GREELEY, Colo. – A big run by Northern Colorado to start the second half put the game out of reach as the Vikings fell, 91-62, Saturday afternoon in Greeley, Colo.
 
Northern Colorado (10-3 overall, 2-0 Big Sky Conference) opened the second half on a 20-1 run to take control of the game. Portland State (6-8, 0-2), which shot .455 from the floor in the first half, started the second half 0-for-8 from the floor with five turnovers as the game got out of hand.
 
Sophomore G Corey James, in just her second start of the season, led the Vikings with 13 points, going 4-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-8 at the line. She added five rebounds, an assist, and a steal. She scored eight of her 13 points in the third quarter. Cici West and Ashley Torres Negron came off the bench for 11 points each.
 
Portland State led 9-3 early in the first quarter. An 11-0 run by Northern Colorado gave the Bears a 14-9 lead with less than two minutes left in the period. Torres Negron ended the run, and cut the lead to two, with a three-pointer from the right wing to make it 14-12. Torres Negron tied it at 14-14 with a jumper in the lane but a late basket gave the Bears a 16-14 lead at the end of the first.
 
Northern Colorado opened the second quarter on a 10-1 run to go up 11 at 26-15. The Bears went up by 15, 40-25, with 2:45 left in the half before a 7-0 run by the Vikings cut the lead to eight points, 40-32, following a three-pointer from Ashley Bolston. The Bears hit a jumper with 29 seconds left to lead 42-32 at the break.
 
The Bears' timely three-point shooting was the story in the first half. They went 6-for-13 from three-point range, 4-for-8 in the second quarter. Their outside shooting helped them outscore the Vikings 26-18 in the second quarter to lead by 10.
 
Portland State's turnover troubles continued in the first half against the Bears. The Vikings turned the ball over 13 times over the first 20 minutes, which led to 11 Northern Colorado points. Portland State ended the game with 22 turnovers.
 
The Vikings shot well over the opening half, going 10-for-22 from the floor. They went 3-for-7 from three-point range with Bolston, Michaela Kay, and Torres Negron each connecting from distance. Sidney Rielly led Portland State with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting. Torres Negron added seven points off the bench.
 
The Bears opened the second half with another three-pointer and then hit a jumper from the free throw line to go up 47-32, which forced Head Coach Lynn Kennedy to call an early second-half timeout. Northern Colorado extended its second-half opening run to 12-0 to go up 54-33 before a free-throw by James ended the Vikings' scoring drought. The Bears extended their run to 20-1 to take a 62-35 lead.
 
James scored eight of the Vikings 16 points in the third quarter as the Vikings were outscored 32-16 and trailed 74-48 heading into the fourth. Portland State cut into the lead a bit in the fourth before falling 91-62.
 
Northern Colorado had five players in double-figure scoring, led by Savannah Scott's game-high 20 points. She went 6-for-8 from the floor with four three-pointers. She also posted the game's only double-double with 11 assists.
 
Portland State will play the final game of their eight-game road trip next Saturday, Jan. 7 at Sacramento State. Tip-off is slated for 12 p.m. PT.
 
NOTES:
• Freshman G Elizajane Loaded scored her first career points.
• Sophomore G Corey James scored a season-high 13 points.
• Portland State has lost a season-high four games.