BOX SCORE - PDF | HTML
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Hey, third quarter. What did we ever do to you?
The Portland State women's basketball team found itself asking that as a third-quarter run – something the Vikings had used to their advantage against three recent opponents – went against them Thursday. Northern Arizona used a 17-3 run near the start of the quarter to make what was a 15-point game at halftime into a four-point contest as NAU drew within 45-41 with 3:44 remaining.
That was as close as the Lumberjacks would come, however, as the Vikings regrouped well on the road to beat NAU 74-59 Thursday at the J Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
"We knew NAU had a run coming," PSU head coach
Lynn Kennedy said of his team's response to the Lumberjacks' run. "They didn't shoot a lot of threes in the first half and then were making them at the start of the second half. We just had to focus back on the defensive end and only allow one shot.
"It's a tough place to play and we responded in a big way. We finished strong with a great team effort."
The teams exchanged wild changes of fortune from three-point range from half to half. The Vikings made 5-of-12 shots from deep while building a 35-20 halftime lead. Sophomore point guard
Kylie Jimenez hit a three-pointer on the Vikings' first possession of the second half to make it 38-20 Vikings, but the Vikings didn't make another three-pointer for the rest of the game while NAU suddenly got hot from deep.
Caitlin Malvar hit the Lumberjacks' first three-pointer of the game on NAU's opening possession of the half, and then hit another just under two minutes later to put NAU back within 10 at 38-28. Jacey Bailey hit another three-pointer a little later, one of four for the Lumberjacks in the second half after they went 0-for-4 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
NAU finished off its 17-3 run with two free throws off a delayed flagrant foul call that made it 41-37 with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter.
Senior guard
Ashley Bolston stepped up from there to halt NAU's momentum, as she fed junior forward
Jordan Stotler for a layup on the Vikings' next possession and then scored herself the next time down the court. Bolston stole the ball and fed Jimenez on a runaway fast break to make it 49-41, and then hit two free throws with 1:15 remaining to give the Vikings a 53-43 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Savannah Dhaliwal and
Courtney West then took over in the post, as the Vikings maintained a double-digit lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Dhaliwal and West scored nine of the Vikings' first 11 points of the fourth quarter, while West scored seven of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.
"We talked at halftime about dominating the inside and our posts responded with some clutch shots in the fourth quarter," Kennedy said. "Courtney was a huge part of that run. She did a great job finishing strong and getting to the free throw line."
West also had seven of the Vikings' first 10 points at the start of the game, as she had her best offensive performance since scoring 16 points against Southern Utah on Jan. 17.
Senior guard
Sidney Rielly matched West with 16 points of her own, including six straight to put the game away late in the fourth quarter. Rielly has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games, and has scored 15 or more points in nine of those games.
Freshman guard
Desirae Hansen and Stotler joined West and Rielly in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Hansen had nine of her 11 points in the first half when she went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Stotler, meanwhile, scored her 10 points while going 5-of-6 from the field, and added seven rebounds, three blocks, a steal and an assist.
Jimenez added nine points for the Vikings to go with four assists and four steals. Jimenez's four steals tied her best in a Big Sky game this season, which she set with four steals in the team's first game against NAU back on Jan. 19.
Bolston led the Vikings with six assists to go with six points, two rebounds and a steal.
Thursday's win put the Vikings off on the right foot as they opened a four-game road trip with the win. The Vikings will next take on Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah, Saturday, with a 2 p.m. (MT) tipoff. Southern Utah lost 75-69 at home to Sacramento State Thursday.
Game Notes: The Vikings improved to 26-23 all time against Northern Arizona with Thursday's win…The Vikings also took a 23-22 lead in the Big Sky series against NAU…The Vikings moved within a half game of the Big Sky lead with the win, as Idaho leads the conference at 10-2…Rielly moved into ninth place all time with her 67th-career 10-point game Thursday…West moved up to seventh all time in career rebounds at Portland State with 637.
