ST. GEORGE, Utah — Taking the court against an opponent for the first time in 281 days, the Portland State women's basketball team shook off the rust to run away from Dixie State in the second half, beating the Trailblazers 63-53 Wednesday night in the team's long-awaited season opener.
 
The Vikings (1-0) out-scored Dixie State (1-1) 28-6 from the 7:13 mark of the third quarter to the 4:26 mark of the fourth. That turned a 37-28 deficit at the start of the second half into a 56-43 advantage midway through the fourth, and the Vikings never looked back from there.
 
"It was amazing to be out there playing again," head coach Lynn Kennedy said after the game. "It was emotional for the players early on. Give Dixie State a lot of credit, they came ready to play, made shots early and we needed to adjust in the second quarter.
 
"The third quarter and the start of the fourth were by far our best stretches of play. We did a great job of getting to the basket and getting fouls. We also adjusted defensively and rebounded better after halftime."
 
Wednesday night's opener came after minimal 5-on-5 practices for the Vikings. The team wasn't cleared to practice fully until Nov. 25, and then started a two-week quarantine four days later that forced the cancellation of the team's first four games. Still, it was the Vikings who found their legs in the second half and fourth quarter despite the team's players still working their way back into basketball shape.
 
Two familiar faces led the Vikings in the second half in fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun and junior Desirae Hansen. Streun only had two points in the first half, while Hansen entered the break just 2-of-8 from the field. Hansen found her stroke in the third quarter, however, scoring seven straight points at one point while leading a 16-2 finish to the period for the Vikings. Streun took over in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of her 16 points in the final 10 minutes of play.
 
Streun scored seven straight points to finish off the monster, 28-6 second-half run that put the Vikings up with less than five minutes to play. Playing on her birthday, Streun finished just two rebounds shy of a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds, the majority of which – 14 points and six rebounds – came after halftime.
 
Hansen scored 13 of her team-high 18 points after halftime, and hit four of her last five shots in the game after finding herself 2-of-10 from the field at the early point of the third quarter. Hansen also led the Vikings with nine rebounds against the Trailblazers, while the junior guard tied for the team leads with three assists and three steals as well.
 
The Vikings got to the line much better in the second half, with 16 of the Vikings' 23 free-throw attempts coming after the break. The Vikings went 7-for-7 from the line in the third quarter, which nearly accounted for half of the team's 16 points in the period. That helped the Vikings take a 44-40 advantage going into the fourth quarter, which Streun then stretched with three trips to the line at the start of the final period.
 
The Vikings found themselves in a hole after a cold spell saw the Trailblazers take a 22-13 lead behind a 20-5 run that bridged the first and second quarters.
 
The Viking freshmen led a strong finish to the first half that got the Vikings back within three going into halftime. Freshman Itziar Ugarte hit the first three-pointer of her Viking career with 3:51 left in the second quarter, while fellow freshman Jenna Kilty followed with five straight points – including her first three-pointer – to bring the Vikings back within four at 29-25. Freshman Nakia Boston responded with a nice pass down low to Marina Canzobre for a layup that made it 29-27 with 1:06 left before half.
 
The Trailblazers answered with eight straight points between the first and second halves to go up 37-28 at the start of the third quarter, but the Vikings made the decisive run from there behind Streun and Hansen.
 
The lack of practice showed itself most in the Vikings' shooting numbers – as expected – as the Vikings alternated between hot and cold spells. The Vikings started the game 6-of-20 from the field, but then found their stroke while making three of their last four shots before halftime. The Vikings went cold again in the third quarter – hitting just one of their first 10 shots out of halftime – but then shot 7-of-11 from the field (.636) in the fourth quarter.
 
Defense helped spur the Vikings' run in the third quarter, as the Trailblazers hit only two field goals during the Vikings' 28-6 run between the third and fourth quarters. Additionally, the Trailblazers went just 2-of-10 from three-point range in the second half, after making four of their first six in the first half.
 
Sophomore Syd Schultz finished with eight points after posting a team-high six in the first half. Kilty, who started in her first official game for the Vikings, followed with seven points, three rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Marina Canzobre also made her first-career start for the Vikings, scoring four points to go with four rebounds. Senior Kylie Jimenez scored seven points while adding three assists and three steals. Freshman Nakia Boston didn't score but made an impact elsewhere, recording three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
 
The Vikings were scheduled to follow Wednesday's game with a weekend series against Weber State Friday and Sunday. Both games were canceled Tuesday, however, after positive COVID-19 cases were found within the Weber State program. The Vikings are currently scheduled to next play on Dec. 31, when they host the first of two games against Eastern Washington at Viking Pavilion.
 
Notes: Wednesday's matchup was the first between Portland State and Dixie State…Streun's eight rebounds mean she's only 32 away from 500 now in her career…Jimenez moved within 57 assists of 500 in her career, and also stands 25 steals away from 250.