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MISSOULA, Mont. – A strong fourth quarter by the Lady Griz ended the Vikings hopes of their first road win of the season, as Montana won, 76-57, Saturday afternoon in Missoula, Mont.
 
After trailing most of the entire game, Portland State tied it at 50-all on a three-pointer by Junior G Ashley Torres Negron at the end of the third quarter. Torres Negron finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.
 
Through the end of the third quarter, the Vikings had out-shot the Lady Griz .444-to-.367 for the game. Things changed over the final period, as the Lady Griz shot nearly 60 percent from the floor, while holding the Vikings to just 3-of-18 shooting.
 
Montana came out strong at the beginning of the fourth and quickly retook the lead at 52-50. Torres Negron hit another big three-pointer to give the Vikings a one-point lead at 53-52.
 
After Torres Negron's three-pointer, the Vikings went cold from the field, hitting just two field goals the rest of the game. The Lady Griz out-scored the Vikings 26-to-7 in the fourth to secure the victory.
 
The Vikings' depleted roster shrunk even more in the fourth as sophomore G Cici West and senior F Alicia Carline each fouled out of the game.
 
West came up two rebounds shy of her fifth straight double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds. Carline finished with six points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks before exiting the game. It was Carline's first 10-rebound game of the year.
 
Freshman G Kian McNair put together the best game of her young career with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting. She also went a perfect 8-for-8 at the line for the second straight game and has now made 21-straight free throws.
 
Portland State and Montana went back and forth throughout the first quarter. The Vikings led 15-13, with just under two minutes remaining in the period, before a 7-0 run by the Lady Griz gave them a 20-15 lead at the end of one.
 
The Lady Griz went up by as much as seven points in the second quarter but could not extend their lead as the Vikings kept the game close. Portland State closed the deficit to two points at the break, 34-32, after McNair's old-fashioned three-point play.
 
The Vikings shot 44.8 percent from the floor in the first half, while holding the Lady Griz to 12-of-32 shooting (37.5 percent). McNair and West combined for 26 of the Vikings' 32 points at the break.
 
McNair tied the game at 34-34 with the first shot of the second half. The score remained close before Montana went up by six, 50-44, with 1:48 remaining in the third. The Vikings tied the game at 50-50 after a 6-0 run, capped by Torres Negron's three-pointer.
 
McNair scored all of her career-high 22 points in the first three quarters as she was held scoreless in the fourth.
 
The Lady Griz heated up from three-point range, going 3-for-4, in the fourth propelling them to the win.
 
Montana's Alycia Sims scored a game-high 29 points, going 13-for-17 from the floor, along with a game-high 15 rebounds, for the game's lone double-double.
 
Montana improved to 13-9 overall and 6-5 in Big Sky Conference play with the win, while Portland State fell to 3-18 and 1-9.
 
The Vikings return home next week for a pair of league games against Idaho State and Weber State. Portland State and Idaho State tipoff at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11 as the Vikings host a Field Trip Day. The game is free to all.
 
NOTES: Kian McNair posted a career-high 22 points (7-for-17 FG, 8-for-8 FT) … McNair posted her first career 20-point game … McNair has scored in double-digits 13 times this season, seven straight … Portland State turned the ball over a season-low 14 times … Portland State out-scored Montana 40-to-22 in the paint … Portland State was out-scored 22-to-8 in second chance points … Portland State is 0-10 on the road this season … Portland State has now lost 19-straight road games, dating back to last season.