Men’s Basketball
The Portland State Vikings won in a close 79-76 game against the Northern Colorado Bears. The Viks had a comfortable 21-point lead going into the half, 51-30. A fastbreak by the Bears gave them a comeback—and the first tie of the second half, 67-67, with five minutes left in regulation. Unlike the Southern Utah game, the Viks did not let it go to overtime, and finished strong with a three-point edge over the Bears.
Ezekiel Alley, in his 28 minutes of play, dropped 22 points on the Bears. He shot 7-13, with three three-pointers and six rebounds to help give the Viks their second win in a row. Damion Squire stayed consistent with 19 points, going 7-18 and two three-pointers. Marlon Ruffin had 15 minutes of play, and went 5-10 and 2-2 on three-pointers with 12 points for the Viks. Ian Burke has been an essential player for the Viks recently, 11 points and a perfect 3-3 on three-pointers which is a career season-high record for Burke.
The Viks traveled to Greely, Colorado for the Northern Colorado rematch, and the result of this game was nothing but NBA stats. Portland State continued their streak with their third win in a row, scoring 106-99 in their third 100-point game this season. Portland State, in their past three wins, averaged a high of 94 points per game.
Alley, to no surprise, put up a season-high 23 points and four three-pointers on the Bears in the rematch. Ruffin put up 20 points with a perfect 3-3 on three-pointers and 3-3 on free throws. 15 points and two three-pointers came from Michael Carter III. Burke came with 14 points and two steals, also going a perfect 7-7 on free throws. Paris Dawson went 2-2 on three-pointers and 4-4 on the free throw line with 12 points. Khalid Thomas went 4-6 with a three-pointer under his belt against Northern Colorado. The team as a whole went 14-25 (56%) on three-pointers and 26-32 (81.3%) on the free throw line.
Women’s Basketball
The Viks kept it close with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds going 31-28 at the half. Portland State ultimately lost 77-53. Jada Lewis showed out, putting 16 points on the board and four three-pointers for the Vikings. Alaya Fitzgerald put up 10 points and two steals, going a perfect 4-4 on the free throw line—and five rebounds. The Viks struggled offensively, with a 38% field goal percentage. Esmeralda Morales put up eight points with four turnovers. Mia ‘Uhila also had eight points and two steals.
‘Uhila led the Viks in scoring—putting up 12 points with two three-pointers in another heartbreaker against Northern Colorado, falling 59-51. Fitzgerald had seven rebounds, going 5-6 on the line and 11 points. The rebound master, Reilly Kelty, had eight rebounds and four blocks, leading in both categories. Savannah Dhaliwal had three turnovers, and shot 4-9 with eight points. Two steals and two turnovers came from Morales, also putting up seven points. Even though it was a low-scoring game, the Viks struggled again on three-pointers, only making 3-21. The game was tight until the end, with eight ties and twelve lead changes. Portland State went 2-8 on three-pointers in the fourth quarter, after going 1-13 the first three quarters.
Women’s Tennis
The Viks traveled to Ramona, California to face San Diego Christian College, and took a W against the Hawks, 4-1. In doubles, Majo Hernandez and Emily Rees almost swept, winning 6-1. Makoto Ohara and Nika Beukers also took a 6-1 win in doubles. Jacinta Milenkoski and Maddie Egan went unfinished, ending the match with 5-1. In singles, Ohara won in three (6-2, 2-6, 7-5). Rees fell to Liza Hinrich in two (5-7, 4-6). Both matches by Beukers and Egan went unfinished with Beukers going (6-0, 6-7, 2-3) and Egan going (3-6, 6-4, 4-1). Hernandez won quickly (6-1, 6-2)—and Milenkoski won (6-1, 6-3).
To end their California road trip, the Vikings played Point Loma in a close 4-3 loss overall. In doubles, Hernandez and Rees won 6-4. Beukers and Ohara won in a close one, 7-6 (7-3). Milenkoski and Egan fell, 7-5. In singles, Beukers won (4-6, 7-6, 6-3). Rees fell in three,(6-4, 5-7, 3-6). Ohara fell in two (4-6, 3-6). Hernandez fell (6-7, 6-2, 3-6), and Milenkoski also fell (6-7, 3-6). Egan was the first singles match to finish winning (6-4, 7-5).
The next match is a two-game home stretch when the Seattle University Redhawks come to town on Feb. 11 and University of California, Irvine on Feb. 13.
Football: National Signing Day
The gridiron Vikings signed 24 new athletes to the program on national signing day on Feb. 2, as they get ready for the season opener at San Jose State on Sept. 3. The Viks picked up 12 new young players on defense including five defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs. The Viks also signed four offensive linemen, a pair of tight ends, two running backs, two quarterbacks and two wide receivers.
The Viks released their 2022-23 football season schedule recently, and will start with traveling to San Jose State and University of Washington. A to-be-determined home game will be played Sept. 17. They then travel to play Montana, and a two-game homestand will follow against Northern Arizona and Weber State. They will travel to Idaho and Eastern Washington, before playing the last two home games of the regular season versus Northern Colorado and Sacramento State. The last game of the regular season will be at Cal Poly.
Portland State finished their season 5-6 with a ranked win over #24 in the nation, Weber State. The Viks look to have their first winning season since 2015, going 9-3 with a playoff appearance.
New Signings:
Tanner Beaman TE/LB, Vancouver, WA Skyview HS
Braylon Cornell OL, West Linn, OR West Linn HS
Bryson Summers OL, El Dorado Hills, CA Oak Ridge HS
EJ Ane DT, Fort Irwin, CA San Jose State
Geri Theodore DE, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Uni. of Toledo
Anthony Tena OL, Santa Ana, CA Orange Lutheran HS
Peyton Wing LB, Sumner, WA Sumner HS
Michael Hurst Jr. DB, Bellflower, CA Servite HS
Joseph Nanai LB, Santa Barbara, CA Bishop Garcia Diego HS
Duhron Goodman DB, Valencia, CA Patrick Henry HS
Elijah Lux RB, San Diego, CA Patrick Henry HS
Elijah Gipson DB, Westlake Village, CA Oaks Christian HS
Logan Gonzalez QB, Orange, CA Orange Lutheran HS
Ezriel Vasquez DB, Stockton, CA Lincoln HS
Elias Sanders DL, Spanaway, WA Bethel HS
Dino Kahaulelio DT, Santa Rosa, CA CC of San Francisco
Brooks Ferguson QB, Monmouth, OR West Salem HS
Mike MacNeil DL, Salinas, CA Salinas HS
Charlie White TE, Banks, OR Banks HS
Jake Cooper OL, Milwaukie, OR Milwaukie HS
Elijah Mareko LB, Covington, WA Kentwood HS
Quincy Craig RB, Garden Grove, CA Mater Dei HS
Omar Hammond WR, San Diego, CA Patrick Henry HS
Jaylen Lynch WR, Murrieta, CA Orange Lutheran HS
Player Profile: Ezekiel Alley
A senior out of Tucson, Arizona, Alley put up a season-high 23 points in the 106-point win over the Bears—and a season-high four three-pointers made. The 6-1 guard is a transfer from Fullerton College and Northwest Nazarene in Idaho before becoming a Viking. He averages 9.5 points per game and a .445 field goal percentage along with a .350 three-point field goal percentage. In his last two games against Northern Colorado, he has scored a total of 45 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings. He returns to the Pavillion Feb. 17 when the Viks take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
