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OPENING TIP: Portland State continues Big Sky Conference opening weekend Saturday, December 31 against the Northern Colorado Bears in Greeley, Colo. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. PT and can be seen live online at GoViks.com/live.
     Saturday's game will be game number seven of an eight-game road trip that the Vikings started on Dec. 17 against Oregon. They have two more games on the road, Saturday's game against UNC and next week's game at Sacramento State, before the Vikings open their Big Sky home slate against Northern Arizona on Jan. 12. 
     The Vikings and Bears opened Big Sky play Thursday with dramatically different games. Portland State lost a close low-scoring game, 65-61, at North Dakota, while the Bears won a high-scoring affair, 95-88, at home over Sacramento State. 
     Portland State started slow against North Dakota but led at the end of the first. The Vikings were outscored 17-10 in the second quarter and trailed at the half. PSU outscored UND in each of the final two periods but it was unable to complete the comeback, falling 65-61. 
     Sophomore G Sidney Rielly led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, going 12-for-21 from the floor, both career highs. She scored seven of the Vikings' final nine points of the game. She is now fifth in the league with 16.3 points per game. 

BIG SKY OPENERS: After losing at North Dakota to open league play Thursday night, the Vikings are 4-6 in their last 10 Big Sky openers, and 0-2 under Head Coach Lynn Kennedy. The Vikings are also 2-5 in Big Sky road openers during that stretch. 

WINS vs. LOSSES: The Vikings are 6-7 this season. After dropping their first two games, they have won six of the last 11. In its six wins, Portland State is averaging 80.0 points per game is shooting .481 from the floor and .750 from the free-throw line. In its seven losses, those numbers drop to 62.1 ppg, .388 from the floor, and .654 at the line. The Vikings are holding their opponents to 16.8 fewer points per game in wins. Free-throw percentage, rebounds per game, and assists per game are also all up in Portland State wins this season. 

20-POINT GAMES: Portland State players have posted 11 20-point games this season. Last year, the Vikings tallied a total of eight 20-point games. Sophomore guard Sidney Rielly leads the team with six, while Ashley Bolston has tallied four. Rielly became the first Viking since Kate Lanz in 2011-12 to record three-straight 20-point games. Bolston followed suite with her own three-game stretch of 20-point performances. Sophomore G Michaela Kay added her first 20-point game of the season, third of her career, against UC Irvine (12/3). Portland State has had two players score 20 points in a game twice this season. Rielly and Bolston did it at Seattle (11/23). Bolston and Kay did it against UC Irvine.  

SHOOTING DIFFERENCE: So far this season, the Vikings have seen a considerable improvement in shooting compared to last year. Portland State shot .358 from the floor and .300 from three-point range in Head Coach Lynn Kennedy's first season. This year, the Vikings have improved those numbers to .434 (+.077) from the floor and .313 (+.012) from distance. One of the more noticeable differences has been from inside the arc. In two-point shooting, the Vikings are shooting .475 this season compared to .382 last year (+.094).

BALL MOVEMENT: The Vikings are second in Big Sky Conference with 16.5 assists per game after averaging 13.6 per game a year ago (+3.2). The Vikings recorded assists on 56.7 percent of field goals in 2015-16. Portland State is recording assists on 65.3 percent this season. Portland State recorded assists on 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) field goals against UC Irvine (12/3). Sophomore G Ashley Bolston leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.2 assists per game. Michaela Kay led the Vikings with 82 assists (2.9 per game) a year ago. 
 
DEFENDING HOME COURT: Portland State is 3-0 at home to start the 2016-17 season. It is their best start at home since going 3-0 to start 2012-13. Portland State is averaging 84.3 ppg, while allowing 69.0 ppg (+15.3). The Vikings are shooting .505 (102-for-202) from the floor and .333 from three-point range at home. 

BIG NUMBERS: The Vikings tallied some big numbers in their 93-61 win over Pacific Union on Nov. 20. The Vikings' 93 points were the most scored since they posted 97 in a win over Sacramento State in 2011. Portland State recorded 43 field goals in the game, the most since recording a program record 61 against Pacific (Ore.) in Nov. 1993. Individually, sophomore G Sidney Rielly's 11 field goals were the most by a Viking since 2014. Portland State pulled down 65 rebounds, six shy of a program record 71 also set against Pacific (Ore.) in Nov. 1993.

#RoadToReno: For the second year in a row the Big Sky Conference tournament will consist of all 12 conference teams and will be held at a neutral site. The tournament will take place at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev. The women's tournament will begin on Monday, March 6 with the men's tournament beginning the next day, Tuesday, March 7. For more information visit RoadtoReno.com.

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TEAM NOTES: Here are some quick-hitters about 2016-17 Portland State Vikings:
• Portland State has matched its win total from each of the last two seasons with four wins this season. 
• Portland State picked up its first win of the year with a 93-61 win over Pacific Union (Calif.) on Nov. 20. The 93 points were the most scored by the Vikings since scoring 97 in a win over Sacramento State in 2011. 
• Portland State made 43 baskets against Pacific Union. It was the most since the Vikings tallied a school record 61 field goals in a win over Pacific (Ore.) in Nov. 1993. 
• Portland State pulled down 65 rebounds against Pacific Union, six shy of the school record of 71 set against Pacific (Ore.) in Nov. 1993.
• Portland State picked up its first road win, 79-71, at Seattle U. (11/23). The Vikings trailed by 12 points in the second quarter before coming back to win. 
• Portland State's back-to-back wins over Pacific Union (CA) and Seattle U were the program's  first back-to-back wins since the 2013-14 season.
• Portland State has won back-to-back games three times this season. 
• Portland State is currently on a three-game losing streak, its longest of the season. 

BY THE NUMBERS 
• PSU is 6-7 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play.
• PSU is 3-0 at home, 1-5 on the road, and 2-2 at a neutral site. 
• PSU is 2-3 in its last five games and 6-4 in its last 10 games. 
• PSU is averaging 70.4 ppg, while allowing 74.5 ppg. 
• PSU is shooting .434 from the floor, .313 from distance, and .696 at the line. 

BIG SKY BATTLES
• PSU is 136-187 all-time in Big Sky Conference games.
• PSU is 85-76 in home games and 51-111 in road games.
• PSU is 6-7 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament.

STOTT STUFF
• PSU has gone 145-123 in 268 games at the Stott Center since the 1996-96 season. Including home games at Memorial Coliseum (1-0), the Rose Garden (2-0), and Concordia (1-0), the Vikings are 149-123 at home over 22 seasons. 
• Portland State is 6-12 at home in two seasons under Lynn Kennedy.
• Portland State is 85-76 in home games during Big Sky Conference play. 

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NORTHERN COLORADO QUICK HITS
• Head Coach Kamie Ethridge is 44-32 in three seasons leading the Bears. 
• Northern Colorado is 9-3 overall, 1-0 in Big Sky play, and 5-1 at home this season.
• Northern Colorado dropped its first game of the season to Colorado before winning five-straight. After a loss at Colorado State, the Bears finished non-conference play winning three of its last four. The Bears held on to win 95-88 against Sacramento State to open league play Thursday. 
• Northern Colorado is averaging 68.3 ppg, eighth in the Big Sky, but is only allowing 62.2 ppg, which is third best. 
• Northern Colorado is shooting .417 from the floor, .310 from three-point range, and a league-best .794 at the line. The Bears are first in the league with 17.9 assists per game. They tallied 33 assists on 36 field goals against the Hornets. 
• Sophomore G Savannah Smith leads the team with 14.1 points per game this season. She is shooting .368 from the floor with a team-high 29 three-pointers. She has 10 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 25 points against Florida Gulf Coast. 
• Sophomore C Courtney Smith is averaging 13.0 ppg with a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game. She is shooting a team-high .616 from the floor. 

ALL-TIME vs. NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears lead the all-time series 12-8, dating back to the 1988-89 season. The Bears and Vikings met only once, a 79-70 Northern Colorado win, before the Bears joined the Big Sky Conference for the 2006-07 season. Portland State is just 2-7 at Northern Colorado during conference play. 

LAST YEAR vs. NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears took the only meeting last year, 70-59, at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Vikings struggled at the start of both halves, scoring nine and eight points in the first and third quarters respectively. A 27-point fourth quarter was not enough for the Vikings to complete the comeback. Northern Colorado's Kyleigh Hiser scored a game-high 21 points, going 8-for-16 from the floor with three three-pointers. Ashley Torres Negron led the Vikings with 14 points and seven rebounds. 

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#0 | ASHLEY BOLSTON  //  Sophomore  //  Guard  //  6-2  //  Medford, OR 
• She is second on the team with 13.0 points per game. She has scored in double-figures eight times and has four 20-point performances.
• She leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.2 assists per game.
• She matched her career high with 26 points, going 5-for-13 from the floor and 16-for-18 at the line in a win over Kennesaw State (12/20). Both free throw marks are the second most all time. She added eight assists, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in the win. 
• She led the Vikings with 20 points (5-12 FG, 10-10 FT) in a win over UC Irvine (12/3).
• She scored a career-high 26 points, going 9-for-17 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers at Portland (11/30). She went 6-for-7 at the line and added six rebounds and five assists.
• She posted her first 20-point game with 20 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3FT, 9-11 FT) four rebounds, six assists, and four steals at Seattle U. (11/23). 
• She scored four points with five rebounds and a team-high nine assists in the Vikings' win over Pacific Union (CA) (11/20). 
• She scored 18 points (5-10 FG, 2-5 3FG, 6-7 FT) with two rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes at Boise State (11/16). 
• She scored 10 points (3-6 FG, 4-6 FT) with three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 19 minutes of action in her Portland State debut at CSUN (11/11). 
• She sat out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA Transfer Rules.

#2 | SIDNEY RIELLY  //  Sophomore  //  Guard  //  6-0  //  Everett, WA 
• She is fifth in the Big Sky Conference with 16.3 points per game. She has scored double-digit points eight times, including six 20-point games. 
• She became the first Viking to post back-to-back 20-pt games since Emily Easom in 2014. 
• She became the first Viking to post three-straight 20-pt games since Kate Lanz in 2011-12.
• She improved her career high in scoring with 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting, both career highs, at North Dakota (12/29).
• She scored a team-high 23 points (10-16 FG, 2-4 3FG, 1-1 FT) with three rebounds in a win over Northern Kentucky (12/19). 
• She posted her fourth 20-point game with 21 points (8-11 FG, 4-4 FT) with three blocks in a win over Cal State Fullerton (12/10).
• She scored 23 points (9-18 FG, 1-4 3FG, 4-5 FT) in a win at Seattle U. (11/23).
• She scored 24 points (11-18 FG, 2-3 FT) with three rebounds and four assists in the Vikings' win against Pacific Union (CA) (11/20). Her 11 field goals against Pacific Union were the most by a Viking since Emily Easom in 2014. 
• She scored a career-high 25 points (9-16 FG, 5-7 3FG, 2-2 FT) at Boise State (11/16). She added two rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes. 
• She scored a team-high 12 points (3-12 FG, 1-3 3-pt FG, 5-6 FT) in her Portland State debut at CSUN (11/11). She pulled down a team-high five rebounds an recorded a pair of assists in 24 minutes.
• She sat out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA Transfer Rules

#4 | PIA JURHAR  //  Sophomore  //  Forward  //  6-3  //  Vienna, Austria 
• She is averaging 5.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Has two double-digit scoring games and one double-double.  
• She scored 12 points (6-9 FG) with 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season in a win over Cal State Fullerton (12/10). 
• She scored 12 points (6-8 FG) with nine rebounds in a win over Pacific Union (CA) (11/20). 
• She scored two points, pulled down three rebounds, with a block in 10 minutes of action in the Vikings' season opener at CSUN (11/11). 
• She played in 30 games, making 25 starts, as a true freshman in 2015-16. She averaged 5.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. 

#10 | COURTNEY WEST  //  RS-Sophomore  //  Forward  //  6-4  //  Sydney, Australia 
• She is averaging 8.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season. She has five double-digit scoring games.
• She leads the Big Sky Conference with 29 blocks and 2.2 blocks per game.
• She is on pace for 66 blocks this season, which would be second all-time for a single-season at Portland State. 
• She scored 14 points with seven rebounds and four blocks at North Dakota (12/29) to open league play.
• She scored 11 points with eight rebounds, four blocks, and four steals in a win over Kennesaw State (12/20). 
• She scored 12 points (6-12 FG) with six rebounds and a career-high four assists in a win over UC Irvine (12/3).
• She scored five points with seven rebounds and a career-high six blocks in a win over Seattle U (11/23). Her six blocks were tied for the second most all-time at Portland State. 
• She scored 16 points (8-15 FG) with eight rebounds in 14 minutes in the Vikings' win over  Pacific Union (11/20).
• She scored eight points (4-8 FG) with five rebounds and three blocks at Boise State (11/16).
• She scored a team-high 12 points with a team-high five rebounds in Portland State debut at CSUN (11/11). Shot .600 (6-for-10) from the floor. 
• She sat out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA Transfer Rules.

#11 | CICI WEST  //  Sophomore  //  Guard  //  5-10  //  Seattle, WA 
• She is averaging 5.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season. She has two double-digit scoring games, and four double-digit rebounding games. She has one double-double. 
• She came off the bench for the Vikings' first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Portland (11/30).
• She came off the bench for nine points (3-6 FG, 3-5 FT) and a team-high 10 rebounds in a win at Seattle U. (11/23).
• She came off the bench for four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes in the Vikings' season opener at CSUN (11/11).
• She averaged 10.0 points and a Big Sky leading 9.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2015-16. 
• She set the Portland State single-season rebounding record with 286 in 2015-16. 

#45 | MICHAELA KAY  //  Sophomore  //  Guard  //  5-6  //  Spokane, WA 
• She is averaging 6.9 points and 3.3 assists this season.
• She posted her third career 20-point game with 20 points (6-11 FG, 5-9 3FG, 3-4 FT) in a win over UC Irvine (12/3). She matched her career high with five three-pointers.
• She scored eight points (1-5 3FT, 5-6 FT) with five rebounds and five assists in a win at Seattle U. (11/23).
• She came off the bench for 14 points (4-6 3FG, 2-2 FT) with five assists at Boise State (11/16).
• She averaged 8.4 ppg and led the team with 82 assists (2.9 apg) in 2015-16.