KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Progress was made for the Portland State women's basketball team Saturday, even as the Vikings ended up losing 83-75 to UC Irvine in a consolation game within the Preseason WNIT.
 
The Vikings (1-3) and Anteaters (2-2) were nearly level at halftime, a stark contrast from the Vikings' first two games against Division I opponents this season when the outcome was decided by halftime. Early foul trouble had been a consistent problem for the Vikings, and while it didn't totally disappear in Saturday's game, the Viking starters were at least able to play the majority of the first half. That was a contrast to yesterday's game against Kansas City, when three starters had two fouls less than a minute into the second quarter.
 
"We did a better job of staying out of foul trouble until the end. It was still 22-12 in fouls, so it's still something to work on. But I'm proud of how hard we worked and continued to fight throughout this game against a tough team," head coach Lynn Kennedy said afterwards.
 
The difference in the game came in the third quarter, when UC Irvine was able to get both its three-point shooting and senior forward Jordan Sanders going after dormant first halves. Sanders, who torched the Vikings for 34 points in a win over PSU last season, scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the second half. The Anteaters also hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the third quarter after going just 1-of-6 from deep in the first half.
 
Sanders and the Eaters' three-point shooting helped spark a 9-0 run that gave UCI the lead for good at 55-46 with 2:44 left in the third quarter. A three-pointer by Viking freshman Belle Frazier got the Vikings back within six at 57-51, but the Eaters responded with seven straight points to take their largest lead of the game at 64-51 with a minute left in the third.
 
It remained around a 10-point game until Kylie Jimenez and Tatiana Streun hit a three-pointer and a layup back-to-back to get the Vikings back within six at 73-67 with just over four minutes remaining. Jimenez hit another three-pointer – her fourth of the game – just over a minute later to make it a five-point game at 75-70.
 
The Eaters followed with their own three-pointer, however, while Sanders hit a jumper with 1:57 remaining to make it a 10-point game again at 80-70. Frazier responded with her third three-pointer of the game on the Vikings' next possession, but the Vikings wouldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
 
"We were able to hit some outside shots which kept us close," Kennedy said. "We had a letdown in the third quarter defensively and also in the fourth where they hit a couple of threes and also got some second-chance opportunities."
 
Jimenez finished with a team-high 17 points to lead the Vikings, while she led a resurgent inside-out game for the Vikings that produced 10 three-pointers against the Eaters. Jimenez and Frazier accounted for seven of the 10 with four and three makes from deep, respectively. Freshman Cassidy Gardner also hit two three-pointers, both of which came at the buzzer at the end of the first and third quarters. Sophomore Desirae Hansen hit the other three-pointer for the Vikings, as she finished with nine points, eight assists and five rebounds. Frazier also joined Jimenez in double figures with 11 points to go with three assists.
 
The Vikings also got production on the inside between Streun and senior Jordan Stotler. Streun recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and got to the line well for the second straight game while going 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
 
Stotler came out hot in the third quarter for the second straight game, scoring nine of her 14 points in the first five minutes after halftime. Four of Stotler's five blocks also came after halftime, while her five blocks marked a new career high for Stotler at Portland State.
 
The inside-out game helped spark the Vikings' shooting against the Anteaters. The Vikings started just 4-of-14 from the field, but went 24-of-51 the rest of the way, and finished 10-of-24 from beyond the arc. Good distribution also helped the Vikings' shooting numbers, as the Vikings finished with 22 assists on 28 field goals Saturday. Hansen and Jimenez accounted for 14 of the Vikings' 22 assists, with Hansen tying a career high with eight.
 
The Vikings could still improve defensively, however as the Anteaters finished 31-of-64 for 48.4 percent from the floor Saturday.
 
The Vikings will welcome a return home for their next game, as they play their first home game since their season opener when they host Nevada next Saturday at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings and Wolf Pack will tip off at 12 p.m. (PT).
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 9-5 all time against UC Irvine after Saturday…The Vikings will face UC Irvine again later this season, as the teams play in Irvine on Dec. 2…Saturday's game was the Vikings' final game of the first-ever appearance in the Preseason WNIT. The Vikings lost 82-57 to Boise State in the first round of the preseason tournament, then lost two consolation games to Kansas City (87-69) and UC Irvine (83-75)…Jimenez now has 323 career assists after Saturday, leaving her 19 short of entering the all-time top 10 at Portland State…Jimenez now has 113 career three-pointers made, leaving her nine short of entering the all-time top 10 in the category.