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SEATTLE – Senior guard Courtney VanBrocklin scored a team-high 17 points fueling a late Portland State comeback, but it was not enough to wipe out a 13-point halftime deficit and the Vikings fell to the Redhawks 72-59 at the Connolly Center in Seattle, Wash.

Portland State (5-3 overall) was down by as many as 22 points (56-34) with six minutes left in the second half before cutting the lead to just seven (64-57) with 1:21 left in the game. That was the closest the Vikings would get, however, as the Redhawks finished the game 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to secure the win.

VanBrocklin led the Vikings in scoring for the fifth time this season with her 17 points with 6-of-10 from the field including a trio of three pointers late. She also had a team-high four steals in the game with three rebounds.

“The last six minutes of the second half we showed that we do have some fight and resiliency in us,” Head Coach Sherri Murell said following the game. “I can't say enough about Courtney VanBrocklin. She is a leader both on and off the court. It was a great performance by her tonight.”

Junior guard Kate Lanz was the only other Viking in double-figures with 11 points (5-11 FG). Sophomore forward Mikaela Rivard pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Vikings on the glass.

Neither team shot particularly well in the first half as the game was tied at 11-11 with 10:05 left in the first. Seattle (3-4) went on a 9-2 run to open a seven-point lead with less than five minutes to play in the half.

A Seattle three-pointer with two seconds left gave the Redhawks a 32-19 lead at the break. Seattle outshot the Vikings .357-to-.286 in the first half and held a 25-to-16 rebounding advantage.

Seattle opened the second half on a 14-4 run to open a 25-point lead, their largest of the day, with 14 minutes remaining in the game.

Down by 22 points with six minutes left, the Vikings started to whittle away at the Redhawks lead. VanBrocklin hit a three-pointer, followed by a Lanz layup to cut the lead to 17. VanBrocklin then hit another three followed by one from Lanz and quickly the Redhawks' lead was down to 11 at 56-45 with 3:54 left in the game.

The Redhawks built up a 13-point lead with 2:21 left before the Vikings started to cut it down again, capped off by a Rivard layup with 1:21 left that cut the lead to just seven points. That proved be the closest that they would get.

The Vikings started to foul, forcing Seattle to win it from the free-throw line.  The Redhawks went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to win 72-59.

The Vikings' shooting improved in the second half as they shot 45.5 percent from the field including five three-pointers; the 13-point first half deficit was just too much to overcome.

Seattle's Ashley Ward finished with a game-high 23 points. Kacie Sowell recorded her fifth double-double of the season, third in a row, with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Vikings do not play again for 11 days. They next play on the road at Idaho State to start the Big Sky Conference season on Thursday, Dec. 20. They will then head to Ogden, Utah to take on Weber State on Saturday, Dec. 22.

NOTES: Courtney VanBrocklin led the team in scoring for the fifth time this season with 17 points … Mikaela Rivard recorded a career-high 10 rebounds … Portland State outscored Seattle in bench scoring 18-4.