TIPOFF
Starch is a complex carbohydrate that provides energy for those who consume it. But there's nothing complex about what needs to be different for the Portland State women's basketball team as the Vikings enter Starch Madness at the Big Sky tournament in Boise, Idaho.
 
They need more energy.
 
Head coach Karlie Burris called her team out for looking sluggish in an 81-52 loss to Weber State Monday. Weber State outshot the Vikings .446-to-.292, with the Vikings' .292 field goal percentage marking a new conference season low for PSU.
 
As chance would have it, the Vikings face Weber State again in the first round of the Big Sky tournament Saturday (11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT). The Vikings actually knew that going into Monday's game. But they still would have liked to finish the regular season better even with their tournament matchup locked in.
 
The Vikings started the game hot. They made five of their first six shots from the field while building a 10-8 lead through the first three and a half minutes of the game. But they went just 14-for-59 (.237) from the field from there. The Wildcats used a 26-4 run over the third and fourth quarters to put the game away for good.
 
One positive for the Vikings out of Monday came from Kyleigh Brown. The sophomore guard had her 34-game double-digit scoring streak snapped two days earlier when Montana held her to a season-low four points. But she immediately bounced back with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting against the Wildcats. It was her tenth 20-point game of the season, though her first since Jan. 29.
 
Brown broke out of a shooting slump in the game. She was just 9-for-38 (.237) from the field over the previous four games before going 9-for-18 overall and 3-for-7 from three-point range against the Wildcats.
 
Three-point shooting was an advantage for the Wildcats Monday. They went 10-for-26 (.385) from three-point range, putting them one three-pointer from tying the season high for a Viking opponent. The Vikings, meanwhile, went 6-for-22 (.273) from beyond the arc.
 
The Vikings have made progress from three-point range recently. They tied a conference season high with eight three-pointers at Eastern Washington on Feb. 21. That kicked off a four-game stretch to end the regular season in which the Vikings averaged 6.75 three-pointers per game on 33.3 percent (27-for-81) shooting. Those numbers might not sound outstanding, but the Vikings had been averaging just 4.04 three-pointers per game on 25.4 percent shooting through their first 26 games of the season.
 
The Vikings out-shot Montana – a team that leads the Big Sky and ranks in the top 15 nationally with 9.1 three-pointers per game – from three-point range last Saturday. The Vikings hit seven three-pointers on 41.2 percent (7-for-17) shooting against the Lady Griz, while holding Montana to just five three-pointers on 20.0 percent (5-for-25) shooting.
 
The Wildcats enter the Big Sky tournament ranked second in the Big Sky in three-point percentage (.324) while they're third in the conference with 7.3 makes per game.
 
The other advantage the Wildcats had Monday was the return of leading scorer and rebounder Antoniette Emma-Nnopu. She had been back for some time for the Wildcats, but she missed the team's first meeting on Jan. 1. The Vikings won that game, 68-58, ending the game on a 17-0 run as they held Weber State scoreless over the final 6:22.
 
Brown led the Vikings with 18 points in that earlier win over the Wildcats. But unlike Monday's game, the Vikings got more contributions behind her. Hannah Chicken posted a near-double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks. Ajae Yoakum also had one of her best games as a Viking, recording 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Cici Ellington set a career high with 16 rebounds while adding seven points, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
 
Ellington was held scoreless Monday on 0-for-5 shooting. That snapped a strong run from Ellington who had averaged 17.5 points on 66.0 percent shooting over the previous four games. That included a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting at Eastern Washington on Feb. 21.
 
Ellington's scoring helped the Viking offense show more balance in February. The Vikings put four players in double figures in four of their eight games during the month, after they hadn't done so in any of their nine games in January. Ellington was a key piece of that while scoring in double figures in seven of the team's eight games in February.
 
The Vikings would love to see Ellington back to the form she showed at the end of February when they face the Wildcats again Saturday. Burris and the Vikings know they'll need better energy than they showed Monday.
 
If only there were a food they could eat to provide that energy.
 
GAME #31: NO. 10 PORTLAND STATE (6-24, 2-16) vs. NO. 9 WEBER STATE (10-21, 4-14)
GAME DETAILS: Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT, Boise, Idaho, (Idaho Central Arena)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SCOUTING WEBER STATE: The Weber State Wildcats capped a strong finish to the regular season with an 81-52 win over the Vikings on Monday. It was the Wildcats' third victory out of their last five regular-season games. The other two wins came in overtime as the Wildcats beat Eastern Washington, 74-72, on Feb. 14, as well as Montana, 86-79, on Feb. 21. The Wildcats lost their first nine Big Sky games, including a 68-58 loss to the Vikings in Portland on Jan. 1. Weber State leading scorer and rebounder Antoniette Emma-Nnopu didn't play in that first game against the Vikings, but finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds Monday. Emma-Nnopu enters the Big Sky tournament averaging 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Her 10.0 rebounds per game rank her second in the Big Sky and 29th nationally. She also leads the Big Sky with a .520 field goal percentage, while she ranks second in the conference in both blocks per game (1.34) and double-doubles (10). Besides Emma-Nnopu, Lanae Billy and Hannah Robbins both average in double figures with 11.8 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Billy leads the Wildcats' efforts from three-point range. She ranks third in the conference in both three-pointers per game (2.16) and percentage (.345). Behind Billy, the Wildcats rank third in the Big Sky with 7.3 three-pointers per game as a team, while they're second in percentage (.324). Sydney White leads the Wildcats on the ball. She ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 3.7 assists per game while the Wildcats rank third as a team in the category (13.7). Billy and White led the Wildcats with 19 and 16 points, respectively, in their win over the Vikings Monday. Paris Lauro gave the Wildcats a fourth player in double figures with 11 points.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Wildcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 37-32. The Vikings snapped a six-game losing streak to the Wildcats with a 68-58 win in Portland on Jan. 1, though the Wildcats bounced back with an 81-52 win over the Vikings Monday night in both team's regular-season finale. The Vikings are 0-3 against the Wildcats at the Big Sky tournament, including a 62-53 loss two years ago at the 2024 tournament.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Vikings at the Big Sky Tournament

• The Vikings are 18-17 all-time at the Big Sky tournament.
• They've won two tournament titles (2010, 2019) while they made the championship game three other times (1999, 2009, 2011).
• The Vikings are 7-6 since the tournament moved to Boise in 2019. They won the first tournament held in Boise in 2019.
• The Vikings have exited in the first round in three of the last four tournaments.
• The Vikings are 12-2 as the higher seed at the Big Sky tournament versus 6-15 as the lower seed. Their last win as the lower-seeded team was in 2023 when they upset second-seeded Montana State 77-65 to advance to the semifinals that year.
• The Vikings are 0-3 all-time against Weber State at the Big Sky tournament, having lost in 2007 (quarterfinals), 2016 (first round) and 2024 (first round).

 
Recent Results

• The Vikings dropped their regular-season finale 81-52 Monday night at Weber State. Weber State put the game away with a 26-4 run between the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter.
• The regular-season finale followed a pair of one-possession losses to Montana State, 66-63, and Montana, 55-53, over the weekend. Both games were tied in the final minute. The Vikings are now 1-2 in one-possession games this season and 2-8 in games decided by 10 points or less.
• The Vikings shot a conference season-low .292 against Weber State Monday. They started 5-for-6 from the field through the first three and a half minutes of the game but then went just 14-for-59 (.237) over the rest of the game.
• Weber State hit 10 three-pointers Monday, including going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats' 10 three-pointers were one off the season high for a Viking opponent.
• Weber State was the first of the Vikings' last four opponents to outshoot them, doing so .446-to-.292.
• The Vikings hit six three-pointers Monday. They're averaging 6.75 three-pointers per game on 33.3 percent (27-for-81) shooting over their last four games. They were averaging 4.04 three-pointers per game on 25.4 percent shooting from three-point range before that.
• Kyleigh Brown recorded her tenth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting Monday at Weber State. It was a bounce-back game for Brown, who was held to a season-low four points last Saturday against Montana. That snapped a 34-game double-digit scoring streak.
• Cici Ellington was held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting Monday at Weber State. She had been averaging 17.5 points on 66.0 percent shooting over the previous four games.
• Weber State out-rebounded the Vikings 46-to-38 Monday. The Vikings were even with Montana State (39-to-39) and Montana (33-to-33) earlier in the weekend. That snapped an 11-game rebounding losing streak for the Vikings between Jan. 17 to Feb. 21. They haven't out-rebounded an opponent since they were +4 at Northern Colorado on Jan. 15.
• The Vikings are averaging just 7.8 free throws per game over their last five games, to go with 11.6 attempts per game. That had been a strength for the Vikings. They were averaging 15.2 makes and 20.9 attempts per game before their recent five-game stretch. They still rank second in the Big Sky for free throws made (13.9) and attempted (19.3) per game entering the conference tournament.
• The Vikings have lost seven games in a row and 16 of their last 17 entering the Big Sky tournament.

 
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 2-22 when they finish with the same or fewer attempts.
• The Vikings lost their 30th straight Big Sky road game Monday. The Vikings' last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington, 80-71, on Feb. 4, 2023. Their upset win over Montana State in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Big Sky tournament represents their last win over a conference opponent away from Viking Pavilion.
• Despite their recent lull in free throws, the Vikings still average 2.27 more attempts 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 6-4 when their opponent shoots below 40 percent versus 0-20 when their opponent shoots over 40 percent.
• The Vikings outshot nine of 18 Big Sky opponents during the regular season. But the Vikings went just 2-7 in those nine games. Opponents frequently made up their deficit from the field by earning more possessions than the Vikings. The Vikings recorded more field goal attempts than their opponent just three times within Big Sky play.
• The Vikings have been outscored by an average of 5.53 points per game in the opening quarter this season. The Vikings have trailed by double digits after the first quarter eight times this season. They are 4-2 when leading after the first quarter this season versus 2-22 when they're tied or trailing.
• While the Vikings have been hot from three-point range recently, they still rank last in the Big Sky in three-pointers made per game (4.40) and percentage (.267). They also rank tied for ninth in three-point percentage defense (.328). Opponents are averaging 2.07 more three-pointers per game than the Vikings this season.
• The Vikings have been hot and cold on the glass this season. They were out-rebounded only four times in their first 16 games when they had a +0.94 rebounding margin. Then, over the next 11 games, they were out-rebounded in every game by an average margin of -9.64. They bounced back with back-to-back draws on the glass against Montana State and Montana, but then were -8 at Weber State Monday.
• The Vikings are 4-2 when they score 70 points or more this season versus 2-22 when they fail to score 70 points. Ironically, the Vikings went 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 2-21 when they lose it. The Vikings rank seventh in the Big Sky in turnovers per game (17.2), ninth in turnovers forced per game (13.4) and 10th in turnover margin (-3.93).
• The Vikings are 5-10 at home this season versus 1-14 on the road. Both of the Vikings' Big Sky victories came at home.

 
Players
#12 Kyleigh Brown

• Sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown had her 34-game double-digit scoring streak snapped Saturday when Montana held her to a season-low four points. She bounced back with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting Monday at Weber State, her tenth 20-point game of the season.
• Brown's double-digit scoring streak lasted for over a year. It started with 17 points against Idaho State on Feb. 20, 2025, before ending against Montana on Feb. 28, 2026. It had been the longest such streak by any player over the last 20 seasons at Portland State.
• Brown leads the Vikings with 17.1 points per game, ranking her third in the Big Sky and 74th nationally.
• Brown broke out of a shooting slump while going 9-for-18 from the field Monday. She had been 9-for-38 (.237) from the field over the previous three games. Brown ranks eighth in the Big Sky with a .416 field goal percentage this season. Monday's game marked the seventh time she's shot 50 percent or better within Big Sky play.
• Brown was more effective in the second half of games within Big Sky play. In conference games, she averaged 5.67 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the first half, while she's averaging 10.6 points on 47.9 percent shooting in the second half.
• Brown tied her conference season high with three three-pointers Monday at Weber State. She's 8-for-24 (.333) from three-point range over the last four games, after she had been 7-for-42 (.167) over the previous 12 games.  
• 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 was held without a free throw attempt Saturday against Montana for only the fourth time all season and the first time within Big Sky play.
• Brown leads the Big Sky and ranks 23rd nationally with an .881 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 had scored in double figures in seven of eight games before being held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting Monday at Weber State.
• Ellington had been averaging 17.5 points per game on 66.0 percent (33-for-50) shooting over the previous four games before being held scoreless at Weber State. She had shot over 70 percent in three of those four games, including a season-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting against Eastern Washington on Feb. 21.
• 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 recorded her third double-double of the season Saturday with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and three assists against Montana. Her other double-doubles came against Seattle U on Dec. 17 (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Idaho State on Jan. 3 (14 points, 11 rebounds).
• 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 returned to double figures with 10 rebounds Saturday.
• Ellington ranks tied for eighth in the Big Sky with 0.90 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 with 10 points against Montana State on Feb. 26.
• Chicken fouled out three times in the team's five games between Feb. 12-26.
• Chicken ranks second on the team with 11.2 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 (.483) and three-point field goal percentage (.395), while she's second on the team in free throw percentage (.819).
• Chicken ranks 13th in the Big Sky with 5.90 rebounds per game. She also ranks 13th in the conference with 1.83 offensive rebounds per game.
• Chicken ranks 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.

 
#11 Laynee Torres-Kahapea

• Laynee Torres-Kahapea nearly won the game for the Vikings last Saturday against Montana. She followed a circus shot at the end of the shot clock with a forced turnover that led to the game-tying bucket with just over a minute remaining. Torres-Kahapea finished with one of her most complete lines in any game this season, recording nine points, six rebounds and five assists while committing only one turnover.
• 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 was also in double figures with 10 points to go with four rebounds and three assists at Eastern Washington on Feb. 21.
• 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 ranks third on the team with an .802 free throw percentage (69-for-86).
• 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 tied for second on the team with 24 made three-pointers this season while shooting 24-for-89 (.270) from beyond the arc.
• Torres-Kahapea leads the Vikings with 2.70 assists per game. She tied her career high with seven assists in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State on Feb. 7. She's averaging 3.88 assists per game over the team's last eight 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 hit her first three-pointer of the season to go with seven points and six rebounds on Senior Day against Montana last Saturday.
• 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 6.11 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the conference with 2.39 offensive rebounds per game.
• Yoakum's seven points Saturday were her most since she last scored in double figures with 10 points at Montana on Jan. 29.
• Yoakum ranks third on the team with 1.71 assists per game. That's a career-best average for Yoakum. She's led or tied for the team lead in assists in eight 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 in back-to-back games for the first time all season, recording 10 points against both Montana State and Montana. She added a season-high six rebounds to go with four assists against the Bobcats on Feb. 26. She has four double-digit scoring games this season.
• Moffat was 6-for-12 (.500) from three-point range over the previous three games before going 1-for-6 from deep against Weber State Monday.
• 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.
• Moffat ranks tied for second on the team with 24 three-pointers this season while she's shooting 28.9 percent (24-for-83) from beyond the arc.
• Moffat ranks second on the team with 1.89 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 against Montana State on Feb. 26.
• Buzzard is averaging 4.3 points in 19.1 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 got the start last Saturday on her Senior Day against Montana.
• Carter missed the first nine games of the season after suffering a knee injury last February.
• Carter's averaging 2.2 points in 9.7 minutes per game this season.

 
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 10.5 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 7.0 minutes per game this season.
• Alani Encinas started the first two games of the season, then started again last Saturday on Senior Day against Montana. She's averaging 0.5 points in 5.6 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 four players listed at six feet exactly in Hannah Chicken, Cici Ellington, Kirstine Munk 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.