A week after knocking off conference-leading Eastern Washington, Portland State is set to host Sacramento State tonight for the last game of a four-game home stretch.
“It’s a big game,” said head coach Sherri Murrell. “At a home game, we gotta win.”
Both teams enter the weekend riding winning streaks. The Vikings are tied for second place in the Big Sky, and the Hornets are next in line in the standings.
A look at the Hornets
Sac State (8–12, 4–4 Big Sky) is coming off of a four-game winning streak at home. They start the second half of conference action on the road taking on the two top teams, Portland State and Eastern Washington.
In their most recent game, the Hornets beat Idaho State 80–71, with three players scoring in double digits. Senior Charday Hunt put up 23 points, junior Emily Christensen had 16 points with 10 rebounds, and senior Ashley Garcia—conference Player of the Week—had 14.
During Sac State’s matchup with Weber State and Idaho State, Garcia averaged 15 points, 8 assists and 4.5 rebounds. She not only shot well from the field (.462), but was also hitting foul shots, where she went 16 for 18.
Hurt is another impressive performer for the Hornets. On Jan. 24, she reached her 1,000th point on a free throw shot against Northern Arizona. Since then, the senior has increased that total to 1,046 points. Scoring is one of 10 Sac State record lists that Hunt’s name is on, with other’s including assists, rebounds and free throws.
A look at the Vikings
After three consecutive wins at home, the Vikings (12–9, 6–2 Big Sky) are looking to cap their home stint with another victory.
Portland State beat top-ranked Eastern Washington, 67–60, last weekend. The game started out rocky, but the Viks turned things around with help from the bench. At about eight minutes in, junior forward Kate DePaepe scored a basket that would begin a 12-point PSU run. The Eagles attempted a comeback before the break, but the Vikings took the lead early in the second half and never looked back.
Senior guard Claire Faucher grabbed two boards this weekend and only needs four more to reach 500. When she does, she will be just the ninth PSU player to hit both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Portland State has not only been hot in terms of rebounding, but also in shooting—they have outrebounded their past three opponents. Two of these were some of the largest margins in Viking history, with a 13-point win over Idaho State and a 16-point defeat of Weber State. In shot accuracy, the Viks have hit .458 from the field and have allowed just .364 from their opponents.
Past matchups
In January, Portland State beat Sac State, 95–86, in the conference opener. Guard-forward Kelly Marchant tallied a career-best 31 points, and led the six Portland State players who shot in double digits. Faucher put up an impressive 13 assists that night, and has averaged 10.3 assists in her seven career games against the Hornets.
Where to watch
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., tonight at the Stott Center. It can also be followed live at www.goviks.com.
Portland State’s probable starting lineup
No. Player Pos. Ht. Yr
4 Erin Yankus F 6-2 Sr.
22 Kelli Valentine F 5-11 Jr.
10 Claire Faucher G 5-9 Sr.
20 Kelly Marchant G 5-10 Jr.
33 Lexi Bishop G 5-8 Jr.