Vikings Hit the Road, Play at First-Place Idaho Thursday

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team opens its weekend road trip at first-place Idaho for a 6 p.m. tipoff Thursday at ICCU Arena.

The Vikings will be looking for a better start against the Vandals than they got Saturday against Northern Colorado. They trailed 14-0 out of the gates against the Bears, and while they gave a game effort from there, they never got over the hump as they lost 71-57. It was the eighth time this season that the Vikings have trailed by double digits after the first quarter.

One of the other times came in the Vikings' first meeting with the Vandals. Idaho led 27-16 after the opening quarter en route to an 84-66 victory at Viking Pavilion on Jan. 24. Idaho outshot the Vikings .456-to-.365 in that game, including an 11-to-5 advantage in three-pointers.

A strong start Thursday would then start on the defensive side. That's been more key to the Vikings' success this season than their offense. All six wins this season have come when the Vikings held their opponent below 40 percent shooting while they're 0-17 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.

The Vikings followed that script to their 64-62 breakthrough win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. The Vikings held the Hornets to 39.7 percent shooting (23-for-58) in the game. That was in part thanks to a better start defensively, as the Vikings held them to 23.1 percent shooting (3-for-13) in the opening quarter.

Idaho presents a challenge for the Viking defense. The Vandals enter Thursday leading the Big Sky in scoring offense with 79.3 points per game, while they also top the conference in field goal percentage (.431). Four different players average in double figures for the Vandals between Hope Hassmann (13.9 points per game), Kyra Gardner (13.5), Debora dos Santos (11.4) and Ana Pinheiro (10.3).

Hassmann and Gardner were the only two players in double figures for the Vandals in their first game against the Vikings. But six different players had at least seven points in the game.

Hassmann led the Vandals with 20 points behind 5-for-9 shooting from three-point range while adding 12 assists and five rebounds. Gardner, meanwhile, posted an all-around game with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting overall and 3-for-6 from three-point range while adding seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

The Vikings put three in double figures themselves between Kyleigh Brown (23 points), Hannah Chicken (17) and Laynee Torres-Kahapea (12).

That's been a strength of the Viking offense recently. The Vikings had three players score 17+ points for the first time this season in their win over Sacramento State. Chicken led that group with 22 points while Brown and Cici Ellington added 17 points each. The Vikings followed with four players with 16+ points in their narrow, overtime loss to Northern Arizona last Thursday. Ellington led that group with 20 points, while Brown (18), Torres-Kahapea (18) and Chicken (16) followed her into double figures.

Northern Colorado held the Vikings to one player – Brown with 14 points – in double figures last Saturday. The Vikings would love to see that balance offensively return against the Vandals.

Earning extra possessions will be key in that regard, as it will be in slowing down the Vandal offense. In addition to leading the Big Sky in scoring, the Vandals also top the conference and rank fourth nationally in total rebounds per game (47.0), defensive rebounds per game (31.3) and rebounding margin (+12.0).

They out-rebounded the Vikings by 12 (46-to-34) in their first game against each other. Coupled with their efficiency offensively – particularly from three-point range where they shot 47.8 percent (11-for-23) last time – the rebounding advantage for the Vandals made it difficult for the Vikings to overcome.

But a better start will help in all facets. The Vikings hope to get that Thursday.

GAME #26: PORTLAND STATE (6-19, 2-11) vs. IDAHO (21-5, 12-1)
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m. PT, Moscow, Idaho, (ICCU Arena)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Idaho Vandals took over first place in the Big Sky standings with a 73-70 overtime win over defending champion Montana State on Feb. 5. That win is part of a 10-game winning streak that the Vandals take into Thursday's meeting with the Vikings. Idaho beat the Vikings as part of their active win streak, winning 84-66 at Viking Pavilion on Jan. 24. The Vandals ran away from the Vikings with a 31-13 third quarter in that game. They also out-rebounded the Vikings 46-to-34 while outshooting the Vikings .456-to-.365. Both represent strengths of the Vandals this season. They head into Thursday leading the Big Sky and ranked fourth nationally in total rebounds per game (47.0), defensive rebounds per game (31.3) and rebounding margin (+12.0). The Vandals also top the Big Sky in scoring offense – averaging 79.3 points per game – as well as field goal percentage (.431). Four different players average in double figures for the Vandals between Hope Hassmann (13.9 points per game), Kyra Gardner (13.5), Debora dos Santos (11.4) and Ana Pinheiro (10.3). Dos Santos and Gardner lead the Vandals with 7.7 and 6.8 rebounds per game, averages that rank them fifth and 11th in the Big Sky, respectively. Those two also lead a Vandal defense that leads the Big Sky with 4.4 blocks per game as they rank third and fourth in the conference with 1.19 and 1.00 blocks per game individually. Gardner also leads the Vandals with 2.46 steals and 2.08 three-pointers per game. Three-point shooting was another key factor in the Vandals' earlier win over the Vikings. They out-shot the Vikings 11-to-5 from three-point range. Gardner went 3-for-6 but Hassmann led the team with five makes on nine attempts. Hassmann's five three-pointers came as part of a team-high 20 points while she added 12 assists for a double-double. Gardner followed with 19 points to go with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vandals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 39-15. The Vandals have won six in a row in the series and 13 of their last 14 against the Vikings. That includes an 84-66 win in Portland on Jan. 24 earlier this season. The Vikings' last win in the series came at home, 53-43, on Jan. 7, 2023. The Vikings' last victory in Moscow was Dec. 8, 2007, which was a non-conference game for the schools back then. The Vikings have lost 10 road games in a row against the Vandals.

QUICK HITTERS
Recent Results

The Vikings fell behind 14-0 out of the gates Saturday against Northern Colorado. They never got closer than six points down the rest of the way as the Bears beat them 71-57.
The Vikings dropped an 88-80, overtime game to Northern Arizona last Thursday, leaving them 0-2 last weekend.
The 0-2 weekend followed a breakthrough, 64-62 win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. That victory snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Vikings at the time.
Northern Colorado outshot the Vikings .468-to-.383. The Bears' 46.8 percent (22-for-47) shooting was the second-highest mark against the Vikings by a Big Sky opponent this season, trailing only Montana State which shot 51.4 percent (38-for-74) from the field.
The Vikings' three-most turnovers forced within Big Sky play have come in their last three games against Sacramento State (16 turnovers), Northern Arizona (17) and Northern Colorado (15). The Vikings still lost the turnover battle in all three games, though all three were by a relatively small margin of -2.
Northern Colorado outshot the Vikings 6-to-2 from three-point range. Nine of 13 Big Sky opponents have made more three-pointers than the Vikings. Portland State is averaging just 2.75 three-pointers per game over their last eight games.
Kyleigh Brown was the only Viking in double figures with 14 points against Northern Colorado Saturday. Even still, four different players have scored in double figures in two of the team's last four games.
Northern Colorado became the ninth straight team to out-rebound the Vikings, doing so by six (32-to-26).
The Vikings' 80 points against Northern Arizona last 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.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

Opponents are averaging 6.48 more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings. The Vikings were even with Northern Colorado last Saturday, which was a marked improvement from their first game against each other on Jan. 15 when the Bears had 18 more attempts. The Vikings are 4-2 when they record more field goal attempts than their opponent this season versus 2-17 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
The Vikings have lost 27 straight Big Sky road games entering Thursday's game at Idaho. The Vikings' last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (15.2) and attempted (20.9) per game this season. Their 20.9 attempts are 3.68 more per game than their opponents. They have attempted at least 20 free throws 14 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 against Northern Arizona last Thursday, one game after they had three different players score 17+ points for the first time against Sacramento State on Feb. 7.
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 0-17 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.72 points per game in the opening quarter this season. Northern Colorado led by 10 after the first quarter Saturday, the eighth time the Vikings have trailed by double digits after the opening quarter this season. The Vikings are 4-2 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 2-17 when they're tied or trailing.
Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.12 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 (4.04) and percentage (.253), while they rank ninth in three-point percentage defense (.331). Opponents are averaging 2.28 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
The Vikings have lost the rebounding battle in nine straight games entering Thursday's game. That's been a strange turnaround within the season. The Vikings were out-rebounded only four times in their first 16 games. They had a +0.94 rebounding margin through their first 16 games but are -9.11 over their last nine games.
Last Thursday's loss to Northern Arizona 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 2-18 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 2-16 when they lose it. The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.4), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.5) and 10th in turnover margin (-3.92).
The Vikings are 5-8 at home this season versus 1-11 on the road. Both of the Vikings' Big Sky victories have come at home.

Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown has scored in double figures in 31 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 17.8 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 58th nationally.
Brown played all 45 minutes last Thursday against Northern Arizona. She ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 32.9 minutes played per game this season.
Brown was 6-for-11 from the field last Saturday against Northern Colorado. That was a return to form after she shot 6-for-22 against Northern Arizona last Thursday. Brown ranks fifth in the Big Sky with a .428 field goal percentage.
Brown is 6-for-38 (.158) from three-point range over the Vikings' last 11 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 last Thursday against Northern Arizona.
Brown has been more effective in the second half of games within Big Sky play. In conference games, she's averaging 6.46 points on 36.0 percent shooting in the first half, while she's averaging 10.8 on 49.5 percent shooting in the second half.
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 16th nationally with an .891 free throw percentage. That would rank seventh 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 last Thursday against Northern Arizona. She also had three steals and two blocks despite fouling out in overtime.
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 also fouled out of Saturday's game against Northern Colorado. She had fouled out only once before doing so in back-to-back games last week.
Chicken posted the first 20-point game of her career in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. She had a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting while adding seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks against the Hornets.
Chicken leads the Vikings in overall field goal percentage (.486) and three-point field goal percentage (.429), while she's third on the team in free throw percentage (.809).
Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.3 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 13th in the Big Sky with 6.08 rebounds per game. She's 12th in the conference in offensive rebounds (1.92) and 15th in defensive rebounds (4.16) per game.
Chicken has recorded four or more assists in three of the last seven games. She ranks third on the team with 1.64 assists per game.
Chicken ranks tied for 13th in the Big Sky with 0.76 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 was held to six points last Saturday against Northern Colorado. That snapped a streak of three straight games in double figures. That included back-to-back conference season highs, as Ellington scored 17 points against Sacramento State on Feb. 7, then 20 points against Northern Arizona last Thursday.
Ellington ranks third on the team with 9.5 points per game this season. That's her best scoring average since her true freshman season at Loyola Marymount when she averaged 11.5 points per game 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 last Thursday against Northern Arizona.
Ellington ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 0.96 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 last Thursday against Northern Arizona. She scored 14 of her 18 points after halftime.
Torres-Kahapea has scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' last five games, and four of the last seven.
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 had a streak of 19 straight free throws snapped in the first quarter last Saturday against Northern Colorado. She's still 27-for-30 (.900) over the team's last seven games. Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with an .818 (63-for-77) 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).
Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with 18 made three-pointers this season while shooting 18-for-70 (.257) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings and ranks 14th in the Big Sky with 2.56 assists per game. She tied her career high with seven assists in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. She's averaging 4.0 assists per game over the team's last four games.
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).

#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 6.09 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the conference with 2.48 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum ranks fourth on the team with 1.61 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 17 three-pointers this season while she's shooting 26.6 percent (17-for-64) 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 snapped a four-game scoreless streak with five points on 2-for-2 shooting last Saturday against Northern Colorado. She's averaging 4.3 points in 19.9 minutes per game this season.
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.
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

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. She's been held scoreless in five of the team's last six games, however.
Carter missed the first nine games of the season after suffering a knee injury last February. She's averaging 2.3 points and 9.9 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 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
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 in 6.5 minutes 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.