MISSOULA, Mont. – Courtney West's career-high double-double led the Vikings to a 64-44 rout of the Montana Lady Griz Thursday night in Missoula, Mont. The win was the fourth-consecutive Big Sky conference win for the Vikings and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Lady Griz. It was also the team's first win in Missoula since 2011.
 
West, a sophomore F from Sydney, Australia, led all scorers with a career-high 18 points, going 9-for-12 from the floor. She pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds and increased her Big Sky Conference lead with four blocks in the contest. She now has 44 blocks on the year, averaging 2.4 per game.
 
Portland State (10-8 overall, 4-2 Big Sky Conference) played tremendous defense all game long. PSU held Montana (3-15, 0-7) to an opponent season-low 44 points and held the Lady Griz to an opponent low .274 (17-for-62) from the floor. The Vikings held the Lady Griz to just eight points in the second and third quarters.
 
Portland State shot .510 from the floor en route to its 10th win of the year. The win pushes the Vikings over the double-digit win mark for the first time since going 12-17 during the 2012-13 season. The win also extends their current win streak to four games, their longest since 2010-11.
 
Sophomore G Michaela Kay had it going from deep early. She hit four three-pointers in the first half and finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Sophomore G Ashley Bolston was the only other Viking in double-figures with 10 points. She went 5-for-11 from the floor with five rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block.
 
The Vikings had the three-point shot falling early in the first quarter as they hit three early triples to jump out to a 10-point lead at 13-3. The Lady Griz came all the way back to tie it at 16-16 with :55 seconds left in the first after a 9-0 run of their own. A late jumper gave PSU the 18-16 lead heading into the second.
 
Montana tied the game at 20-20 before another 9-0 run by the Vikings put them up 29-20 with 4:46 left in the first half. The teams traded points over the final few minutes of the half and the Vikings led 32-24 at the break. The 24 points by the Lady Griz was tied for the fewest by a PSU opponent this season.
 
Kay led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, going 4-For-6 from three-point range. West added six points, six rebounds, and three blocks in the first half.
 
Portland State extended its lead in the third quarter and the rout was on. PSU held Montana to just eight points for the second-consecutive quarter and finished out the third on a 6-1 run to lead 48-32 heading to the fourth.
 
The Vikings kept up their defensive pressure and opened the fourth on a 13-3 run to go up 61-35. After a Lady Griz jumper, the Vikings scored the next three points to go up by a game-high 27 points, 64-37, with 2:43 left in the game.
 
After Portland State pulled its starters, Montana scored the final seven points of the game, but the Vikings maintained its 20-point lead, winning 64-44. The 20-point win was the largest by the Vikings in league play since defeating Northern Arizona, 76-55, at home on Feb. 19, 2011.
 
Montana did not have a player score in double-figures. Taylor Goligoski and Hailey Nicholson each had eight points to lead the Lady Griz.
 
Portland State will now make the three-hour trip to Bozeman, Mont. where it will take on the Montana State Bobcats Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. MT. Montana State improved to 7-0 at home with an 84-80 win over Sacramento State Thursday night.
 
NOTES:
• Sophomore F Courtney West scored a career-high 18 points with a career-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double.
• Portland State improved to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in league play.
• Portland State secured its first 10-win season since going 12-17 during the 2012-13 season.
• Portland State has won four-straight league games for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• Portland State has its longest winning streak since winning seven-straight in 2010-11.
• Portland State snapped a seven-game losing streak to Montana.
• Portland State won its first game against Montana in Missoula since Feb. 24, 2011.