Wildcats Thump Portland State 85-57

They walked off the floor with a sour taste in their mouths after letting Northern Arizona come from behind and steal a win in Flagstaff, AZ - so on Saturday night the Wildcats made sure to leave no doubt as they beat down the Portland State Vikings 85-57 in Oregon.

Each time these opponents meet, it's not only a clash between Big Sky foes but also is an opportunity for head coach Velaida Harris to battle against her alma mater. The latest matchup against PSU provided Daryn Hickok with another opportunity to secure a win in her hometown after the 'Cats fell to the Portland Pilots earlier this season - and this time she was successful.

Hickok was flat-out dominant as she piled up 24 points and 10 rebounds while increasingly looking more comfortable as the early part of the season rolls on. Typically teams feed off a big performance from an impact player but this felt different because Weber State as a whole was locked in as soon as the game tipped off. To properly paint the picture, if you were to take Hickok's point total and change it to zero; WSU still would've won by four.

Portland State was forced to feel the intensity of the Wildcats defense and only were able to score 14 points in the first quarter followed by just 8 in the second. Meanwhile, Jadyn Matthews was busy on the offensive end of the floor racking up points. She scored 10 in the first 10 minutes of the game and finished the half with 15, leaving her with just 7 fewer points than PSU was able to total in the opening half of action.

After finishing a half where they had just shot 16-28 from the field, the 'Cats came out in the second half and were even better.

It wasn't just the 13 points tacked on by Hickok or the 10 from Emma Torbert, it was the all-around effort. WSU at one point led 63-28 and were playing with the same level of passion that helped them initially jump out to a big lead, showing growth from their loss to NAU as they made sure to block out the scoreboard and just keep playing as if the game was tied at 0-0.

The 24 points and 10 boards from Hickok made her the leader in both categories for WSU, but they also saw a 17 point, 7 rebound effort from Jadyn Matthews along with a 14 point and 6 rebound outing for Torbert. Not to be overlooked is Aloma Solovi who played a key part in making the offense run as she dished out 10 assists.

Next, Weber State will travel to Colorado State to battle the Colorado State Rams on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6 P.M. on ESPN+.

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Team Stats

Daryn Hickok

Jadyn Matthews

Emma Torbert

Laura Taylor

Players Mentioned

Daryn Hickok

Jadyn Matthews

Aloma Solovi

Emma Torbert

Weber State University Athletics