TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team got a better start Thursday. Seven of the nine Vikings who played in the first quarter against Idaho scored. Additionally, their 19 points were their second-highest-scoring opening quarter of the Big Sky season.
 
But the league's best offense outpaced the Vikings as the Vandals won 86-66.
 
The Vikings will now look for a more complete showing offensively and defensively when they play at Eastern Washington Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff in Cheney, Wash.
 
The Viking offense had a strong game against the Vandals despite the loss. Their 46.7 percent shooting Thursday was the Vikings' third-best mark of the season. Three different Vikings scored 15+ points between Cici Ellington (16), Hannah Chicken (16) and Kyleigh Brown (15). That's been a common theme recently as the Vikings have placed four in double figures in two of their five games in February.
 
But the Vikings know their defense and rebounding will need to be better Saturday against the Eagles. Idaho out-rebounded the Vikings by 15 Thursday (41-to-26). The Vandals also won the turnover battle by three, leading to key advantages in points off turnovers (18-10 in favor of Idaho) and second-chance points (13-6 Idaho).
 
Rebounding was the key stat the last time the Vikings played against the Eagles, an 81-63 win for the Eagles on Jan. 22. Eastern Washington out-rebounded the Vikings by 31 – 58-to-27 – in that game, which remains the worst rebounding margin of the season for the Vikings.
 
Kourtney Grossman and Jaecy Eggers give the Eagles a two-headed monster on the glass. Grossman leads the Big Sky and ranks fifth nationally with 12.6 rebounds per game. Eggers, meanwhile, ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 7.5 rebounds per game. Grossman also leads the Big Sky and ranks second nationally with 9.9 defensive rebounds per game.
 
Grossman recorded a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Eagles' first game against the Vikings. Eggers, meanwhile, had 14 points and seven rebounds (four offensive) while playing only 17 minutes in the game.
 
Ella Gallatin and Elyn Bowers lead the Eagles offensively this season. The pair rank fifth and sixth in the Big Sky with 15.4 and 14.6 points per game, respectively. Both scored in double figures in their first game against the Vikings, with Bowers leading the Eagles with 21 points while Gallatin added 16.
 
The Vikings countered with 25 points from Kyleigh Brown who was 8-for-14 from the field. Cici Ellington also went into double figures with 11 points and five rebounds. Hannah Chicken – the Vikings' second-leading scorer at 11.5 points per game this season – was held to just six points over 18 minutes due to fouling out.
 
The Vikings will need better balance Saturday. Laynee Torres-Kahapea has been hot recently, scoring in double figures in four of the team's last eight games. That includes 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12.
 
Idaho held Torres-Kahapea to three points on 1-for-6 shooting Thursday. She wasn't able to get to the free throw line against the Vandals – a key in her recent scoring run – and neither were the Vikings as a team. The team's six made free throws were their lowest total of the season.
 
Free-throw shooting has been a strength for the Vikings. They still lead the Big Sky and rank in the top 50 nationally for both makes (14.8) and attempts (20.5) per game despite Thursday's low totals. The Vikings will need to be closer to their average Saturday to have a chance against the Eagles.
 
But the biggest focus remains the glass. The Eagles' advantage there in the last game between the two teams led them to 18 more field goal attempts than the Vikings the last time.
 
Portland State head coach Karlie Burris said after Thursday that her goal for the Vikings is to win the glass Saturday. That's a tall order against the Eagles for the reasons stated previously, but it'd certainly go a long way towards a positive result for the Vikings should they accomplish it.
 
GAME #27: PORTLAND STATE (6-20, 2-12) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (12-15, 5-9)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. PT, Cheney, Wash., (Reese Court)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles carry a four-game losing streak into Saturday's game. Two of those four recent losses have been by two points, including a narrow home loss to second-place Montana State on Feb. 7. The Eagles' best margin of the conference season came against Portland State, as they beat the Vikings 81-63 in Portland on Jan. 22. The Eagles out-rebounded the Vikings by 31 – 58-to-27 – in that game, the worst rebounding margin of the season for the Vikings. That led to 19 more field goal attempts for the Eagles, who outscored the Vikings 23-5 in second-chance points. The 23 second-chance points were the most by a PSU opponent this season. The Eagles still rank highly in terms of rebounds. They come into Saturday ranked second in the Big Sky and in the top 25 nationally for both total rebounds (41.7) and defensive rebounds (29.1) per game. Kourtney Grossman and Jaecy Eggers lead the Eagles' efforts on the glass. The pair rank first and sixth in the Big Sky with 12.6 and 7.5 rebounds per game, respectively. Grossman ranks fifth nationally in total rebounds per game, while she's second nationally with 9.9 defensive rebounds per game. Eggers also leads the Big Sky with 1.52 blocks per game, while Grossman tops the conference with 10 double-doubles. Offensively, Ella Gallatin and Elyn Bowers lead the Eagles with 15.4 and 14.6 points per game, ranking them fifth and sixth in the Big Sky, respectively. Bowers led the Eagles with 21 points in their first games against the Vikings this season. Grossman posted a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Gallatin (16 points) and Eggers (14) also went into double figures. Six different players had at least five rebounds to lead the Eagles on the glass.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 48-36. They've won five in a row in the series, including an 81-63 win over the Vikings in Portland on Jan. 22 earlier this season. The Vikings' last victory in the series was also their last Big Sky road victory, an 80-71 win in Cheney on Feb. 4, 2023.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Recent Results

• The Vikings started better than other recent games but still lost 86-66 at first-place Idaho Thursday. It was the Vikings' third straight loss after they snapped an earlier nine-game losing streak with a 64-62 win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7.
• Idaho outshot the Vikings .508-to-.467 Thursday. The Vikings' 46.7 percent shooting was their third-best mark of the season. But the 50.8 percent shooting from the Vandals was also the third-highest mark by a PSU opponent.
• Idaho out-rebounded the Vikings 41-to-26 Thursday. They were the 10th straight team to out-rebound the Vikings. The Vikings' last 10 opponents are out-rebounding them by an average of 9.7 rebounds per game.
• The Vandals won the turnover battle by three (16-to-13) against the Vikings, which they turned into an 18-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Idaho outscored the Vikings 50-34 in the paint. The 50 points in the paint were the second-most against the Vikings by a Big Sky opponent, trailing only the 52 Montana State scored against the Vikings on Jan. 31.
• Despite the loss, the Vikings had a better first quarter Thursday. Their 19 points were the second-most in an opening quarter within Big Sky play. Seven different Vikings scored in the quarter.
• The Vikings' six made free throws were their fewest in any game this season. Their 10 free throw attempts were their second-fewest.
• Cici Ellington scored in double figures for the fourth time out of the last five games with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting against Idaho. She tied for the team lead with Hannah Chicken, who scored her 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
• Kyleigh Brown scored in double figures for the 32nd straight game with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting Thursday. Her double-digit scoring streak is now a year old as it started on Feb. 20, 2025, with 17 points against Idaho State.

 
Team Tendencies/Miscellany

• Opponents are averaging 6.42 more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings. The Vikings are 4-2 when they record more field goal attempts than their opponent this season versus 2-18 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
• The Vikings have lost 28 straight Big Sky road games entering Saturday's game at Eastern Washington. The Vikings' last conference road victory actually came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (14.8) and attempted (20.5) per game this season. Their 20.5 attempts are 3.31 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. Thursday, they had three with 15+ points against Idaho.
• 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 0-18 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
• The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.81 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 2-18 when they're tied or trailing.
• Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.19 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), three-point percentage (.254) and three-point percentage defense (.331). Opponents are averaging 2.27 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
• The Vikings have lost the rebounding battle in 10 straight games entering Saturday'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 -9.7 over their last 10 games.
• The Vikings are 4-1 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 2-19 when they fail to score 70 points. That said, both of their Big Sky wins came when they scored under 70 points, ironically, while they lost when they scored a conference season-high 80 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12.
• The Vikings are 4-3 when winning the turnover battle versus 2-17 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 (-3.88).
• The Vikings are 5-8 at home this season versus 1-12 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 32 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's double-digit scoring streak will be one year and a day old by the time Saturday's game tips off. The streak started with 17 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20, 2025.
• Brown leads the Vikings with 17.7 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 58th nationally.
• Brown played all 45 minutes against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12. She ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 33.1 minutes played per game this season.
• Brown has shot 50 percent or better from the field six times within Big Sky play, including Thursday night when she was 6-for-12 from the field against Idaho. She ranks fourth in the Big Sky with a .430 field goal percentage.
• Brown is 7-for-42 (.167) from three-point range over the Vikings' last 12 games. She had been 22-for-50 (.440) through the Vikings' first 14 games of the season. She went 1-for-4 from three-point range against Idaho Thursday.
• Brown has been more effective in the second half of games within Big Sky play. In conference games, she's averaging 6.29 points on 36.7 percent shooting in the first half, while she's averaging 10.8 points 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 13th 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 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 in double figures for the 17th time this season with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting against Idaho Thursday. She ranks second on the team with 11.5 points per game this season.
• 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 (.485) and three-point field goal percentage (.405), while she's third on the team in free throw percentage (.814).
• Chicken's 11.5 points per game 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 tied for 12th in the Big Sky with 6.00 rebounds per game. She also ranks 12th in the conference with 1.92 offensive rebounds per game.
• Chicken has recorded four or more assists in three of the last eight games. She ranks fourth on the team with 1.65 assists per game.
• Chicken ranks tied for 14th in the Big Sky with 0.73 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 scored in double figures for the fourth time out of the last five games, tying for a team-high with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field.
• Ellington set back-to-back conference season highs, earlier in the month between 17 points against Sacramento State on Feb. 7, then 20 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12.
• Ellington ranks third on the team with 9.7 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 hasn't gone into double figures since then, however.
• Ellington ranks tied for 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 against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12. She scored 14 of her 18 points after halftime.
• Torres-Kahapea has scored in double figures in three of the Vikings' last six games, and four of the last eight. Idaho held her to three points on 1-for-6 shooting Thursday, however.
• Free-throw shooting has been key to Torres-Kahapea's recent scoring output. She's made at least five free throws in her four most recent double-digit scoring games. She had a streak of 19 straight free throws snapped in the first quarter last Saturday against Northern Colorado. While she didn't get to the line against Idaho, she's still 27-for-30 (.900) over the team's last eight games. Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with an .818 (63-for-77) free throw percentage.
• Torres-Kahapea is averaging a career-best 3.5 rebounds per game. That's 0.7 more per game than her previous career-best average (2.8 as a sophomore).
• Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with 19 made three-pointers this season while shooting 19-for-73 (.260) from beyond the arc.
• Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings and ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 2.54 assists per game. She tied her career high with seven assists in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. She's averaging 3.6 assists per game over the team's last five 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 ranks tied for 12th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.00 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the conference with 2.38 offensive rebounds per game.
• Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.67 assists per game. That's a career-best average for Yoakum. She's led or tied for the team lead in assists in seven 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 26.2 percent (17-for-65) from beyond the arc.
• Moffat ranks second on the team with 1.88 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 followed up with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting Thursday at Idaho.
• Buzzard is averaging 4.4 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 six of the team's last seven games, however, including Thursday at Idaho.
• 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 1.7 rebounds in 11.3 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 1.4 points in 6.8 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.