OIS Soccer Tourney champs for this term: PSU Soccer Club team
courtesy of orginal source

Preview for Tomorrow's Game

Women's Basketball Preview
Portland State: 2-20 (0-10 Big Sky)
Montana: 16-7 (9-1 Big Sky)
By Owen Smith (Vanguard 2.25.05)

The women's basketball team plays its final home game Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Stott Center against Montana. It has been a tough season for first year head coach Charity Elliott and her young charges, but they remain optimistic.

The good practices are encouraging, but so far they haven't led to any wins. The Vikings are currently suffering through a disheartening stretch that has seen them drop 13 games in a row, including 10 straight in Big Sky play.

"We're not looking at the wins and losses right now," senior guard JJ Magee said. "We're just playing hard no matter what."

The game will feature a short ceremony prior to tip-off honoring outgoing seniors Heidi Stuart and JJ Magee. Then the Vikings must contend with the best team in the Big Sky.

Montana comes to the South Park Blocks with a 9-1 Big Sky record and is led by its own senior, center Hollie Tyler. Tyler is fifth in the conference in scoring at 13.8 points a game and also adds 7.6 boards. She leads a stifling defense with a league leading 3.13 blocks per contest.

The Grizzlies suffered a home loss to Northern Arizona last week and should be plenty angry and focused when they take the Vikings on. To counter the Grizzly attack PSU will rely on the usual suspects.

Heather Arns is averaging 15.4 points a game in Big Sky competition and is looking to become the first Viking to lead her team in points, rebounds, steals and assists for a season. Frosh forward Delaney Conway has rebounded from a slow start and is the Viks' second leading scorer at 9.7 points a game.

With a win, the Vikings can avoid tying the school record for consecutive losses. However, records negative or positive have little meaning at this point in the season. Heidi Stuart summed it up. "We're not looking at records right now, but it would be great to give the fans an upset.""We're still continuing to fight," Elliott said. "I've been impressed with how we still show up to practice hard."

Manny in Game Four of the World Series

New Name?

What should I call my blog? It should be something related to sports. It was originally the Sports Depot, now it is The Viking Report. Any suggestions?

Viks Drop Another

Recap
Owen Smith
Portland State-58
Montana State-68

The Lady Vikings dropped another game Thursday night at the Stott Center, losing 58-68 to Montana State. The loss brings their consecutive losses streak to 14, within one of the dubious school record of 15 straight failures and drops their record to 2-21 (0-11 Big Sky).

The piddling crowd in attendance Thursday was treated to a vintage performance by senior guard Heidi Stuart, but unfortunately the game was vintage Portland State, circa 2004. After leading 27-22 at the half, PSU surrendered 46 second half points and countless threes to the feisty Montana State team.

Stuart poured on 18 points, including many clutch shots down the stretch to keep the Vikings close as MSU made its run. Using a combination of jumpers and crafty post up moves, the senior team captain did her best, but an off night from sophomore Heather Arns and too many turnovers hindered the Viking attack.

On defense, the Viks were overwhelmed by the Bobcats' screens, which freed them up for their outside looks. Kati Burrows controlled the paint, hustling her way to 22 points while cleaning the glass effectively. The Vikings get one more shot to win on their home floor when the return to the Stott Center Saturday afternoon for Senior Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.

Senior Night

Here's my article for Friday's Vanguard:

Senior Night
Players, fans say goodbye
Owen Smith
February 25

The Lady Vikings play their last home game of the season Saturday afternoon at the Stott Center against Montana. For seniors Heidi Stuart, JJ Magee and junior Lisa Thomas it will be the last time they lace it up for a home crowd. For fans, it’s one last chance to thank the players that have helped make an otherwise frustrating season positive.

Heidi Stuart’s player profile reads like a senior team captain’s profile should: high school team MVP all four years, second team All-State and league MVP her final two seasons, a four year D-1 varsity player who has spent her entire career at Portland State. In her first career game as a true freshman back in 2001-02 she canned a three pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings an 80-78 double overtime win over Texas A&M.

Stuart was lost with three games left last year to an ACL tear and still came back in time to start her senior season. After sustaining another less serious injury to the same knee a month ago, Stuart has nonetheless continued to soldier on and provide the leadership necessary to keep her young team glued together.

“Heidi is one of those players that you just cannot replace,” head coach Charity Elliott said of Stuart. “She’s given us all she had.” One can hardly argue with Elliott’s appraisal of the Waldport, OR native. The 5-9 guard has played all five positions this season. Stuart matched up against both 6-2 centers and 5-4 point guards, all while adding 8.5 points a game and dishing out a team leading 54 assists as of Feb. 23.

Her sacrifices may not be seen in the win/loss column or even the box score, but they are no doubt seen in the tremendous work ethic the Vikings have displayed throughout the year. “Every day we’ve come out and practiced hard, win or lose,” Stuart said. “I think this year was a huge learning year for the team. We’ve set the tone.”

Helping set that tone is JJ Magee, a JC transfer from San Jose City College who barely played her junior season. Since then she broke the starting lineup and has been a major contributor with her energy and range as either a starter or more recently filling in the sixth man role. Magee set a PSU record for consecutive free throws made with 29 in a row and is averaging 8.1 points a game on the year.

“When JJ comes to play, she gives us something that no one else can,” Elliott said. “I’m hoping she can end her career on a high note.”

The team has become family to Magee, a Fresno, CA resident. “I’ve had a lot of fun this year,” Magee said. “I’m excited but it’s about time for me to graduate. It’ll be tough to leave my family, though.”

Like Stuart, Magee realizes that this year is a building block to future success for the program. “I’m looking forward to watching this team next season and seeing a couple of wins.”

Also leaving after the season is reserve center Lisa Thomas, a 6-3 volleyballer who came in mid-season and has added some depth to the thin Viking bench. “Lisa just wanted a chance to play,” Elliott said. “She has been incredibly positive and hard working for us.” Thomas has played in 17 games and is averaging 2 points and 2 rebounds off the bench.

The ride isn’t quite over for the Vikings. There are still three games to play, including Saturday’s game. And while the chances are extremely slim, if the Vikings can manage to win out the season, they have a shot at the Big Sky tourney.

Though the path to Senior Night has been tough, Stuart has gained the perspective that only a senior can have. “No matter how hard it was I’m thankful for the experience of the last four years,” she said. “We went through a lot this season, but the awesome thing is we’re all still here to finish it off together.”

Avoiding Number 16

What's the measure of a bad team? How about a 2-20 record and a 13 game losing streak. Yep, the Portland State women's team is heading for their only record this season. That would be a record number of consecutive losses, and the Viks only need two more to tie the school mark of 15 in a row. With four games left, they have a chance to beat it by two.

Womens basketball preview

Owen Smith
February 22, 2005

Portland State: 2-20 (0-10 Big Sky)
Montana State: 8-15 (2-8 Big Sky)

The Portland State women's basketball team will face Montana State this Thursday in one of their last two home games of the season. The game has added meaning, as the Vikings are on the path to setting a record for futility.

They have lost their last 13 games in a row. The school record is 15 straight losses. The team's latest pair of shortcomings last weekend was nothing out of the ordinary for the struggling Vikings.

In a game last Thursday at Idaho State the team dropped a 56-73 decision to the Bengals. The usual suspect, poor shooting, killed them. The Viks shot a miserable 32 percent from the field, including 31 percent from shots beyond the arc.

Portland State was led by Sharon Wahinekapu's career high 19 points on 6-12 shooting. Frosh Delaney Conway added 12 and Heather Arns scored 11 for the Viks. The Bengals were led by 16 points from Natalie Doma.

Weber State proved to be an even larger roadblock, beating PSU 49-71. The Vikings actually led the game 17-9 early in the first half, but a 24-6 WSU run to end the half killed any hopes of a PSU win. Heidi Stuart led the way for the Vikings with 16 points on 7-9 shooting. Arns added 15 points and five assists.

If the Vikings wish to avoid setting the dubious record of 16 losses in a row, Thursday night provides a great chance and a big challenge. Montana State is almost as bad as the Vikings, but there is still a world of difference between the two teams.

The Bobcats come into the game nursing an 8-15 record, including a 2-8 Big Sky mark. They are led by Kati Burrows, who is enjoying a fine season. The 5-foot-10-inch senior is averaging16.1 points and 7.3 boards per contest. Montana State won a Jan. 29 home game 57-75 in Bozeman.

To avoid a repeat performance, the Vikings must turn to the players who have been effective for them in recent games. Heidi Stuart must continue to perform like the senior leader she is and finish the season strong despite an injured left knee. Sharon Wahinekapu has also had success lately and must continue to add decent shooting to the mix.

More than anything, the Vikings must find a way to tighten up the defense that has allowed 70 or more points in three straight games. If they can't, they will be facing an even worse number - loss number 16.

First Post

Welcome to a new blog about all things sports. In this space I will be sharing my thoughts on all things sports, including articles written by me featured in the Portland State Daily Vanguard. Expect a major post tomorrow, but in the meantime, here is one from the archives.

Boston wins, I live

The Boston Red Sox made history this week and I didn't die

Owen Smith - Vanguard Sports

October 22, 2004

The last week and a half of my life has been at times both a personal hell and salvation. The same can be said for the Red Sox.

On Monday I suffered a severe seizure that landed me in the hospital. No one knew what was wrong with me, except that a CT scan performed that night found there was a lump in my brain. I felt like crap and I was getting paranoid that it was a tumor. The anti-seizure drugs the doctors were giving me were awful and the testing they were doing was a headache.

On top of this ordeal, my beloved Red Sox were in the process of losing three straight games to the hated New York Yankees. Not a fun week, to say the least.

I hardly noticed the first three losses Boston suffered as I spent those days convalescing from the "electrical storm" in my brain, barely cognizant of anything except an incredible pounding in my head and a nasty haze that prevented me from thinking clearly. Needless to say, the articles I wrote for last week's issues of the Vanguard are probably not my finest work.

By Saturday I was feeling alright, except for a severe pain that now dominated my back due to my new neurologist's insistence on performing a spinal tap on me the day before, in order to test for the "C" word. Cancer.

The result of the game sickened me more than the procedure, as I watched the Yanks pound the Sox 19-8 at Fenway for a game three win. The Sox were in trouble and they looked as depressed as I was feeling.

With New York holding a commanding 3-0 lead I had resigned myself to another year of what-ifs and a long winter of rebuilding for my beloved Boston team. But the Red Sox fought back on Sunday in a 12- inning thriller that ended with a David Ortiz homer and staved off elimination for one more day. Another extra inning marathon, again ended by "Big Papi" Ortiz, this time in the bottom of the 14th inning, shrank New York's lead to 3-2 and had the Sox faithful talking about a comeback, baby.

Tuesday marked a full week since the seizure and I wasn't doing too well. The medicine I'd been taking was killing my stomach and causing me grinding headaches. Still, I stayed up and watched Curt Schilling pitch that night on one ankle and I couldn't quite believe that he'd really given Red Sox Nation one last chance at history. Seven innings, one run and the win.

Not a bad night of work for someone with three sutures holding their foot to their ankle. Now that the series was tied up at three games apiece there was serious discussion of a Red Sox win on Wednesday night. I have to say, I wasn't sure I believed quite yet.

On Wednesday morning I got some good news of my own. The results of the spinal tap were in. The testing had been worth the pain, because they confirmed that the lump in my brain wasn't cancerous. I wasn't going to die. Beyond simple relief I can't explain how it felt to get that news, except to say that now I believed anything was possible, even a Boston win in game seven and the biggest upset in the history of the sport.

Wednesday night the critics were temporarily silenced and some of my own demons were sent packing along with them as the Red Sox won a game in which they led throughout and won with a final score of 10-3.

They won on the strength of oft-maligned Derek Lowe's superb pitching on just two days rest and six RBI from Johnny Damon, who had been frosty in the series up to that point. Four of his RBI came off of a majestic grand slam that Damon sent into the right field bleachers of Yankee Stadium. Red Sox fans, me included, were waiting all week for something to spoil the perfect ending we were all rooting for while secretly preparing for heartbreak. But this time the underdog could not be denied, and nothing will ever be sweeter. Except perhaps being able to live to see the Sox repeat next year after they win the World Series.

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Of course Boston did go on to win the Series with a clean sweep of St. Louis, which never looked that comfortable to begin with and was absolutely shell shocked after game two, which Curt pitched. More to come.