TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team showed improvement from game-to-game against Eastern Washington last Saturday. Better rebounding, improved ball control, and a balanced offense from the Vikings made it a game throughout, even as the Eagles still pulled out an 87-78 victory.
 
The Vikings will look for more game-to-game improvements when they host a Montana State team Thursday (7 p.m. tipoff) that jumped on them early in their first meeting this season.
 
The Bobcats led 31-1 after the first quarter of that game. They forced a season-high 29 turnovers out of the Vikings, which they turned into a 47-11 advantage in points off them.
 
The Vikings will be eager to show that they're a better team than they showed that day. They did a good job doing that against the Eagles despite the loss. Eastern Washington had out-rebounded the Vikings by 31 – a season's worst – in their first game against each other, and while the Eagles still won the rebounding battle, the Vikings limited it to a more manageable margin of nine.
 
The better rebounding helped the Viking offense push the pace against the Eagles. Their 78 points matched their most in regulation in a Big Sky game this season, while their eight three-pointers also tied a conference season high.
 
Four different Vikings scored in double figures against the Eagles. That's been a recent strength of the Vikings, who have had four players score 10+ points in three of their six games in February. They didn't have that in any of their nine games in January.
 
Cici Ellington led the four Vikings in double figures with a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting against the Eagles. Ellington was efficient from the field in both games last week, as she also scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting against Idaho last Thursday. She's now scored in double figures in five of the team's last six games, including two 20-point games during that stretch.
 
Hannah Chicken was similarly efficient, shooting 8-for-14 from the field while nearly posting a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
Both Ellington and Chicken also hit one of the team's eight three-pointers. Kyleigh Brown and Laynee Torres-Kahapea – the other two Vikings in double figures against the Eagles – led the team with two three-pointers each.
 
The Vikings finished at 45.5 percent (30-for-66) shooting from the field. The Vikings have now shot better than 45 percent in back-to-back games and three out of their last five games. They've outshot seven of their 15 Big Sky opponents this season, but they're just 2-5 in those seven games.
 
Big Sky opponents have made up any deficits in field goal percentage against the Vikings by earning extra possessions. The Bobcats did that while also outshooting the Vikings in their earlier game against each other on Jan. 31. The Bobcats earned 26 more field goal attempts than the Vikings in that game thanks to a +15 turnover margin and a +10 rebounding margin.
 
The Bobcats have done that to a lot of teams this season as they lead the Big Sky in turnover margin (+10.5) while also ranking fourth nationally in the category. The Bobcats rank third nationally with 26.1 turnovers forced per game, putting the Vikings right on pace for that with their 29 giveaways against the Bobcats the first time around.
 
Taylee Chirrick – a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year – posted a triple-double of 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 steals while playing only 27 minutes against the Vikings.
 
Chirrick has spearheaded the Bobcats' suffocating defense this season with 4.35 steals per game, an average that ranks her second nationally. Chirrick also leads the Bobcats in points (17.9), rebounds (6.92) and assists (3.65) per game.
 
Besides Chirrick, Addison Harris ranks second on the team and 10th in the Big Sky with 14.0 points per game. Jamison Philip ranks third on the team with 8.7 points per game while she ranks second to Chirrick in assists (3.12) and steals (2.58) per game.
 
It's no secret, then, where the Vikings will need to be better the second time around against the Bobcats. Better ball control and a better start will be a must Thursday. Do that, and if nothing else, the Vikings will have shown game-to-game improvements against their opponent for the second straight game.
 
GAME #28: PORTLAND STATE (6-21, 2-13) vs. MONTANA STATE (20-6, 13-2)
GAME DETAILS: Thursday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore., (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE: The Montana State Bobcats followed a 91-43 win over the Vikings on Jan. 31 with a 73-70 road loss to Idaho on Feb. 5. That dropped them out of first place in the Big Sky standings. The Bobcats have bounced back with four straight wins entering this week, including avenging an earlier loss to Idaho State with a 67-61 home win last Saturday. They head into the final three games of the regular season trailing Idaho by a game in their quest to repeat as Big Sky regular-season champions. Statistically, the Bobcats represent an elite ball control team. They lead the Big Sky with a +10.5 turnover margin, well ahead of the No. 2 team, Idaho State, at +2.48. The Bobcats rank fourth nationally with their turnover margin, while they lead the Big Sky and rank third nationally with 26.1 turnovers forced per game. Taylee Chirrick spearheads the Bobcats' defense with 4.35 steals per game, ranking her first in the Big Sky and second nationally. Chirrick – a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year – leads the Bobcats in points (17.9), rebounds (6.92), assists (3.65) and steals (4.35) per game. Chirrick's 17.9 points per game rank her second in the Big Sky Conference, one spot ahead of the Vikings' Kyleigh Brown with 17.6 points per game. Addison Harris ranks second on the team and 10th in the Big Sky with 14.0 points per game. Jamison Philip ranks third on the team with 8.7 points per game while she ranks second to Chirrick in assists (3.12) and steals (2.58) per game. Chirrick had a triple-double with 31 points (on 12-for-16 shooting), 12 rebounds and 11 steals despite only playing 27 minutes in the Bobcats' earlier win over the Vikings. Brianne Bailey and Ella Johnson also went into double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bobcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 46-32. The Bobcats have won three in a row in the series, including a 91-43 victory in Bozeman on Jan. 31 earlier this season. The Vikings' last win in the series came at home on Feb. 22, 2024, when they beat the Bobcats 60-55.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Recent Results

• The Vikings outshot Eastern Washington .455-to-.451 last Saturday, but still lost 87-78 to the Eagles. It was the seventh time out of 15 Big Sky games that the Vikings have outshot their opponent, but the Vikings are just 2-5 in those seven games.
• The Vikings have lost four games in a row and 13 of their last 14 entering Thursday.
• The Vikings have shot better than 45 percent in each of their last two games and three of their last five. The Vikings are shooting 43.9 percent (129-for-294) over their last five games.
• The Vikings have had four players score in double figures in three of their last six games, including last Saturday against Eastern Washington.
• The Vikings tied their conference season high with eight three-pointers. That's double what they typically average in a game (4.19). Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Kyleigh Brown both made two three-pointers to lead the Vikings against the Eagles.
• The Vikings tied their conference season high for points in regulation with 78 against the Eagles. The Vikings also had 78 points through regulation against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12. That game went to overtime, with the Vikings losing to the Lumberjacks, 88-80.
• Eastern Washington became the 11th straight team to out-rebound the Vikings, doing so by nine (43-to-34) last Saturday. The Vikings' last 11 opponents have out-rebounded the Vikings by an average of 9.6 rebounds per game.
• The Vikings committed their second-fewest turnovers in a Big Sky game this season with 10 against Eastern Washington last Saturday. They still lost the turnover battle, 10-to-9, however.
• Cici Ellington led the Vikings with a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting last Saturday against Eastern Washington. She averaged 19.5 points on 72.0 percent (18-for-25) between both games last week, and has now scored in double figures in five of the team's last six games.
• Hannah Chicken nearly had a double-double with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting and nine rebounds last Saturday against Eastern Washington. Chicken has now scored in double figures in four of the team's last five games and 18 games overall this season.
• Kyleigh Brown scored in double figures for the 33rd straight game with 16 points Saturday, 15 of which came in the second half. Her double-digit scoring streak is now over a year old as it started on Feb. 20, 2025, with 17 points against Idaho State.

 
Team Tendencies/Miscellany

• Opponents are averaging 6.37 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 2-19 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (14.6) and attempted (20.3) per game this season. Their 20.3 attempts are 3.11 more per game than their opponents. They have attempted at least 20 free throws 14 times this season.
• 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 0-19 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
• The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.85 points per game in the opening quarter this season. The Vikings have trailed by double digits after the first quarter eighth times this season. The Vikings are 4-2 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 2-19 when they're tied or trailing.
• Opponents are outscoring the Vikings by an average of 8.04 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 (4.19), three-point percentage (.259) and three-point percentage defense (.335). Opponents are averaging 2.30 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
• The Vikings have lost the rebounding battle in 11 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 -9.6 over their last 11 games.
• The Vikings are 4-2 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 2-19 when they fail to score 70 points. Ironically, the Vikings are 0-2 in Big Sky play when scoring 70+ points, while both of their conference wins have come when they scored in the 60s.
• The Vikings are 4-3 when winning the turnover battle versus 2-18 when they lose it. The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.1), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.3) and 10th in turnover margin (-3.78).
• The Vikings are 5-8 at home this season versus 1-13 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 33 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 is over a year old now as it started with 17 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20, 2025.
• Brown leads the Vikings with 17.6 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 63rd nationally.
• Brown played all 45 minutes against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12. She ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 32.5 minutes played per game this season.
• Brown has shot 50 percent or better from the field six times within Big Sky play, including last Thursday night when she was 6-for-12 from the field against Idaho. She ranks sixth in the Big Sky with a .424 field goal percentage.
• Brown is 9-for-49 (.184) from three-point range over the Vikings' last 13 games. She had been 22-for-50 (.440) through the Vikings' first 14 games of the season. She went 2-for-7 from three-point range against Eastern Washington last Saturday.
• Brown has been more effective in the second half of games within Big Sky play. In conference games, she's averaging 5.93 points on 34.7 percent shooting in the first half, while she's averaging 11.1 points on 48.8 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 22nd nationally with an .884 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 scored in double figures for the 18th time this season and four of the last five games with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting against Eastern Washington last Saturday.
• Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.7 points per game this season. 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 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 (.490) and three-point field goal percentage (.400), while she's second on the team in free throw percentage (.814).
• Chicken ranks tied for 12th in the Big Sky with 6.11 rebounds per game. She also ranks 12th in the conference in offensive rebounds (1.93) and 14th in defensive rebounds (4.19) per game.
• Chicken has recorded four or more assists in three of the last nine games. She ranks tied for fourth on the team with 1.63 assists per game.
• Chicken ranks tied for 14th in the Big Sky with 0.70 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 in back-to-back games last weekend and five of the last six games. Two of those five were 20-point games, including last Saturday when she led the Vikings with a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting.
• Ellington has been efficient of late. She shot 72.0 percent (18-for-25) from the field over both games last week. For the season, she now ranks third on the team with 45.2 percent shooting.
• Ellington ranks third on the team with 10.2 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 seventh 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 went into double figures for the first time since that game with 10 points to go with four rebounds and three assists last Saturday at Eastern Washington.
• Torres-Kahapea has scored in double figures in four of the Vikings' last seven games.
• Free-throw shooting has been key to Torres-Kahapea's recent scoring output. She's made at least five free throws in four of the team's last nine games. She had a streak of 19 straight free throws snapped in the first quarter against Northern Colorado on Feb. 14. She's 29-for-33 (.879) over the team's last nine games. Torres-Kahapea ranks third on the team with an .813 (65-for-80) free throw percentage.
• Torres-Kahapea is averaging a career-best 3.6 rebounds per game. That's 0.8 more per game than her previous career-best average (2.8 as a sophomore).
• Torres-Kahapea ranks second on the team with 21 made three-pointers this season while shooting 21-for-79 (.266) from beyond the arc.
• Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings and ranks 15th 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 3.8 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 13th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.04 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the conference with 2.32 offensive rebounds per game.
• Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.72 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 18 three-pointers this season while she's shooting 26.5 percent (18-for-68) from beyond the arc.
• Moffat ranks second on the team with 1.92 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 against Northern Colorado on Feb. 14. She followed up with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting last Thursday at Idaho.
• Buzzard is averaging 4.3 points in 19.6 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 eight games, however. She scored three points at Eastern Washington last Saturday.
• 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 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.9 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 6.7 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.