minutes Thursday against Northern Arizona. She ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 32.8 minutes played per game this season.
Brown was 6-for-22 from the field Thursday. That was an uncharacteristic shooting night for Brown, who ranks sixth in the Big Sky with a .425 field goal percentage.
Brown is 6-for-36 (.167) from three-point range over the Vikings' last 10 games. She had been 22-for-50 (.440) through the Vikings' first 14 games of the season. She made two three-pointers for the first time in seven games Thursday.
Brown had a streak of 19 straight free throws snapped at Idaho State on Feb. 2. She 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 15th nationally with an .897 free throw percentage. That would rank sixth on the single-season list at Portland State if the season ended today.
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 recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds Thursday against Northern Arizona. She also had three steals and two blocks.
Chicken fouled out on the first possession of overtime Thursday, which proved fateful as the Lumberjacks outscored the Vikings 10-2 in the extra period. Chicken was +5 when she was on the court Thursday.
Chicken posted the first 20-point game of her career last Saturday, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting while adding seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Sacramento State.
Chicken's 8-for-11 shooting from the field last Saturday snapped a cold spell for her, as she had been 7-for-27 (.259) combined over the last three games. Chicken leads the Vikings with a .493 field goal percentage over all games this season.
Chicken was 0-for-2 from three-point range Thursday. That reversed a recent trend as she had been 9-for-10 (.900) from deep over the team's last four games at Viking Pavilion. Chicken is still 15-for-34 (.441) from beyond the arc this season, which leads the Vikings.
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 ranks third on the team in free throw percentage while shooting 80.0 percent (52-for-65) from the line.
Chicken ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 6.21 rebounds per game. She's 12th in the conference with 2.00 offensive rebounds per game.
Chicken has recorded four or more assists in three of the last six games. She ranks third on the team with 1.7 assists per game.
Chicken ranks tied for 13th in the Big Sky with 0.75 blocks per game.
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 has set conference season highs in back-to-back games, scoring 17 points against Sacramento State last Saturday then topping that with 20 points against Northern Arizona Thursday.
Ellington has scored in double figures in three straight games and four of the last five. She's averaging 15.7 points per game over the last three games.
Ellington ranks third on the team with 9.6 points per game this season. That's her best scoring average since her true freshman season at Loyola Marymount during the 2019-20 season.
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 against Montana on Jan. 29.
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. She had 10+ rebounds in three of four games between Dec. 17 to Jan. 3. She had her most rebounds since that run with nine Thursday against Northern Arizona.
Ellington ranks tied for fourth 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.

#11 Laynee Torres-Kahapea

Laynee Torres-Kahapea recorded the second-highest scoring output of her career with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting Thursday against Northern Arizona. She scored 14 of her 18 points after halftime, while she added seven rebounds and three assists over the whole game.
Torres-Kahapea has scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' last four games, as well as four of the last six. The one exception was the Vikings' win over Sacramento State last Saturday. She was held scoreless in that game but still contributed with seven assists (tying for a career high) and six rebounds.
Free-throw shooting has been key to Torres-Kahapea's recent scoring output. She's made at least five free throws in her four recent double-digit scoring games. She's made 17 free throws in a row entering Saturday while she's 23-for-25 (.920) over the team's last six games. Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with an .819 (59-for-72) free throw percentage.
Torres-Kahapea is averaging a career-best 3.7 rebounds per game. That's 0.9 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 17 made three-pointers this season while shooting 17-for-66 (.258) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings and ranks tied for 14th in the Big Sky with 2.50 assists per game. She originally set her career high with seven assists against San Jose State on Nov. 28, then tied that this past Saturday against Sacramento State. Both were in PSU wins.

#5 Ajae Yoakum

Ajae 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 6.32 rebounds per game. She also ranks eighth with 2.59 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks fourth on the team with 1.6 assists per game. That's a career-best average for Yoakum. She's led or tied for the team lead in assists in six games this season.
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.

#23 Taylor Moffat

Taylor Moffat tied her PSU career high with 12 points at Idaho State on Feb. 2, eight of which came in the opening quarter. Moffat also tied her season high with three three-pointers in the game.
Moffat originally set her PSU career high with 12 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 17. She also set season highs for field goals (4), rebounds (4, tied), steals (3) and minutes (33) against Northern Arizona.
Moffat ranks third on the team with 16 three-pointers this season while she's shooting 27.1 percent (16-for-59) from beyond the arc.
Moffat ranks second on the team with 1.91 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's scoreless over the Vikings' last four games, however.
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 snapped a four-game scoreless streak with two points Thursday against Northern Arizona.
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 2.4 points and 10.1 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 1.8 points and 1.8 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 1.2 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.