GAME #19, HOME GAME #9
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (3-15, 0-5 BIG SKY) AT
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (14-4, 4-1 BIG SKY)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2007
Site: Portland, OR
Arena: Peter W. Stott Center (1,500)
Time: 2:05 p.m.

COVERAGE
AUDIO: www.goviks.com (Teri Mariani, play-by-play; Scott Herrin, color analyst).
VIDEO: www.bigskytv.org (fee-based service)
LIVE STATS: www.goviks.com

STORYLINES: Portland State is 8-0 at home this season and has an 11-game home win streak dating back to last season ... The Vikings' 4-1 start in the Big Sky Conference matches their best-ever conference start since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97 ... SO G Claire Faucher (Yakima, WA/Eisenhower HS) continues to lead the nation in assists, averaging 8.6 per game.

SERIES INFO
ALL-TIME SERIES: Eastern Washington leads 26-17
AT PORTLAND: Portland State leads 10-9
AT CHENEY, WA: Eastern Washington leads 16-5
NEUTRAL SITES: Eastern Washington leads 2-0
UNKNOWN SITES: Portland State leads 1-0
LAST VIKINGS WIN: 84-82 (1-13-2007 @ Portland)
LAST EAGLES WIN: 80-61 (2-15-2007 @ Cheney, WA)
CURRENT STREAK: Portland State has won two of last three

SERIES NOTES: Next Saturday will be the 44th meeting all-time between the Eagles and Vikings ... The two schools are scheduled to meet in Cheney, WA on March 1 ... The teams have split the last two season series, each winning on its own floor ... Portland State has won four of the last five meetings at the Peter W. Stott Center ... The Eagles' last win in Portland was 77-45 on Jan. 15, 2005 ... JR F Kelsey Kahle (Aurora, OR/North Marion HS) scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds in Portland State's 82-80 win last season in Portland ... The Eagles made 10x16 3-FGs to beat the Vikings 80-61 last season in Cheney to split the season series ... Officially, the two teams have split 22 regular-season Big Sky games, with Eastern Washington forfeiting a 65-63 in Cheney, WA on Jan. 31, 1998 ... On-the-court, the Eagles hold a 12-10 edge in Big Sky regular-season meetings ... First-year Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is 2-3 against Eastern Washington.

EAGLES SCOUTING REPORT:
Head Coach: Wendy Schuller (Fresno Pacific, 1992)
Record at E. Washington: 83-106 (.439 winning pct./7th year)
Career Record: 83-106 (.439 winning pct./7th year)
The Eagles have lost eight straight after falling 71-57 at Northern Colorado on Jan. 17 ... Eastern Washington's last victory was 73-57 against Great Falls back on Dec. 15 ... FR G Kyla Evans leads the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg, hoewver, she has missed the last four games due to a foot injury ... JR F Sydney Benson is averaging 10.1 ppg and ranks seventh in the Big Sky in rebounding at 7.3 rpg ... As a team, the Eagles are averaging 63.7 ppg and shooting 39.3 percent from the field ... Opponents are scoring an average of 72.9 ppg and shooting 42.5 percent from the field against the Eagles.

VIKINGS' 18-GAME TOTALS: The Vikings are 8-0 at home, 5-4 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites ... The 8-0 home start is Portland State's first since completing a perfect 13-0 home record during the 1995-96 season, while at the NCAA Division II level ... Portland State's longest win streak this season is five games, twice, from Nov. 10-25 to open the season, and from Dec. 31-Jan. 12 ... The Vikings have lost back-to-back games once this season, at USC (12/21), 75-68, and at Utah Valley (12/29), 104-99 ... Portland State is 13-1 when leading at halftime and 1-3 when trailing at the break ... The Vikings have had 13 double-double performances, the last by SR F Delaney Conway (Seattle, WA/Garfield HS) against Idaho State (1/12) with 10 points and 10 rebounds ... The Vikings are 11-1 when scoring at least 70 points in a game ... Portland State's largest margin of victory this season was 40 points, 97-57 over Idaho State (1/12) ... It was also the Vikings' largest margin of victory since a 54-point win over Alaska Anchorage (91-37) on Jan. 27, 1996 in Portland, while the Vikings were playing on the NCAA Division II level ... The Vikings' largest margin of defeat was 18, 80-62, at UC Davis on Nov. 27 ... Portland State's average margin of victory is 12.6 points, and its average margin of defeat is 8.8 points.

AFTER 18 GAMES LAST YEAR: The following charts show Portland State's statistical comparison through 18 games this season compared to last year, and the Vikings' 18-game records over the last five years:

VIKINGS' RECORD AFTER 18 GAMES LAST FIVE YEARS

VIKING NOTEBOOOK: Portland State is 26-8 (.765 winning pct.) in home games, including 2-0 at Concordia University, since the 2005-06 season ... Portland State has made at least one 3-FG in 82 consecutive games, the second longest current streak in the Big Sky behind Idaho State's 174 ... The last time the Vikings did not make a trey was at Eastern Washington Feb. 12, 2005 ... The Vikings have held opponents to 60.5 ppg and 37.4 pct., shooting from the floor in the last six games ... The Vikings are averaging 10.0 steals per game in the last six contests, after recording seven at Northern Colorado ... Portland State was outrebounded 44-34 by the Bears, marking the first time in four games Portland State did not hold the advantage on the boards ... The Vikings held an average rebounding margin of +18.3 in the three previous games ... The Vikings dropped to 5-4 on the road with last Saturday's 61-56 loss at Northern Colorado ... The five road wins are the most by Portland State since going 8-6 in 1998-99.

VIKINGS LOOK TO CONTINUE BEST START ON DIVISION I LEVEL: Portland State's 14-4 record entering Saturday's game versus Eastern Washington marks the Vikings' best record through 18 games on the NCAA Division I level, and ranks among the best in school history. The program's previous best 18-game record on the Division I level was 13-5 set by the 1990-91 squad that played as an Independent. Since joining the Big Sky Conference and returning to Division I prior to the 1996-97 season, the Vikings' best 18-game record was 11-7 in 1998-99. Overall, the 14-4 record is Portland State's best 18-game record since the 1995-96 team was 15-3. The following chart shows the top 18-game starts in program history:

FAUCHER LEADS NATION IN ASSISTS: SO G Claire Faucher (Yakima, WA/Eisenhower HS) ranked first in the nation in assists, through Jan. 20, averaging 8.6 per game. Faucher has been credited with 155 assists in 18 games. San Diego SR G Amanda Rego ranks second in the nation in assists at 8.3 per game. The following chart shows the nation's top five assist leaders through games played Jan. 20:

FIRST-HALF INDICATOR: Entering Saturday's game versus Eastern Washington, Portland State has won 27 of its last 28 games when leading at halftime. The Vikings' only setback in that stretch, was a 104-99 loss at Utah Valley (12/29), after leading 52-44 at halftime. Conversely, the Vikings are 7-34 (.171 winning pct.) when trailing at halftime dating back to the 2005-06 season, including 1-3 this season. Portland State's lone win when trailing at the break this year, was on Nov. 25 against Gonzaga at the Stott Center, when the Vikings rallied from a 37-28 halftime-deficit to post a 75-72 win.

COLORADO FREEZE: Portland State posted season lows for points (56) and FG pct., (27.7) in the five-point loss at Northern Colorado last Saturday. The 56 points were the fewest scored by the Vikings since a 55-53 win over Montana State on Feb. 3 in Portland. The 27.7 FG pct., was the lowest by Portland State in 59 games since shooting 23.3 pct., (14x60) in a 77-46 loss to Eastern Washington on Jan. 15, 2005 at the Stott Center.

VIKINGS SETTING NEW OFFENSIVE STANDARDS: Portland State's average of 74.7 ppg ranks second in the Big Sky Conference and 21st nationally. The 75.8 ppg is also the Vikings' highest since joining the Big Sky Conference, in 1996-97, and their highest since averaging 79.0 ppg in their final NCAA Division II season in 1995-96. Portland State's 43.3 percent FG pct., is also currently the program's best since entering the Big Sky, and the highest since shooting 46.3 percent in 1995-96.

BIG SKY NOTES: Portland State's 4-1 Big Sky record matches its best five-game conference start, set by the 1998-99 squad en route to finishing with the Vikings' best Big Sky record at 12-4 ... Portland State's average margin of victory in its four Big Sky wins is 20.5 points, with the Vikings' smallest margin of victory being 12, 81-69 at Sacramento State (1/3) in the Big Sky opener ... Portland State is 71-100 (.415 winning pct.) in Big Sky games ... The Vikings are 45-40 (.529 winning pct.) all-time in Big Sky home games and 26-60 (.302 winning pct.) all-time in conference road games ... Portland State's 81-69 win at Sacramento State on Jan. 3 marked the Vikings' first win in a conference opener since winning on the road versus the Hornets, 77-51, to open the 2002-03 conference schedule ... The 2007-08 season marks the Vikings' 12th season in the Big Sky Conference.

MARCHANT EMERGING: FR G Kelly Marchant (Oregon City, OR/Oregon City HS) has emerged as the Vikings' top offensive threat off the bench over the last four games. Entering Saturday, Marchant is averaging 12.8 points in 24.5 minutes per game over the last four contests. She scored a season-high 23 points in the 71-56 win at Northern Arizona (1/5) to begin the stretch. Marchant made her first career start versus Idaho State (1/12), scoring 10 points in 23 minutes. The following chart shows Marchant's production in the last four games:

CREMER THRIVING IN CAMEO ROLE: FR C Courtney Cremer (Stayton, OR/Stayton HS) is averaging only 12.7 minutes per game, however, she has been productive in her time on the court. Her averages of 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game when averaged out 40 minutes per game is pulling down nearly a double-double. Cremer enters Saturday's contest averaging 10.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per 40 minutes. Cremer's most productive stretch this season came from Jan. 5-12, when she recorded a combined 14 points and 18 rebounds in 53 minutes against Northern Arizona (1/5), Weber State (1/10) and Idaho State (1/12).

KAHLE MAKING THEM COUNT AT THE FT LINE: JR F Kelsey Kahle (Aurora, OR/North Marion HS) currently ranks fifth on the Big Sky Conference career list for FTs with 412. Kahle is 412x519 (79.4 pct.) from the line for her career. She is currently four FTs shy of tying Melanie Knott (1988-91), of Weber State, for fourth place on the Big Sky list with 416. Current Idaho State SR Natalie Doma is second on the list with 443. Montana State's Cass Bauer (1990-94) is the conference's career leader in FTs made with 477. The following chart shows the Big Sky career FT leaders: