PORTLAND – It came down to the wire but the Portland State women's basketball team hung on to win its third-straight Big Sky Conference contest, 56-55, over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Monday afternoon at the Peter W. Stott Center.
 
For the second-straight game the Vikings overcome a halftime deficit to come back and win. They are now 9-8 overall on the season, 3-2 in conference play, and a perfect 5-0 at home, which is the best start to a season since 2011-12.
 
Sophomore G Sidney Rielly led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, 15 coming in the second half. She went off in the second half scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. At one point during the third quarter, she accounted for 10-striaght points for the Vikings. She ended the game 8-for-10 from the floor with three assists and a steal.
 
Rielly has scored 20 points in each of the last three games and in four-of-five Big Sky games so far this season. She leads the conference with 21.6 points per game during league play.
 
Sophomore G Ashley Bolston, who was held scoreless in the first half due to early foul trouble, scored 11 points, going 5-for-9 form the floor with a huge three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. She did not score as often as Viking fans are accustomed to seeing but she did come up with the biggest shot of the game, which turned out to be the game winner with 1:21 left in the contest.
 
Trailing by one, Northern Arizona (5-11 overall, 1-4 Big Sky Conference) put up a potential game-winning shot with :02 second left on the clock but it missed as the Vikings held on for the win.
 
The Vikings' 2-3 defense held Northern Arizona to just 55 points, the second fewest by a Portland State opponent this season. The Lumberjacks shot .328 from the floor in the game, going 22-for-67.
 
Portland State, which trailed most the game, held Northern Arizona without a field goal for the final 5:01 as the 'Jacks missed their last six shots of the game. They went just 2-for-16 in the fourth quarter.
 
Sophomore F Courtney West scored 10 points, 4-for-10 from the floor, with six rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Sophomore G Cici West came off the bench and gave the Vikings valuable minutes in the second half. She gave the team a spark on the glass pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. It was her fifth double-digit rebound game of the season, 18th of her career.
 
After taking a 5-2 lead to start the game, the Vikings went cold from the floor. The Lumberjacks took advantage of a nearly seven-minute scoring drought by the Vikings and went on a 10-0 run to go up 12-5. Portland State added a late basket, but trailed 12-7 at the end of one.
 
Portland State opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to retake the lead at 13-12. With the score tied at 21-21, Northern Arizona went on a 7-0 run over the final :54 seconds of the half to take a lead 28-21 at the break.
 
The Vikings' 21 points matched their lowest offensive output of the season for a half. Courtney West led all scorers with eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks in the first half. Bolston was held scoreless in the first half after picking up a pair of offensive fouls.
 
Northern Arizona opened a nine-point lead with the first basket of the third quarter. Portland State cut the lead to three points, 32-29, after an old-fashioned three-point play from Rielly. After NAU got the lead back to seven, 36-29, PSU again started to chip away at the lead.
 
Rielly went on a run and scored 10-stright points for the Vikings, which helped them cut the lead to four at 40-36. Bolston hit her first basket of the game to make it a two-point game. After the Vikings cut the lead to one, another layup by Bolston gave the Vikings their first lead of the second half. The lead jumped back-and-forth and the Lumberjacks led, 46-44, heading into the fourth.
 
Northern Arizona hit a pair of free throws to go up by four to start the fourth quarter. Rielly hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one. After an NAU jumper, Rielly hit a layup followed by a three-pointer from Bolston and the Vikings had the lead once again at 52-50.
 
The 'Jacks tied it at 52-52 with a jumper and then took the lead after a pair of free throws with 4:41 left. Bolston hit a layup to even the game with 4:30 remaining. The game screeched to a halt as neither team scored for nearly two minutes.
 
A free throw by NAU gave the Lumberjacks a one-point lead, 55-54, with 2:35 left. Both teams missed a couple of jumpers before Bolston came up with the eventual game-winning layup with 1:21 left in regulation.
 
The Vikings defense picked it up in the final minute of the game and forced a shot clock violation with :48 seconds left. The Vikings had a chance to secure the win but missed a shot with :32 left. Northern Arizona put up a last-second shot but it missed and the Vikings held on to the one-point win.
 
Rene Coggins led Northern Arizona with 11 points, going 5-for-16 from the floor. She had three rebounds, four three assists and two steals in 40 minutes of action.
 
Portland State hits the road once again next week for a trip through the state of Montana. The Vikings will take on the Montana Lady Griz on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. PT before taking on the Montana State Bobcats Saturday, Jan. 21 in Bozeman, Mont.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       
PLAYER NOTES
• Sophomore G Sidney Rielly scored 20 points for her ninth 20-point game, third straight.
• Rielly has scored 20 points in three straight games twice this season.
• Sophomore G Ashley Bolston scored 11 points for her 11th double-digit scoring game.
• Sophomore F Courtney West recorded her eighth double-digit game with 10 points.
 
TEAM NOTES
• Portland State improved to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in league play and is in a tie for fifth.
• Portland State has secured its best record since going 12-17 during the 2012-13 season.
• Portland State has won three-straight league wins for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
• Portland State is 5-0 at home for the first time since the 2011-12 season.