CHENEY, Wash. — Junior guard Kylie Jimenez finished one off her career high with 27 points while the Vikings broke a program record with 15 three-pointers Saturday. Neither were enough to get the Vikings the win, however, as Eastern Washington handed the Portland State women's basketball team its fourth straight loss, 79-75.
 
The Vikings (12-12, 6-8 Big Sky) appeared as if they would snap their losing streak Saturday after a first-quarter shooting barrage from three-point range. The Vikings went 8-of-13 from deep in the first quarter alone, while freshman Jada Lewis' three-pointer with 1:04 left in the period gave the Vikings a 10-point lead at 30-20.
 
The Vikings still led by six after Jimenez and freshman Cassidy Gardner traded off three straight shots from deep that put the Vikings up 43-37 with 2:07 left before halftime. The Vikings were 12-of-20 (.600) from three-point range at that point of the game, while Jimenez and Gardner had hit four each.
 
The Eagles (3-20, 2-12 Big Sky) also shot well throughout the night, however, and answered Jimenez and Gardner's barrage of threes with three straight of their own. That sparked a 20-1 EWU run that bridged the end of the first and start of the second halves, giving the Eagles a 57-44 advantage with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
 
The Eagles were shooting 22-of-33 (.667) from the field at that point of the game, and were 9-of-13 (.692) from three-point range. Additionally, the few times the Eagles missed, they were getting second-chance opportunities, as they turned 14 offensive rebounds into a 13-3 advantage in second-chance points. Foul trouble for Viking senior Jordan Stotler didn't help either situation, as she played only eight minutes Saturday, including only 4:36 of the second half.
 
It was a testament to the Vikings' resilience that despite all that, they still made a game of it in the fourth quarter. The Eagles led by 11 at 64-53 with 2:59 left in the third quarter, when the Vikings answered with nine straight to get back within two. Sophomore guard Desirae Hansen hit a three-pointer to start the run, while Jimenez got fouled shooting a three as the third-quarter buzzer sounded and hit all three ensuing free throws. Freshman Syd Schultz then stole the ball to open the fourth quarter, leading to another Hansen three-pointer that made it 64-62 with 9:44 remaining.
 
The Eagles had an answer to every Viking run in the second half, however, and eventually went back up nine at 77-68 with 2:54 remaining. Jimenez tried to will the Vikings back from there, first converting a three-point play to make it 77-71, then hitting a floater in the lane to make it 77-73 with 1:12 remaining.
 
A poor offensive possession left the Vikings with a shot clock violation with 32.8 seconds remaining, but Jimenez followed with a steal and then two free throws to make it 78-75 with 25 seconds left on the clock. EWU's Grace Kirscher only hit one of two free throws on the other end, but the Vikings couldn't manage anything afterwards and the Eagles hung on for the win.
 
Eastern Washington ended up shooting 28-of-54 (.519) against the Vikings, as well as 12-of-21 (.571) from three-point range. The Eagles came into the game shooting only 34.9 percent from the floor this season, but found their groove against the Vikings.
 
The Vikings, meanwhile, finished 15-of-32 (.469) from three-point range after cooling off in the second period when they were just 3-of-10 (.300). The 15 three-pointers breaks the program record of 13, which the Vikings originally set against Utah Valley on Dec. 29, 2007. The Vikings had tied the mark twice earlier this season, including in their first game against the Eagles, when the Vikings beat EWU 75-58 at home.
 
Jimenez scored her 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field while tying a career high with five three-pointers on eight attempts. Gardner and Hansen followed with 12 points each, with Gardner's 12 coming on a career-high four three-pointers. Hansen added six assists, three rebounds and three steals to her 12 points.
 
Saturday's game opened a three-game road trip for the Vikings, who next play at Idaho Monday for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 33-38 all time against Eastern Washington with Saturday's loss...The Vikings had won five straight against the Eagles before losing Saturday…Jimenez's 27 points give her 961 in her career, leaving her only 39 short of becoming the 19th member of the 1,000-point club at Portland State…Stotler was held without a blocked shot for the second straight game, only the second time she's had zero blocks in back-to-back games in her Portland State career.