RENO, Nev. – The Vikings turned another tremendous defensive effort to advance to their second-consecutive Big Sky Conference semifinal game appearance with an 82-73 win over Eastern Washington Wednesday night at the Reno Events Center.
 
The win gave Portland State (19-12 overall) its second win of the 2018 Big Sky Championship. It is the first time in program history that the Vikings have recorded multiple tournament wins in back-to-back seasons.
 
The Vikings' defense once again propelled them to victory. They forced 20 turnovers, which led to 21 points. They tallied 13 steals, one shy of their season high, for their 11th double-digit steal game of the season. They have tallied at least 10 steals in each of their last five games. PSU tallied five blocks, led by Courtney West's game-high three.
 
The Vikings turned their defensive effort into offensive production. They scored 16 fast break points to go along with their 21 points off turnovers. It took Portland State a quarter or so to get their defensive footing. After giving up 25 first-quarter points, the Vikings held Eastern Washington (17-14) to just 10 points in the second to lead 37-35 at the break.
 
Reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year Kylie Jimenez stole the ball in the final seconds of the first half and took it all the way to the hole to give the Vikings the two-point halftime lead. Jimenez was one of four Vikings to score in double-figures with 12 points. She went 5-for-8 from the floor with a career-high six steals.
 
Juniors Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly each went for a team-high 20 points against the Eagles. It was just the second time this season that the two scored 20 points in the same game.
 
Bolston went 6-for-17 from the floor, with a three pointer, and 7-for-8 at the line. She added six rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Rielly posted her third 10 field goal game of the year, going 10-for-17 from the floor. She also pulled down four rebounds in 29 minutes.
 
West added 17 points and seven rebounds to go along with her three blocks. She went 6-for-9 from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. The Vikings were nearly perfect at the line, going 21-for-23 (91.3 percent). Tatiana Streun added eight points, going 3-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line, along with four boards.
 
Portland State out-rebounded Eastern Washington 37-to-30 and pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, which led to 10 second-chance points.  
 
Eastern Washington jumped out to an early six-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles were hot right from the start, hitting five three-pointers in the first.
 
After allowing Eastern Washington to go 9-for-19 in the first, Portland State locked it down in the second. The Eagles went just 3-for-13 and were held to just 10 points. EWU led 35-31 with two minutes left in the half.
 
After a pair of free throws from West, Rielly hit a jumper with 43 seconds left to tie the game at 35-35. Jimenez picked Delaney Hodgins' pocket with eight second left and laid it in to give the Vikings a two-point halftime lead.
 
Hodgins, an All-Big Sky First Team selection, set the conference's single-game scoring record with 46 points at Northern Arizona to close out the regular season. She scored six points in the first half and nine in the second as the Vikings held her to just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
 
The Vikings tallied just two assists on 12 first-half field goals. They got back to their "share the ball" mentality in the second half as their offense started to click. West hit a layup, which was followed by a Bolston steal on the inbounds for an easy bucket as the Vikings extended their lead to 49-42.
 
The Vikings went on a couple small runs in the third as they built up a 12-point lead heading to the fourth. Portland State out-scored Eastern Washington 29-19 in the third, while shooting 63.2 percent for the period, going 12-for-19.
 
Rielly put them up 17 with a layup with 5:27 remaining. A late three-pointer made it a nine-point game with 48 seconds left. The teams traded free throws down the stretch as Portland State closed out the win to survive and advance.
 
Portland State will face Idaho in the second of two Big Sky semifinals. Top-seeded Northern Colorado and Idaho State will meet in the first semifinal.
 
The Vandals took both meetings during the regular season. They took the first meeting, 101-90, in Portland before hanging on for a one-point win, 61-60, in Moscow, Idaho. Tip-off against Idaho is set for 2:35 p.m. on Friday, March 9.