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Portland State vs. Navy
Friday, December 5, 2014 • 7:00 p.m. PT • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) • Portland, OR

Navy Midshipmen
Record/Conference: 5-3/0-0
Head Coach: Stefanie Pemper (121-78/7th year)

Portland State Vikings
Record/Big Sky: 0-5/0-0
Head Coach: Sherri Murrell (118-102/8th year)

Live Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: ViksLive.com

THE OPENING TIP
     The Portland State women's basketball plays its fourth home game of the young season this Friday, Dec. 5 at the Peter W. Stott Center when the Vikings host the Navy Midshipmen for a 7 p.m. tipoff. It will be the first to two home games in the month of December. 
     The Vikings are 0-5 after falling to Long Beach State, 62-58, at the Stott Center on Nov. 29. Portland State led by one at 56-55 late in the game but went cold, scoring just two points over the final 2:30. Long Beach State finished out the game on a 7-2 run to win 62-58. Junior C Alicia Carline made her Portland State debut after missing the first four games due to a hand injury. Carline posted the Vikings' first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against the 49ers. Junior G Emily Easom posted a season-high 19 points to lead all scorers. Easom went 6-for-13 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. She also went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Senior F Mikaela Rivard posted her third double-digit scoring performance of the season with 11 points. 
     Navy is 5-3 on the season and has won four straight. The Midshipmen defeated Towson, 55-51, on Dec. 2 in Annapolis, Md. before making the cross-country journey to face Portland State. They will play at Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 6. 
     Portland State head coach Sherri Murrell is in her eighth year at Portland State. She is 118-103 overall and 65-55 in Big Sky play while at PSU. She is 265-296 in 19 years as a head coach. Stefanie Pemper is 121-78 in seven years leading Navy. 

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NAVY
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Friday night's game will be the first ever meeting between the Portland State Vikings and the Navy Midshipmen.   

THE NAVY MIDSHIPMEN
     Navy is 5-3 on the season after winning its last four games. The Midshipmen started the season with two road losses before going 5-1, all at home. They have defeated George Mason, UNC Greensboro, Crand Canyon, and Towson over their current winning streak. 
     Navy returned just one starter and two letterwinners from a WNIT team a year ago. Seven other players returned to the team while the Midshipmen welcomed eight new players. Navy went 24-8 overall and won the Patriot League with a 15-3 record. It fell to Old Dominion in the first round of the WNIT, 68-60. 
     Navy holds a +2.3 scoring margin this season. The Midshipmen have scored as much as 84 points this season against George Mason and as few as 47 points against North Carolina A&T. They are shooting .385 from the floor, .299 from three-point range, and .680 from the line. Navy will live or die by the three-point shot. They are averaging 25.5 three-point attempts per game this season and 7.6 three-point makes. 
     The Midshipmen have a deep roster with nine players scoring 5.0 points per game or more. Eight different players have made starts this year. Sarah Reilly leads the team with 8.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Reilly has started six games playing 22.1 minutes per game. She is shooting .510 from the floor and .471 from distance. 
     Taylor Dunham is averaging 8.2 ppg after playing in five games, coming off the bench in each. Haley Unger has started all eight games and is averaging 8.1 ppg. 

COMING UP
Portland State will head to Spokane, Wash. for a Sunday, Dec. 7 match up with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Top is slated for 2 p.m. PT. The Vikings will then play at cross-town rival Portland on Friday, Dec. 12.  

WHO IS HOT?
• SR G Lariel Powell is shooting .500 from the floor with 11.2 ppg this season.
• JR G Emily Easom scored a season-high 19 points against Long Beach State (11/29).
• JR C Alicia Carline posted PSU's first double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in her PSU debut against Long Beach State (11/29).

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State is 0-5 to start the season for the first time since the 2004-05 season when it started 0-6. 
• Portland State is averaging 56.4 ppg while opponents are averaging 67.8 ppg (-11.4).
• Portland State is averaging 19.0 turnovers per game.

BY THE NUMBERS
PORTLAND STATE 
• PSU is 0-4 overall and 0-0 in Big Sky play this season.
• PSU 0-3 at home, 0-2 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site. 
• PSU is 0-5 in its last five games. 

NAVY
• NAVY is 5-3 overall and 0-0 in Patriot League play this season.
• NAVY is 5-1 at home, 0-2 on the road, and 0-0 at a neutral site 
• NAVY is 4-1 in its last five games.

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 132-154 all-time in Big Sky Conference games
• PSU is 82-61 in home games and 50-93 in road games
• PSU is 6-6 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament

NEWS & NOTES
CARLINE'S DEBUT: Junior C Alicia Carline posted the Vikings first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Long Beach State (11/29). Carline went 5-for-11 from the floor. It was the first double-double by a Viking since Allie Brock (22 pts, 10 rebs) and Angela Misa (15 pts, 13 rebs) at Montana State (1/9/14). Carline missed the first four games due to a hand injury.

BLOCK PARTY PART DEUX: Junior C Alicia Carline posted a Portland State individual season-high five blocks against Long Beach State (11/29). It was the first time a Viking recorded five blocks in a game since Alli Brock posted five against UC Irvine (11/11/11). 

FOUR IN DOUBLE-FIGURES: Portland State had four players in double-figures at Oregon (11/25) for the first time this season. Ani Avanessian led with 12 points while Emily Easom and Lauren Holt each scored 11 points. Lariel Powell added 10 points.  

ANI'S CAREER-HIGH: Senior F Ani Avanessian scored a career-high 12 points going 4-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-5 at the line at Oregon (11/25). She added five rebounds and a steal. 

RIVARD AT THE LINE: Senior F Mikaela Rivard went a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line at Oregon (11/25). Rivard is now shooting .667 (10-for-15) at the line. 

POWELL ON THE RUN: Senior G Lariel Powell scored a career-high 21 points going 9-for-16 from the floor with a three pointer and a pair of free throws against Corban University (11/22). Powell scored 18 of her 21 points in the paint with six coming on fast breaks. 
 
EASOM FINDING HER STROKE: After a slow start in the Vikings' season opener, JR G Emily Easom has become a more consistent scorer for the Vikings. She scored 16 points against South Dakota (11/19), 17 points against Corban (11/22), and 19 points against Long Beach State (11/29). Easom now leads the team with 13.6 points per game. 

RIVARD's big game: Senior F Mikaela Rivard scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor with a pair of three-pointers against South Dakota (11/19). It was Rivard's third career 20-point game, first of the season.  

BLOCK PARTY: Portland State tallied six blocks against South Dakota (11/19). It is tied for the second most by a team in the Big Sky Conference this season. Five different Vikings tallied blocks against the Coyotes. 

HOME OPENERS: Portland State is 11-8 in home openers since joining the Big Sky Conference for the 1996-97 season. In seven previous home openers under Head Coach Sherri Murrell, the Vikings are now 6-2 with home opener losses the past two seasons. 

RIVARD READY TO GO: After missing most of training camp and the Vikings' first exhibition game due to a health issue, SR F Mikaela Rivard showed no ill effects from the time off scoring a team-high 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds at Seattle (11/16) to open the season. She also connected on her only three-point attempt.

DISHING IT: Senor G Lariel Powell tied her career high with seven assists at Seattle U (11/6). Powell added 10 points in the game going 4-for-11. Powell again tallied seven assists Corban (11/22).  

LOST FOR THE YEAR: Sophomore PG Yaremi Mejia will miss the entire 2014-15 season after suffering a knee injury prior to the start of the season.