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PORTLAND – Emily Easom's game-winning three-pointer with 32 seconds remaining gave the Portland State women's basketball team its first Big Sky Conference win of the season defeating North Dakota, 73-70, Saturday afternoon at the Peter W. Stott Center.
 
Portland State led nearly the entire game but the game was up for grabs after North Dakota tied it at 70-70 with 56 seconds remaining in the game. Easom got the ball on the wing coming off a screen and knocked down her career-high seventh three-pointer of the game to put the Vikings up three with 32 seconds left.
 
North Dakota took the ball down court and threw up the would-be tying three-pointer but it hit off the front of the basket and out of bounds to the Vikings. Portland State inbounded the ball and got it across the half-court line and played keep away from North Dakota, which was trying to foul to extend the game.
 
UND finally fouled to stop the clock with four seconds left. Easom missed the free throw, which went to North Dakota. UND threw up a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer but it was no good and the Vikings took the game 73-70.
 
Easom scored a season-high 26 points and fell one point shy of her career mark of 27, set last year against Montana State.  Easom finished the game going 9-for-16 from the floor and 7-for-13 from distance. She also pulled down two rebounds and added three assists.
 
Mikaela Rivard came out ready to play for the Vikings and put up 17 points, going 6-for-12 from the floor with a three-pointer. She was also 4-for-5 from the line.
 
Portland State came out of the gate aggressive on defensive and got out to an early 17-3 lead behind hot shooting from Rivard and Easom. However, North Dakota came right back with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to four points at 17-13.
 
Danah Haley ended the run for North Dakota with a layup on an assist from Lauren Holt in the lane. After the teams traded baskets, Easom hit her second three-pointer of the game to put the Vikings up 22-15. North Dakota cut into the lead to make the score 23-21 before Powell drove the lane to put Portland State up 25-12.
 
Another three-pointer from Easom and the Vikings were up seven at 30-23 with 6:05 remaining in the half. Rivard hit a 15-point pull-up jumper to put the Vikings up nine at 32-23. Another three-pointer from Easom a few possessions later put the Vikings up by 10 at 37-27.
 
Rivard hit a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left to go up 39-31 before two free throws from UND made the score 39-33 at the break.
 
Easom went 6-for-10 from the floor for 17 points in the first half including 4-for-7 from three-point range. Her four three-pointers in the first half matched her previous single-game high this season.
 
Portland State shot 54 percent from the floor in the first half while North Dakota shot just 33 percent. Portland State was out-rebounded at the break; they held a 5-to-2 blocks advantage despite being at a height disadvantage.
 
Easom continued her hot shooting with her fifth three-pointer to put the Vikings up 43-37 early in the second half. The three-pointer gave Easom her third 20-point game of the season, ninth of her career.
 
North Dakota cut the lead to two points at 44-42 before a jumper from Holt in the lane put the Vikings back up by four. North Dakota tied the game at 46-46 with a pair of free throws. UND went 5-for-6 at the line in the first five minutes of the second game to help it tie the game.
 
North Dakota scored to take the lead at 48-46, its first lead of the game since it led 1-0 at 19:16 in the first half. Holt gave the Vikings the lead with a three-pointer to go up 49-48. UND hit a jumper before Easom's sixth three-pointer put PSU up 52-50 with 11:52 remaining.
 
The teams traded points before Holt hit a jumper to once again put the Vikings up two at 56-54. Another jumper from Holt and the Vikings were up four at 58-54 as the clock ticked under 10 minutes left in the game.
 
North Dakota hit a three-pointer as the shot clock ran out to cut the lead to one point at 58-57. Ani Avanessian laid it in at the other end to put the Vikings up by three points. Portland State knuckled down its defense and forced a 10-second violation on UND at the 8-minute media timeout.
 
Portland State later stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for the fast break layup to make the score 62-57. North Dakota responded with its second three-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 62-60. UND went 2-for-11 from three-point range in the game.
 
North Dakota returned the favor to tie the game at 62-62. Back-to-back jumpers from Rivard put the Vikings up four at 66-62. After three-straight UND Points, Rivard hit her sixth bucket of the afternoon to put PSU up 68-65.
 
Rivard then picked up her fifth foul on the next UND possession and finished with 17 points.
 
North Dakota completed a three-point play to tie the game and then the teams traded baskets to 70-70 with 56.4 left on the clock.
 
Easom hit a big three-pointer from the wing to put the Vikings up 73-70. North Dakota could not stop the clock as it was out of timeouts. UND threw up a three-pointer that hit off the front of the rim and out of bounds.
 
PSU inbounded the ball and got it across the half-court line. UND then fouled Easom to stop the clock. She missed the free throw giving UND one final shot. The desperation three-pointer missed giving the Vikings their first conference win.
 
Portland State was out-rebounded 44-29 in the game but out-shot North Dakota 48-to-41 percent. Portland State is now 3-3 when out-shooting an opponent.
 
The Vikings hit the road next week for a pair of conference games at Eastern Washington (Thursday, Jan. 15) and at Idaho (Saturday, Jan. 17). It will be the first game for the Vikings against the Idaho Vandals since 2007.
 
NOTES: Emily Easom scored a season-high 26 points, one shy of her career high … Easom made a career-high seven three-pointers, including the game-winner … Easom completed a four-point play in back-to-back games … Portland State is now 3-3 when out-shooting an opponent … Portland State led at the break for the fourth time this season.