The Portland State women’s basketball team ended its season with a 76-53 loss to Weber State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament at Idaho Central Arena in Boise. The Vikings struggled offensively from the start, missing 11 consecutive shots after an early three-pointer by senior Taylor Moffat and falling behind 19-5 after the first quarter.
Weber State used its size advantage to dominate inside, outscoring Portland State 16-0 in the paint before Ajae Yoakum scored close to the basket late in the second quarter. The Wildcats finished with a shooting percentage of .509 compared to .333 for the Vikings. Although Portland State improved its shooting to over 40 percent in the second half, it was not enough to overcome their slow start.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted. It wasn’t really how we wanted to go out, but I thought we had a resilient group and fought all year long,” said Portland State head coach Karlie Burris.
“It’s going to be tough to win a game when a team shoots 51 percent from the field. I thought [Weber State’s Antoniette] Emma-Nnopu enforced her will on both sides of the ball. I thought she was a monster. I just didn’t think we could match her physicality.”
Australian players Moffat and Hannah Chicken led efforts for Portland State. Chicken scored five straight points early in the second quarter and contributed during a run that brought PSU within 17 points midway through the fourth quarter. She finished with a team-high 17 points on efficient shooting, marking her 20th double-digit scoring game as a freshman this season. Moffat added 11 points, reaching double figures for the third time in four games.
Reflecting on her college career after her final game, Moffat said: “It’s been a roller-coaster, my college journey in general. But I’m super proud of myself and I’m glad after four years I can say that.”
“I’m super proud, this year, of how much adversity myself and the team have faced and continued to fight through. It got to a 20-point lead early and we continued to fight.”
Emma-Nnopu and Hannah Robins led Weber State with 23 and 20 points respectively, combining for strong efficiency from the field.
The loss marked Portland State’s fourth first-round exit from the Big Sky tournament in five seasons; their last tournament win came against Montana State in 2023.
“I told the group in the locker room how proud I am of them. To the five seniors, for them trusting us, sticking with us. We were in a ton of different games. I thought today was really indicative of the year where we got down but we fought back. They set the tone for what’s to come and I told them they should be really, really proud of themselves,” Burris said.
Portland State now looks ahead to its second season under head coach Karlie Burris during the next campaign.
