BOISE, Idaho — The Portland State women's basketball team got a peek at a bigger stage Friday, as they faced off against Boise State in the first round of the Preseason WNIT. The Vikings lost 82-57 to the Broncos at ExtraMile Arena, but like their first-round loss to Oregon in the NCAA tournament last season, the experience should pay dividends for the Vikings in the future.
 
Friday's game marked the Vikings' first-ever appearance in the Preseason WNIT, one of the most prestigious preseason tournaments in the nation. Additionally, five of the Vikings' six freshmen played in Friday's game against the Broncos, giving them lessons that should help them through the rest of the season and their Viking careers.
 
"We were in major foul trouble in the second quarter and that's when they extended their lead," PSU head coach Lynn Kennedy said. "We have to step up in that moment. Especially against a team I feel should be in the top 25. We will learn and be better next game."
 
Boise State (2-0) was always going to be a tough first-round opponent for the Vikings (1-1), as they enter this season as the two-time defending Mountain West regular-season and tournament champions. The Broncos set a program record with 28 wins last season, and returned three senior starters from that team while adding Mallory McGwire, a 6-5 transfer from Oregon.
 
The Vikings held their own early on against the Broncos, particularly on the offensive glass. The Vikings had four offensive rebounds in the first couple of minutes against the Broncos, and went up 4-3 off a rebound basket from redshirt junior Tatiana Streun. Sophomore Desirae Hansen hit a three-pointer that tied it at 10 a few minutes later, while freshman Belle Frazier knocked down another three-pointer to make it 17-13 Broncos with 4:15 left in the first quarter.
 
The Vikings went cold from there, however, while the Broncos continued to shoot well from beyond the arc. The Broncos rattled off 13 straight points to go up 30-13, and stretched that to a 51-23 lead by halftime behind a flurry of three-pointers. The Broncos' last five field goals of the first half all came from beyond the arc, while the Broncos finished the half shooting 10-of-18 from three-point range.
 
The Vikings played better against the Broncos' outside shooting in the second half, holding them to 1-of-10 from beyond the arc after halftime. Poor shooting and turnovers prevented any sort of comeback for the Vikings, however. The Vikings started 5-of-22 from the field, and finished shooting just 32.1 percent while going 18-of-56. The Vikings also committed 23 turnovers against the Broncos, and the majority of those were self-inflicted as the Broncos only had nine steals in the game.
 
Despite falling into foul trouble, the Vikings actually outshot the Broncos from the free throw line. Twelve of the Vikings' 16 made free throws came in the fourth quarter, when the Vikings outscored the Broncos 22-12 while going 12-of-14 from the line. 
 
Hansen and Frazier ended up leading the Vikings with 10 points apiece despite a tough shooting night for both players. Junior Kylie Jimenez also finished with eight points, four rebounds and four assists, while senior Jordan Stotler overcame some early foul trouble to post eight points and seven rebounds. Streun matched Stotler with a team-high seven rebounds against the Broncos while also chipping in seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
 
Friday night's loss drops the Vikings out of the tournament portion of the Preseason WNIT, but the Vikings are still guaranteed two more games against fellow tournament teams. All of the first-round losers will be re-seeded into four-team groups, and the Vikings will play two more games within that group next weekend. The pairings, as well as game times and locations, will be announced mid-day Sunday.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 12-27 all time against Boise State with Friday's loss…The Vikings haven't beaten the Broncos since the 2003-04 season, and have now lost 10 of their last 11 to Boise State…The Vikings are the third Big Sky team to play in the Preseason WNIT in the past four seasons, joining Montana State in 2018 and Eastern Washington in 2016.