PORTLAND, Ore. — Coming off a nine-day layoff, the Portland State women's basketball lost in their return to the court Saturday, as Southern Utah beat the Vikings 81-72 at Viking Pavilion.
 
It wasn't the start that cost the Vikings (12-10, 6-6 Big Sky) this time, as was the case in two of their three games heading into the layoff. The Vikings actually led 12-9 in the early going but Southern Utah scored eight straight from there and answered every Viking run with one of their own the rest of the way.
 
"We had a better start tonight, but then we kind of just coasted through that second quarter. We can't do that," PSU head coach Lynn Kennedy said afterwards. "Southern Utah's playing well right now and they're a tough matchup for us. They took advantage of that tonight."
 
It was seemingly a constant seven-point game in favor of the Thunderbirds (12-9, 6-6 Big Sky) in the first half. The Vikings would come back to tie or get close before Southern Utah stretched its lead out to three possessions once again. The Vikings tied it at 17-17, only to give up a 7-0 run that made it 24-17. The Vikings then got back within two at 26-24, before Southern Utah responded with an 8-3 run that made it 34-27.
 
Southern Utah's cushion extended to double digits at the start of the second half. The Thunderbirds scored the first six points out of halftime to go up 45-34, and the lead hovered around that range for the rest of the game. The Vikings never got closer than seven points after the opening minutes of the second half, but also didn't got down by more than 14 points.
 
The Vikings got the buckets they needed to make a comeback, but couldn't ever get a stop on the defensive end. Southern Utah shot 35-of-69 (.507) from the field Saturday, only the second time an opponent has shot over 50 percent against the Vikings, and the first time since the Vikings hosted then-No. 23 Tennessee on Dec. 21.
 
Southern Utah scored 22 points off 16 Viking turnovers, and outscored the Vikings 13-5 in the fast break.
 
The Vikings had their own moments offensively, as they went 27-of-58 (.466) from the field for their best field goal percentage since a home win over Montana on Jan. 13. All five Viking starters scored in double figures, led by senior forward Jordan Stotler and junior guard Kylie Jimenez with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
 
Stotler's 18 points came with 11 rebounds, giving Stotler her fifth double-double of the season and fourth in Big Sky play. Stotler also chipped in three assists and four blocks, with the four blocks upping her total for the season to 79. Stotler needs only 15 more blocks this season to match her former teammate, Courtney West (2016-19), for the single-season record at Portland State. West set the current record with 94 blocks in the Vikings' 2016-17 season.
 
Jimenez, meanwhile, scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, when she went 4-of-8 from the field after starting 1-of-6 in the opening 20 minutes of play. Jimenez also grabbed five of her eight steals in the second half, as she tied her career high in the category.
 
Jimenez finished with only two turnovers Saturday, an impressive feat in what was a physical game by both teams on the perimeter.
 
Fellow starters Belle Frazier, Desirae Hansen and Tatiana Streun all scored 10 points each for the Vikings. Frazier tied a career high with six assists to go with her 10 points while adding five rebounds and two steals. Streun also had five rebounds and two steals to go with her 10 points, while Hansen finished with four assists and three rebounds.
 
The Vikings can bounce back with a home game against Northern Colorado Monday. The Bears also lost to the Thunderbirds this week, as they dropped a 68-55 overtime game to Southern Utah Thursday.
 
The Vikings and Bears tip off at 7 p.m. (PT) in a game presented by OnPoint Community Credit Union.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 15-10 all time against Southern Utah with Saturday's loss…The Thunderbirds completed the season sweep of the Vikings with Saturday's win, as they also beat the Vikings 71-58 in Cedar City on Dec. 30…Saturday's loss was the first time the Vikings had lost two in a row since the team's earlier loss to Southern Utah…Jimenez moved into seventh on the career steals list at Portland State with 202 after Saturday…Jimenez passed former teammate Sidney Rielly (2016-19) for fifth on the career list for three-pointers made with 144 after Saturday.