RENO, Nev. – The Vikings had six score in double-figures and scored a season-high 99 points but came up just short of their Big Sky Championship Game aspirations, falling 102-99 to the Idaho Vandals Friday afternoon at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev.
 
The second Big Sky Conference semifinal pitted two of the top scoring offenses in the league. Portland State (19-13 overall) and Idaho (19-12) both entered the game averaging over 70-points per game on the year so it had the makings of an old-fashioned shootout, which it was.
 
Idaho boasts the best three-point shooting attack in the conference and knocked down shots early and often. The Vandals shot 52.2 percent from the floor and 51.6 percent from three-point range, going 16-for-31 from distance.
 
Portland State kept pace with Idaho, shooting 50.0 percent from the floor for the game and a season-high 66.7 percent from three-point range, hitting a season high 12 three-pointers.
 
"I liked how we stayed poised and fought back," third-year Head Coach Lynn Kennedy said following the game. "They kept hitting threes and we kept fighting back. Give them a lot of credit, they hit shots when they needed to but I liked how we played, especially in the second half. We kept after it and did not fall apart. It showed the true character of this team."
 
Idaho was on the attack from the first whistle. The Vandals jumped out to a 10-point lead at 15-5 early in the first quarter. The Vikings kept hitting shots and pulled within three at 26-23 before a pair of late jumpers gave Idaho a 30-23 lead heading to the second.
 
Portland State opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to just two points on a layup by Tatiana Streun and a three-pointer from Sidney Rielly. Idaho came back with a pair of three-pointers to make it an eight-point lead. After Idaho make it a 10-point game at 40-30, the Vikings started to once again chip away at the Vandals' lead.
 
A layup by Courtney West followed by a jumper by Kylie Jimenez made it a one-point game at 47-46. The teams traded points down the stretch and it remained a one-point game at the break with the Vandals holding a narrow 49-48 advantage.
 
Idaho hit seven three-pointers in the first half but the Vikings stayed on pace with six of their own. Ashley Bolston and Rielly each had nine points in the first half to lead Portland State.
 
Idaho hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half to make it a seven-point game early in the third. Portland State kept battling and answered every Idaho basket with one of its own. Bolston hit a pair of free throws late in the third quarter to tie the game at 69-69. A late jumper by Idaho gave the Vandals a 71-69 lead heading to the fourth.
 
Idaho thought it had put the game halfway through the fourth after going up 90-79 following a 12-3 run. It forced Kennedy to use his fourth and final timeout with 4:29 remaining in the contest.
 
It was the perfect use of a timeout as the Vikings came out and scored nine-straight points, capped off by a steal and a fast-break layup by Bolston, to pull within two at 90-88, which forced an Idaho timeout.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers by Idaho quickly made it an eight-point game with 1:02 left in regulation. The Vikings defensive pressure forced two turnovers by the Vandals, which led to a three-pointer by Rielly and another fast-break layup, this time by Streun, to make it a two-point game with 13 seconds left.
 
The Vikings tried to trap and force another turnover on the next possession but were called for a foul, sending Idaho to the line. The Vandals hit four-straight free throws down the stretch to increase their lead to six. Jimenez hit a late three-pointer to cut the lead to three but it was too late and the Vikings fell 102-99.
 
It was the Vikings' best offensive game of the season with six players scoring in double-figures for the first time this season. Bolston led the way with a team-high 26 points, for her second-consecutive 20-point game of the tournament. She went 7-for-17 from the floor, with a three-pointer, and a perfect 11-for-11 at the line. As a team, Portland State went 17-for-18 at the line.
 
Rielly continued to put up strong numbers in tournament play, scoring 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting. She hit 3-of-4 from distance and went 4-for-4 at the line. Rielly finished the Big Sky Tournament with a team-high 20.3 points per game.
 
Portland State had five players average at least 10.0 points per game during tournament games with Streun coming up one point short, averaging 9.7 points per game. Streun gave the Vikings a tremendous performance, scoring a career-high 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. She also pulled down three rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
 
Kiana Brown came off the bench for 14 points, going 5-for-13 from the floor, with a team-high four three-pointers. Jimenez added 11 points and five assists with no turnovers in the game. The Vikings turned the ball over a season-low five times. West gave the Vikings 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks in 30 minutes.
 
Idaho's Taylor Pierce showed why she is the Big Sky's all-time career leader in three point makes. She scored a game-high 31 points, going 10-for-17 from the floor with nine three pointers. Pierce, combined with teammate Mikayla Ferenz for 15 of the Vandals' 16 three-pointers. Ferenz finished with 22 points and was one rebound from a triple-double with 10 assists and nine rebounds.