FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 27, 2022) – With less than 40 days remaining until the Big Sky Conference Tournament begins in Boise, Idaho, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will play four games in three cities through the next week.
The stretch begins Saturday night in Portland, Ore. with the Lumberjacks (8-8, 5-3 Big Sky) taking on the Portland State Vikings (5-9, 0-6). Northern Arizona, tied for fourth in the Big Sky, is seeking a fourth road victory in the Big Sky this season against a program that has caused many problems in recent memory. Dropping 12 straight against Portland State, Northern Arizona last beat the Vikings on March 5, 2015. The win was one of just five since 2007, as the Lumberjacks have dropped 24 of the past 29 meetings.
Saturday's game, as is the case for all Big Sky Conference games this season, is available on ESPN+, as well as Hulu with the Disney Bundle.
Before hosting the Lumberjacks, the Vikings face the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in Cedar City, Utah on Thursday night as they hope to snap a four-game losing streak and earn their first conference win of the season.
Northern Arizona nearly broke its losing streak a year ago in Portland, dropping a pair of games by just two points apiece. Potential game-winning or game-tying shots fell short at the buzzer for the Lumberjacks last season, just a week after
Khiarica Rasheed hit the game-winner against the Sacramento State Hornets.
However, the Vikings look vastly different than they did a year ago. First-year head coach Chelsey Gregg took over for Lynn Kennedy following six years as an assistant for Portland State. Along with Kennedy, three of the Vikings' top four leaders in minutes played elected to transfer out as graduate transfers.
With Desirae Hansen, Tatiana Streun and Kylie Jimenez all departing, freshman Esmeralda Morales stepped in to lead the team in scoring at 12.8 points and 3.9 assists per game.
Joining Morales in the starting lineup are fellow freshmen Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele in addition to junior Jada Lewis and senior Savannah Dhaliwal. Dhaliwal, who missed the past two seasons due to injury, ranks just behind Morales at 10.7 points per game and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Lewis ranked second in the Big Sky at 40.2 percent from three-point range, averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds last season. The shooting has carried over to the 2021-22 season, hitting 39.8 percent from outside while averaging 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.
The overhaul of the Portland State roster has left the Vikings down at 309th in the NCAA at just 36.2 percent shooting from the field and 322nd in rebounding margin at -6.5 through their 14 games. While the team's scoring ranks 229th (61.9 points per game) and defense sits 290th (69.1 points allowed per game), the Vikings have continued to play well against three-point shooting.
Ranking 27th at 25.9 percent allowed this season, Portland State has allowed just one team to break 35 percent this season as the Montana Lady Griz connected on 12-of-29 last week. Northern Arizona enters as the eighth-best three-point shooting team in the nation, hitting 38.1 percent as a team while scoring 72.5 points per game, second in the Big Sky and 53rd nationally.
As for the Lumberjacks, Rasheed averaged 19.5 and 6.0 rebounds per game against the Vikings last season and is poised to make program history this year. Entering at 828 career rebounds, Rasheed is just four away from passing Amy Patton's program record of 831.
The mark would be the second all-time record set by Rasheed this season, having surpassed the all-time games played record in mid-December. Rasheed is also 91 points behind second all-time at Northern Arizona and 42 made free throws away from first.
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