PORTLAND – A 12-0 run midway through the third quarter gave the Vikings the breathing room they needed en route to a 70-53 win over the Montana Lady Griz Thursday night at the Pamplin Sports Center at Lewis and Clark College.
 
Portland State (12-10 overall, 6-5 Big Sky Conference) led by three at the break but Montana (12-11, 8-4) cut the lead to one early in the second half. The Vikings then rattled off 12 unanswered points to take a 13-point lead at 37-24.
 
Back-to-back threes from Kylie Jimenez and Sidney Rielly started the run. Jimenez then found Ashley Bolston on a fast break off a Montana turnover. Another turnover by the Lady Griz led to a jumper from Courtney West. Bolston added another basket after a Montana timeout to put the Vikings up 13.
 
Montana fought back and cut the lead to single digits to end the third. A jumper by the Lady Griz to start the fourth cut the lead to six at 42-36. A layup from Corey James followed by a four-point play from Kiana Brown quickly made the lead 12 points again at 48-36.
 
Portland State maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the rest of the game. The Vikings closed out the fourth on a 9-2 run to win by the final 17-point margin.
 
It was a total team win for the Vikings, offensively and defensively. Portland State had three players score in double figures, led by Bolston and Brown who each had 14. Three others tallied eight points in the game as the Vikings shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from three, knocking down eight three-pointers.
 
Portland State continues to find tremendous success at the free throw line. The Vikings went 12-for-15 (80.0 percent) at the charity stripe with four different players contributing at the line.
 
For as good as the Portland State offense was in the second half, the Vikings shot 61.5 percent from the floor and 70.0 percent from three (7-for-10), it was their defensive tenacity that held the Lady Griz to just 53 points, a Big Sky opponent season low.
 
Every shot was contested. Every rebound was challenged. The Vikings' zone was nearly impenetrable for most of the game and the Lady Griz never really found an offensive rhythm.
 
Montana shot 37.0 percent from the floor for the game and 28.6 percent from distance, going 4-for-14. The Vikings are now 9-3 on the year when holding an opponent to under 40 percent from the floor. They forced 20 turnovers, tallying 10 steals, which led to 19 points.
 
Portland State entered the game as the second-best blocking team in the league, averaging 4.2. The Vikings tallied seven blocks, six of which came from West, who tallied her fifth five-block game of the season.
 
West had a tremendous all-around game for the Vikings. She had 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five rebounds, six blocks, and assist and a steal in 27 minutes. She leads the league with 61 blocks and her 155 career blocks are tied for 12th all-time in league history.
 
Bolston scored her 14 point on 5-of-15 shooting from the floor, while going 4-for-6 at the line. She pulled down a team-high six rebounds, while adding four assists and two steals. Brown came off the bench for her 14 points, which included a trio of three pointers.
 
Rielly, James, and Jimenez all added eight points. James went 3-for-3 form the floor with a pair of big three-pointers which helped the Vikings maintain their double-digit fourth quarter lead. She scored all of her points over a span of 3:27 seconds in the fourth.
 
Caitlin Lonergan came off the bench for Montana and scored a game-high 19 points, going 6-for-11 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line. She pulled down five rebounds along the way.
 
The win helped the Vikings close the gap with the top of the conference. Four teams ahead of Portland State in the standings lost Thursday night, including Montana State, which fell 88-77 at Sacramento State. 
 
The Bobcats come to Portland Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off with the Vikings at the Pamplin Sports Center. Portland State took the first meeting of the year, 69-60, ending Montana State's 31-game home win streak.