Vikings Look to Turn Thursday's Improvements into Saturday's Victory against Montana

TIPOFF
The Portland State women's basketball team put together what head coach Karlie Burris said was its most complete performance of the season Thursday against Montana State.

Playing a Bobcat team that blew the Vikings out by 48 the first time they faced each other, the Vikings battled to a near-stalemate. Tied in the final minute, the Vikings were a play or two away from at the very least sending the game to overtime if not winning outright. Instead, they were forced to settle for a 66-63 loss to the Bobcats despite outshooting Montana State .411-to-.375.

The task ahead of the Vikings Saturday will be to show that Thursday's performance wasn't a flash in the pan. They'll look to do that as they send their seniors out for a final time at Viking Pavilion when they tip off against Montana at 2 p.m.

The Vikings don't have nearly as far to climb after their first game against Montana as they did against Montana State. The Vikings led by six with 8:24 remaining in their first game against the Lady Griz on Jan. 29, but then went ice cold from the field, missing eight straight shots and 11 of their final 12. It was still a tied game at 63-all with 52.8 seconds remaining before the Lady Griz scored the final six points to beat the Vikings, 69-63.

The Viking defense put together one of its best showings of the season in that game, holding a Montana team that still ranks first in the Big Sky and in the top 10 nationally for three-pointers to a season-low two makes from deep. The Lady Griz finished just 2-for-21 (.095) from beyond the arc against the Vikings, setting a season low for percentage as well as makes.

But Montana made up for that behind a career-high 31 points from Avery Waddington. Waddington added 10 rebounds (seven offensive) to her 31 points while she went 13-for-20 from the field. The Lady Griz also had eight more free throw attempts and seven more makes than the Vikings, a key difference in what ended up being a six-point game.

That was the one of only a few sour notes for the Vikings Thursday. The Bobcats finished with 16 more free throw attempts than the Vikings, double the previous biggest advantage for a PSU opponent this season.

Otherwise, the Vikings showed improvement across the board against the Bobcats. They finished level with the Bobcats in rebounds, 39-to-39, snapping a run of 11 straight rebounding losses for the Vikings.

They also made more three-pointers than the Bobcats, 6-to-4, continuing a good recent stretch from beyond the arc. Three-point shooting hasn't been a strength typically this season – the Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in makes per game (4.25) and percentage (.262) – but the Vikings tied their conference season high with eight makes against Eastern Washington last Saturday, then followed with six against the Bobcats Thursday.

Kyleigh Brown hit three three-pointers Thursday, her most since the third game of the season when she had four against Colorado on Nov. 16.

The Vikings also haven't needed to be as reliant on Brown of late. The Vikings' leading scorer, Brown has still gone into double figures in every game – 34 straight now – but the Vikings have been able to put others in double figures alongside her. Five players went into double figures Thursday for the first time in Big Sky play. The Vikings have had at least four players score 10+ points in four of their seven games in February, after they didn't have that in any of their nine games in January.

Cici Ellington has helped in that regard. She's scored in double figures in six of the last seven games, while she's led the Vikings in scoring in four of the last five. That includes a season-high 23 points at Eastern Washington last Saturday when she was 11-for-15 from the field.

Thursday's defensive performance against the Bobcats may have been the most encouraging of any recent improvement. The Bobcats' .375 field goal percentage was the lowest mark by a PSU opponent since the Vikings held Sacramento State to .370 shooting on Jan. 10.

A strong defensive performance will be key against the Lady Griz given their three-point shooting prowess. Five different players average at least 1.00 three-pointers per game while two more are just under. Jocelyn Land and Aby Shubert lead the team with 1.78 and 1.74 three-pointers per game, respectively. Rae Ehrman (1.31), Avery Waddington (1.30) and Mack Konig (1.15) follow closely behind, while Kennedy Gillette (0.97) and Draya Wacker (0.93) are also threats.

The Lady Griz will also be eager to snap their own losing streak Saturday. Their earlier win over the Vikings was their last victory as they come into Viking Pavilion having lost seven straight games. Both teams will be looking for momentum, then, ahead of next week's Big Sky tournament.

Depending on other results, the Vikings could face the Grizzlies again a week from Saturday in the first round of the Big Sky tournament. That's still far off on the horizon, though. The first task for the Vikings is to show that Thursday's improvements against the Bobcats will translate to a different opponent.

And if they do, then the Vikings can send off seniors Ellington, Jamia Carter, Alani Encinas, Taylor Moffat and Ajae Yoakum in style.

GAME #29: PORTLAND STATE (6-22, 2-14) vs. MONTANA (7-20, 4-12)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore., (Viking Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING MONTANA: The Montana Lady Griz capped a four-game winning streak with a 69-63 victory over the Vikings in Missoula on Jan. 29. They overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Vikings in that game, as they outscored the Vikings 23-13 in the final period. But the Lady Griz have struggled since then, losing seven in a row entering Saturday's game. Statistically, the Lady Griz have been strongest from three-point range. They lead the Big Sky and rank in the top 10 nationally with 9.3 three-pointers per game. Five different players average at least 1.00 three-pointers per game while two more are just under. Jocelyn Land and Aby Shubert lead the team with 1.78 and 1.74 three-pointers per game, respectively. Rae Ehrman (1.31), Avery Waddington (1.30) and Mack Konig (1.15) follow closely behind, though, while Kennedy Gillette (0.97) and Draya Wacker (0.93) are also threats from the outside. The Vikings held the Lady Griz to a season-low two three-pointers in their first meeting against each other. Montana shot just 2-for-21 (.095) from three-point range in that game. But Montana made up for that behind a career-high 31 points from Waddington. Waddington added 10 rebounds to her 31 points while shooting 13-for-20 from the field. Seven of Waddington's 10 rebounds came on the offensive end as she led the Lady Griz to a +9 rebounding advantage over the Vikings. Waddington ranks second on the Lady Griz with 13.0 points per game, while she leads the team and ranks 11th in the Big Sky with 6.9 rebounds per game. Konig leads the Lady Griz with 15.0 points per game, though she's battled injuries in recent games. She didn't play in the first game between the Vikings and the Lady Griz. Land also averages in double figures with 10.9 points per game to go with 4.8 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Lady Griz lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 59-22. The Lady Griz have won five in a row in the series, including a 69-63 win in Missoula on Jan. 29 earlier this season. The Vikings' last win came at home, 74-72 in overtime, on Feb. 23, 2023.

QUICK HITTERS
Recent Results

The Vikings showed dramatic improvement from game-to-game against Montana State despite losing 66-63 Thursday night at Viking Pavilion. The three-point margin was a small victory for the Vikings after the Bobcats beat them 91-43 in Bozeman on Jan. 31 earlier this season.
The Vikings outshot the Bobcats .411-to-.375. The .375 field goal percentage for the Bobcats marked the lowest shooting percentage by a PSU opponent since the Vikings held Sacramento State to .370 shooting on Jan. 10.
The Vikings placed five players in double figures for points for the first time in Big Sky play Thursday. It was the fourth time out of seven games in February that they've had at least four players in double figures, after that wasn't the case in any of their nine January games.
The Vikings finished level with the Bobcats in rebounds, 39-to-39. It snapped a streak of 11 straight rebounding losses and marked the first time the Vikings have finished level or better against their opponent since they out-rebounded Northern Colorado on Jan. 15.
The Bobcats were +7 in the turnover margin (25-18) against the Vikings, which they turned into a key 24-15 advantage in points off turnovers. But that was also a big improvement for the Vikings over their previous game against the Bobcats when Montana State was +15 in turnovers and turned that into a 47-11 advantage in points off them.
The Bobcats had eight more shot attempts than the Vikings Thursday (64-to-56), thanks in part to a 16-to-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. The Bobcats out-scored the Vikings 11-4 in second-chance points.
The Bobcats attempted 16 more free throws than the Vikings Thursday. That was double the previous biggest free throw deficit the Vikings have faced this season. Northern Arizona and Montana had tied for the previous mark with eight more free throws than the Vikings on Jan. 17 and 29, respectively.
The Vikings made more three-pointers than the Bobcats, 6-to-4, Thursday. That's only the fourth time in Big Sky play that the Vikings have outshot their opponent from three-point range. The Vikings also tied their conference season high with eight three-pointers last Saturday at Eastern Washington.
The Vikings have lost five games in a row and 14 of their last 15 entering Saturday.
Kyleigh Brown scored in double figures for the 34th straight game with 12 points against the Bobcats, 11 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.
Cici Ellington led the Vikings with 14 points and nine rebounds Thursday against the Bobcats. She's scored in double figures in six of the team's last seven games. She's led or tied for the team lead in points in four of the last five games.

Team Tendencies/Miscellany

Opponents are averaging 6.43 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 2-20 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in both free throws made (14.5) and attempted (20.0) per game this season. Even with Thursday's large deficit against the Bobcats, the Vikings' 20.0 attempts are 2.43 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 6-3 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 5.68 points per game in the opening quarter this season. The Vikings have trailed by double digits after the first quarter eight times this season. The Vikings are 4-2 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 2-20 when they're tied or trailing.
Three-point shooting has been a sore spot for the Vikings. They rank last in the Big Sky in three-point makes per game (4.25), three-point percentage (.262) and three-point percentage defense (.331). Opponents are averaging 2.14 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
The Vikings snapped a streak of 11 straight rebounding losses with a 39-to-39 draw with Montana State Thursday. 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 -8.83 over their last 12 games even after Thursday's draw.
The Vikings are 4-2 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 2-20 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 2-19 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 (-3.89).
The Vikings are 5-9 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 34 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 as it started with 17 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20, 2025.
Brown leads the Vikings with 17.4 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 71st nationally.
Brown has been more effective in the second half of games within Big Sky play. In conference games, she's averaging 5.63 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the first half, while she's averaging 11.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting in the second half.
Brown is 7-for-28 (.250) combined from the field over the last two games. But that's been an anomaly as she ranks seventh in the Big Sky with a .418 field goal percentage this season. She's shot 50 percent of better from the field six times in Big Sky play.
Brown made three three-pointers in a game for the first time since the Vikings' third game of the season at Colorado on Nov. 16. She started the year 22-for-50 (.440) from three-point range through the team's first 14 games but is 12-for-58 (.207) over the last 14.
Brown has had streaks of 26, 21 and 19 straight free throws earlier this 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 24th nationally with an .880 free throw percentage. That would rank eighth on the single-season list at Portland State if the season ended today.
Brown played all 45 minutes in the Vikings' overtime game against Northern Arizona on Feb. 12. She ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 33.3 minutes played per game this season.
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.

#8 Cici Ellington

Cici Ellington has scored in double figures in six of the past seven games, while she's led or tied for the team lead in scoring in four of the last five.
Ellington followed a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting last Saturday at Eastern Washington with team highs for points (14) and rebounds (9) Thursday night against Montana State.
Ellington has been efficient from the field of late. She's shot 50 percent or better in four of the last six games while she's 39-for-71 (.549) from the field over that stretch. She ranks third on the team with a .455 field goal percentage across the whole season.
Ellington ranks third on the team with 10.4 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, though she's twice had nine rebounds including last night against Montana State.
Ellington ranks tied for 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.

#9 Hannah Chicken

Freshman Hannah Chicken scored in double figures for the 19th time this season and fifth time of the last six games with 10 points Thursday against Montana State. She fouled out after playing only 19:55. It was the third time out of the last five games that Chicken has fouled out.
Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.6 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 (.488) and three-point field goal percentage (.400), while she's second on the team in free throw percentage (.819).
Chicken ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 6.04 rebounds per game. She also ranks 12th in the conference with 1.89 offensive rebounds per game.
Chicken ranks 14th 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.

#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 eight 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 her five most recent double-digit scoring games. She had a streak of 19 straight free throws snapped in the first quarter against Northern Colorado on Feb. 14. She's still 29-for-33 (.879) over the team's last 10 games. Torres-Kahapea ranks third on the team with an .813 (65-for-80) free throw percentage.
Torres-Kahapea is averaging a career-best 3.5 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 21 made three-pointers this season while shooting 21-for-81 (.259) from beyond the arc.
Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings and ranks 15th in the Big Sky with 2.61 assists per game. She tied her career high with seven assists in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. She's averaging 3.83 assists per game over the team's last six 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 12th in the Big Sky Conference with 6.08 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the conference with 2.35 offensive rebounds per game.
Yoakum's scoring has been down recently as she's averaging 3.13 points per game over the last eight games. She had been averaging 7.6 points per game before that run.
Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.73 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 scored in double figures for the first time in the past six games with 10 points to go with six rebounds and four assists Thursday against Montana State. Her six rebounds against the Bobcats marked a new season high.
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 20 three-pointers this season while she's shooting 26.2 percent (20-for-73) from beyond the arc.
Moffat ranks second on the team with 2.00 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 went into double figures for the first time in Big Sky play and only the fourth time this season with 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting Thursday against Montana State.
Buzzard is averaging 6.0 points per game over the team's last four games, a stretch that followed a four-game scoreless streak.
Buzzard is averaging 4.5 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

Jamia 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 nine games, however.
Carter missed the first nine games of the season after suffering a knee injury last February. She's averaging 2.2 points and 9.2 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.