The long break between fall and winter quarters is traditionally a time to relax, clear your head and take comfort in being at home.
The Portland State women’s basketball team did just that, sans the relaxation, when they went 3-1 in a four-game home stand that began with a win on Dec. 21, against Manhattan, and ended on Sunday with a resounding 88-57 victory over conference rival Northern Arizona.
Amid the home stand, the team also battled Utah Valley on Dec. 29, in one of the more closely contested games of the season. Despite hanging with the Wolverines for two halves and forcing an extra period, the Vikings came up short, 102-92.
The loss signified the first home defeat of the season, and just the second in 21 home games during the tenure of second-year head coach Sherri Murrell.
But with the start of Big Sky Conference play coming right on the heels of their first home loss of the season, Portland State was forced to respond to the disappointing overtime loss with strong play.
With the arrival of Sacramento State on Jan. 2, the Vikings launched into conference action with an 81-66 victory over the Hornets.
And with their win over Northern Arizona on Sunday, the team finds themselves with a 2-0 start to conference play, and an overall record of 9-5.
If you’re searching for the cause of their recent success, look no further than senior forward Kelsey Kahle, a perennial conference honoree and the backbone of this season’s gritty Vikings squad.
Kahle, who leads the team and the conference in scoring with an average of 17.6 points per game, was honored as the Big Sky Player of the Week for Dec. 29 to Jan. 5. In three games that week, Kahle averaged a staggering 28.7 points per game to go along with 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two steals per game.
With such glimmering numbers, it’s no wonder that Kahle, in her fourth year as a starter for the Vikings, has her name atop or high up on a plethora of Portland State record lists. With a career total of 1,749 points to her credit, Kahle stands a mere 51 points behind the school’s all-time leader, Laurie Northrup (1,801 points, 1988–92).
But as anyone who has seen the Vikings in action this year knows, the team is not a one-woman show.
Junior guard Claire Faucher, an All-American honoree last season, continues her strong leadership with the ball, averaging 6.35 assists per game—good enough for a spot among the top players in the nation. Faucher led the nation in assists last season.
Newcomer Eryn Jones, a freshman guard who has recently earned a spot in the starting lineup, has come alive as the season progresses and is now a solid contributor on a nightly basis.
Jones, who shined as a high school player for Meadowdale High in Lynwood, Wash., has averaged 12 points and 4.7 assists in the last three games, including breaking out for a 19-point performance against Utah Valley.
Even as the Vikings enjoy their auspicious start to conference play, the perils of the road lay before them, as they travel this week to Weber State to begin a three-game hiatus away from the Stott Center. Though they are nothing short of dominant at home, the Vikings have struggled on the road, holding up a 3-4 record for away games.