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POCATELLO, Idaho — The Portland State women's basketball team will gladly forget about its second half against Idaho State Thursday night in Reed Gym.
 
Tied at halftime, the Vikings (19-5, 11-4 Big Sky) went ice cold from the floor, shooting 4-of-21 after halftime as the Bengals (17-8, 12-4 Big Sky) ran away with what was a close contest. The Vikings still had only made two field goals in the second half by the midway point of the fourth quarter, and the Bengals responded by taking an 18-point lead by that point.
 
The Vikings' three leading scorers – Sidney Rielly, Ashley Bolston and Kylie Jimenez – finished with only two made field goals between them, both of which came in the first half on a pair of three-pointers for Jimenez. Bolston and Rielly both finished without a field goal in the game, the first time in their three-year Viking careers that they've both been held without a field goal.
 
The loss drops the Vikings from the top of the Big Sky standings, as Idaho takes sole possession of first place at 12-3 while the Bengals move a half-game ahead of the Vikings at 12-4. The Bengals also secured the season series between them and the Vikings, meaning the Vikings will have to finish ahead of them in the standings if they hope to avoid an unfavorable tiebreaker going into the Big Sky tournament.
 
The Vikings stayed level with the Bengals in the first half Thursday despite their struggles. The Bengals opened up an eight-point lead at 23-15 with 8:37 remaining before halftime as the Vikings opened the game 3-of-11 from the field. The Vikings responded with 10 straight points to take a 25-23 lead, however, going ahead at the 6:18 mark on Jimenez's second three-pointer of the second quarter.
 
The Bengals retook a 33-29 lead off a three-pointer from Estefania Ors, but the Vikings came back with six straight points behind a pair of baskets from Savannah Dhaliwal and a pair of free throws from Courtney West.
 
The Vikings forced the Bengals into 14 first-half turnovers, and were 8-of-9 from the free throw line by halftime, both of which helped mask the Vikings struggles from the floor as they went into halftime tied at 35-35.
 
The Vikings' free throw shooting kept them in it at the start of the third quarter, but the Bengals increased their rebounding and shooting advantages as they ran away from the Vikings after the break. The Vikings went just 1-of-8 from the field in the third quarter, and were out-rebounded 14-4.
 
It was still only a five-point game at 48-43 despite all that with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter, but the Bengals put the game out of reach with a 17-4 run that made it 65-47 with 5:06 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
The Bengals finished with a 40-21 rebounding advantage Thursday, and outshot the Vikings .471-to-.340. It was the Bengals' three-point shooting that gave the Vikings fits early in the game, as they hit seven of their first eight shots from deep, and finished the game with a season-high 11 three-pointers.
 
Five different players scored in double figures for the Bengals, led by Grace Kenyon, who had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ors also scored 14 points for the Bengals while going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
 
Dhaliwal and West led the way for the Vikings, as the team's post players provided a bright spot for the Vikings on an off night for the team's guards. Dhaliwal led all scorers with 16 points Thursday – her third 16-point game in the Vikings' past five contests. Dhaliwal has now scored 64 points in the Vikings' past five games, after she opened the season with only 25 points through the Vikings' first 19 games. West, meanwhile, had 12 points to go with a team-high five rebounds and two steals.
 
Freshman guard Ana Tainta added seven points for the Vikings – her most in a game since she returned from an ankle injury last weekend.
 
Reed Gym remains a house of horrors for the Vikings, as Portland State hasn't won in Pocatello since Jan. 10, 2009. The Bengals also extended their winning streak against the Vikings to 16 games, as the Vikings haven't beaten the Bengals since Jan. 17, 2011.
 
The good news for the Vikings is that they can wipe the bad taste out of their mouths quickly, as they travel to face Sacramento State Saturday at 2 p.m. (PT). The Hornets beat Weber State 78-69 on the road Wednesday.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 22-36 all time, as well as 14-30 in the Big Sky series, against Idaho State with Thursday's loss…The Vikings had been a perfect 6-0 in Thursday games before the loss to the Bengals…The 18-point defeat was the Vikings' largest defeat this season, surpassing their 16-point loss at Northern Colorado, 79-63, on Dec. 31…Senior forward Pia Jurhar played in her 115th-career game Thursday, moving her into the all-time top 10 at Portland State…Jurhar also entered the all-time top 10 for rebounds with the 546th board of her career.