POCATELLO, Idaho – The Vikings cut the lead to four points late in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback, falling 72-64 to the Idaho State Bengals Saturday afternoon in Pocatello, Idaho.
 
Trailing by 10 with 2:20 to play, Ashley Bolston finished an old-fashioned three-point play to pull within seven. After forcing a turnover, Bolston found Tatiana Streun in the corner for her first career three-pointer to cut the lead to just four at 64-60. Idaho State countered with a three-pointer of its own to once again make it a seven-point game.
 
Bolston would cut it to five points with 36 seconds left but the Vikings were forced to foul to extend the game. The Bengals hit their free throws down the stretch to take the game 72-64.
 
The win puts Idaho State (17-8 overall, 9-5 Big Sky Conference) a game ahead of Portland State (14-11, 8-6) in the Big Sky standings and also gives the Bengals the season-series sweep. The loss drops the Vikings out of a four-way tie for third into a two-way tie for fifth with Eastern Washington.
 
Portland State had a rough go of it from the floor, shooting 39.3 percent on 24-of-61. The Vikings went 7-for-21 from three-point range and 9-for-12 at the line. PSU is now 2-6 overall and 0-3 in league play when shooting under 40 percent from the floor.
 
After shooting under 30 percent in the first half, Idaho State shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the second half, which included going 10-for-14 in the third quarter. The Bengals forced 16 turnovers, which led to 22 points. They also outscored the Vikings 40-to-20 in the paint.
 
Despite the tough shooting night, Portland State had four players score in double-figures, led by Bolston's game-high 18 points. She went 8-for-13 from the floor with a three-pointer and made only one trip to the charity stripe, going 1-for-1. She scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half, going 6-for-9.
 
Courtney West had a terrific game from the very start. She scored 12 points, pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, one shy of her career high of 15, for her third double-double of the season. She blocked five shots for the sixth time this season, while tallying three steals. Her 68 blocks on the year is tops in the league and her 162 career blocks are 12th-best all-time in the Big Sky.
 
Kylie Jimenez added 10 points with a pair of three-pointers as did Kiana Brown off the bench. Streun scored eight points, thanks to her first career triple, while pulling down four rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
 
Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate, combining to go 3-for-18 at the first media timeout. Each team hit a late jumper to make it 13-13 at the end of the first.
 
Idaho State started the second on a quick 4-0 run, which forced an early timeout by Head Coach Lynn Kennedy. The Bengals went up by six midway through the quarter but a late three-pointer by Corey James, her only points of the contest, made it 28-26 at the break.
 
West had eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the first half. Sidney Rielly was limited to just eight minutes in the first half after picking up a pair of fouls late in the first quarter. Rielly was held to just three points for the game and did not make a field goal for the first time in her career, going 0-for-5 from the floor.
 
Portland State took its only lead of the second half after an old-fashioned three-point play by West put the Vikings up 34-32. Idaho State went on a 9-2 run to retake the lead and then finished the quarter with back-to-back baskets to make it a 51-42 game heading to the fourth.  
 
The Bengals quickly made it a 15-point game early in the fourth. The Vikings would not go way, cutting the lead to single digits. Every time Portland State was able to make a big shot, Idaho State came right back with one of its own.
 
The Vikings cut the 15-point lead to eight after a 7-0 run. The Vikings went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to four points at 64-60 but a three-pointer quickly made it a seven-point game again with 51 seconds left. Portland State was forced to foul to extend the game but Idaho State came out on top, 72-64. It was the 14th-straight win for the Bengals in the series.
 
Idaho State had five players score in double-figures, led by Grace Kenyon's team-high 16 points. She went 7-for-12 from the floor and just missed a triple double with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
 
Portland State returns home next week for its final home games of the season. The Vikings host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Thursday, Feb. 22 before closing out their home slate against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Saturday, Feb. 24.