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PORTLAND, Ore. — There will be prettier first quarters for the Portland State women's basketball team this season, but there won't be much prettier end results than what came Friday night, as the Vikings cruised past Simpson 90-52 in the team's first exhibition game at the new Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings shot just .273 while going 6-of-22 from the field in the first quarter, but flipped a switch in the second quarter and shot .533 while outscoring the Red Hawks 77-41 over the final three quarters.
 
"That's why we wanted to play these exhibition games," head coach Lynn Kennedy said of the team's slow start. "We were a little nervous. It's a big stage. I mean, you come out and it's a totally different feel than the old Stott Center. But that's why we wanted to have these couple of games. Get that out of the way. I don't think we'll shoot like that the rest of the year.
 
"We settled down and once we settled down, it was pretty fun to watch us go a little bit." 
 
The Vikings put distance between them and the Red Hawks in the second quarter, as they outscored them 28-9 in the period. The Vikings opened the quarter on a 21-3 run that gave them a 34-14 lead with 3:05 left before halftime.
 
Senior guard Ashley Bolston scored eight of the Vikings' 21 points in the run, after she was held scoreless in the first quarter. Bolston hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds left before halftime to give her 12 points in the second quarter alone. The two-time All-Big Sky second-team selection added six more points in the third quarter to give her a game-high 18 points before sitting the entire fourth quarter.
 
Senior forward Courtney West also sat the majority of the fourth quarter, after owning the paint over the first three quarters. Four of West's first five rebounds came on the offensive end, and she finished the night with a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds – six of which came on the offensive end. West's 14 rebounds Friday would have put her one off her career high of 15 if it had been a counting match, and the senior added two assists and a block for good measure.
 
Sophomore guard Kylie Jimenez was another player that sat the majority of the fourth quarter for the Vikings after the team had built a big enough lead. Unlike Bolston and West, Jimenez did most of her damage in the second half, after she got into foul trouble in the first half, a rarity for the 2017-18 Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
 
Jimenez came out hot in the third quarter, however, and helped the Vikings stretch their lead to 30 points by the end of the period with six points and three assists in the third quarter alone. Jimenez finished the night with 15 points and seven assists, and recorded four steals in the game as the Vikings outscored the Red Hawks 18-4 on fast break points Friday night.
 
Most of the night belonged to the Vikings' newcomers and bench players, as every player that dressed saw action in the game.
 
"I think that's what you want in these games. I know what the starters can bring. I know what the veteran players can bring. For me, it's seeing some of those younger players in the spotlight. Can they step up? Can they perform? Can they do what we ask?" Kennedy said of playing the team's full bench. "Des and Ana [Desirae Hansen and Ana Tainta], I thought they did a great job. Labrea [Denson] coming in, she provided us with some full-court pressure that kind of changed momentum there in the second quarter. Even Drea [Andrea Martinez] at the end there, she was fighting for those rebounds and she was able to finish a couple of times. 
 
"To see your freshmen step up in that way – Sav [Savannah Dhaliwal] came in, gave us some good minutes. Pia [Jurhar] is so dominant anyways. She just kind of dominates the boards. She was able to finish a couple of times on the offensive end, too. So I think when you have those players step up, you have that confidence now that you can go back to them at any time and they can provide for you."
 
Hansen helped open the floodgates for the Vikings in the second quarter, as she had 10 of her game-high 18 points in that period alone. Hansen dominated all aspects of the game in the fourth quarter, recording six points, five rebounds (four offensive), two assists and a steal in the period. Hansen finished the game with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists, two steals and two three-pointers.
 
Junior transfer Jordan Stotler got the start Friday, and finished with four points, seven rebounds and a game-high five blocks, all while sitting the entire fourth quarter.
 
Tainta was another newcomer that came off the bench early for the Vikings, and played a good all-around game with six points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
 
For the game, the Vikings out-rebounded the Red Hawks 60-to-39, including a 20-to-13 advantage on the offensive end. The Vikings also held the Red Hawks to just .274 shooting in the game, as the Red Hawks went 20-of-73 from the field.
 
The Vikings will play another exhibition game next Friday against Lewis & Clark, when Kennedy says the game plan will be pretty much the same.
 
"I think it's the same [game plan]. I think you've just got to keep getting better every game. You can't take a step backwards," Kennedy said after the game Friday. "There's a lot of things that we need to clean up. Defensively we weren't very good tonight, and give them credit, they played well and they're a tough team. They gave us a different look than what we see in practice. They're more athletic. They were attacking. So it's good to see. Now we can go back, watch some tape and make some adjustments this week in practice."
 
The Vikings will tip off against Lewis & Clark at 5 p.m. (PT) next Friday, Nov. 2. The game will be the first of a doubleheader with the Portland State men's basketball team, which will host Multnomah in an exhibition at 7 p.m.