TIPOFF

The reward for any eight seed that wins its first game at the Big Sky tournament is a quarterfinal matchup against the conference's top seed. The Portland State women's basketball team knew that going into this year's tournament, and sure enough, it will be the case for them Tuesday as the Vikings take on Big Sky regular-season champion Idaho State at 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT.
 
The format isn't without its benefits for the eighth seed. The Vikings got a chance to get a feel for Idaho Central Arena where the tournament is held, while the Bengals head into Tuesday's quarterfinal cold.
 
The Vikings also loved the lead-in that they got after beating Eastern Washington 71-51 in the first round Monday. The 20-point margin of victory was the Vikings' most against a Division I opponent this season, and marked a new record for the Vikings at the Big Sky tournament. To put the margin in perspective, the Vikings' last five Big Sky wins heading into the tournament came by a combined margin of 10 points. 
 
Four different Vikings finished in double figures between 16 points each for Tatiana Streun and Jada Lewis, 15 points for Desirae Hansen and 12 for Kylie Jimenez. 
 
The Vikings shot the ball better than they had in recent games, too. A late-game dip when the game was already out of reach dropped the Vikings' final numbers, but they were 23-of-49 (.469) through the early part of the fourth quarter – a mark that would have been their second-best percentage since the middle of January had it held up. The Vikings shot 16-of-30 (.533) combined between the second and third quarters, and went 6-of-12 (.500) from three-point range in those two quarters.
 
Hansen, Lewis and Jimenez combined to go 9-of-21 (.429) from deep, leading the Vikings to their best three-point field goal percentage since they went 10-of-20 (.500) against Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. Lewis hit 4-of-8 from the outside in a performance that was familiar of her first career start – also against Eastern Washington – when she went 6-of-8.
 
Hansen, meanwhile, hit two of her three shots from the outside in the first quarter, the second of which pushed her over the 1,000-point career milestone. Hansen became the fourth different Viking in the past four seasons to reach the milestone, joining Sidney Rielly (hit 1k in 2017-18), Ashley Bolston (2018-19) and Jimenez (2019-20).
 
The Vikings would love for more of the same Tuesday, as it would come against the top defensive team in the Big Sky in the Bengals. Idaho State led the conference in scoring defense at 59.9 points allowed per game, an average that was three points lower than the No. 2-ranked defense. The Bengals also held opponents to a conference-low 35.9 percent from the floor.
 
Stiff defense contributed to the Bengals' two wins over the Vikings during the regular season. The Bengals beat the Vikings 80-55 in Pocatello on Jan. 21. The Vikings played better in the second game of the series on Jan. 23, but still lost 70-62.
 
The Vikings still found some pockets of success in both games despite losing the two to the Bengals. Streun had her best game of the season in the second game, leading the Vikings with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. The Vikings also countered the Bengals' tough defense – they held Portland State to just 15-of-63 (.238) from the field – by getting to the line in that game. The Vikings shot 27-of-30 (.900) from the free-throw line, with Streun again leading the way at a perfect 10-for-10.
 
The Bengals answered with Callie Bourne, who led them with 18 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists in their second game against the Viks. Bourne leads the Bengals with 8.6 rebounds per game overall this season, an average that also ranked her third in the Big Sky during the regular season. 
 
Dora Goles led the Bengals in their first game against the Vikings, as she scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting overall and 5-of-7 from three-point range. Goles led the Bengals with 12.9 points per game for the season, and made the All-Big Sky first team that was announced Sunday. Diaba Konate, who averaged 12.0 points while leading the Bengals with 4.2 assists per game, made the All-Big Sky second team.
 
Those players will present challenges for the Vikings, but it's a challenge they'll gladly accept. It's their reward, after all, following a standout game against Eastern Washington in the first round Monday.
 

GAME NOTES: #8 PORTLAND STATE (12-12, 7-11 Big Sky) vs. #1 IDAHO STATE (19-3, 15-2 Big Sky)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
GAME INFO: Tuesday, March 9, 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT, Boise, Idaho (Idaho Central Arena)
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals won the regular-season title within the Big Sky Conference with a 15-2 record against conference opponents. Two of those wins came against the Vikings, who the Bengals swept in Pocatello on Jan. 21 and 23. As was the case with a lot of the Vikings' series this season, the team's second game was a lot closer than their first. The Bengals beat the Vikings 80-55 in their first game against each other, but then played a much closer game the second time around even as the Bengals won again, 70-62. Overall, the Bengals ranked far and away as the Big Sky's best defensive team. The Bengals led the conference in scoring defense (59.9 points allowed), allowing three points fewer a game than the No. 2-ranked defense. The Bengals also held opponents to a conference-low 35.9 percent from the floor, nearly two percent lower than the No. 2-ranked defense at 37.6 percent. The Bengals weren't slouches on offense, either, as they led the conference in field goal percentage at 45.1 percent, more than two percent better than the No. 2-ranked offense at 42.7. Additionally, the Bengals led the Big Sky in scoring margin (+12.32) and assists (16.6), and ranked third in the conference with 72.2 points per game. Individually, Dora Goles led the Bengals with 12.9 points per game while earning All-Big Sky-first team honors from the conference Sunday. Diaba Konate also earned All-Big Sky second-team honors after finishing the regular season with averages of 12.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. Callie Bourne led the Bengals with 8.6 rebounds per game, an average that ranked her third in the Big Sky during the regular season. Bourne also ranked seventh in the Big Sky with 3.05 assists per game, and stood third on the Bengals' team with 10.2 points per game. Estefania Ors also averaged in double figures for the Bengals with 10.0 points per game, while Goles and her led the Bengals with 40 and 39 made three-pointers, respectively. 
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 39-23. The Bengals have won 19 of their last 20 meetings against the Vikings, though the Vikings' lone win in that stretch came last season in a 69-64 road win on Jan. 18, 2020. The Vikings and Bengals have only met twice before in the Big Sky tournament, with the teams splitting their two previous matchups. The Bengals won their last postseason meeting, 54-50, which came at the semifinal stage of the 2017 tournament.
 

A WIN WOULD…

• Advance the Vikings to the Big Sky semifinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
• Give the Vikings just their second win over the Bengals in their past 21 games against each other.
• Setup a semifinal matchup against either No. 4 Northern Colorado or No. 5 Southern Utah for 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT Wednesday.

 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings' 20-point victory in Monday's first-round game against Eastern Washington was the team's largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent this season. It also set a new record for largest margin of victory for the Vikings at the Big Sky tournament. For perspective, the combined margin for the Vikings' previous five Big Sky victories was just 10. 
• Desirae Hansen and Kylie Jimenez were named All-Big Sky third-team selections on Sunday before the start of the Big Sky tournament. It was the second straight season that Hansen and Jimenez earned the honor, as they also made the third team last season. Jimenez was an All-Big Sky honorable mention as a sophomore.
• The Vikings posted their largest fourth-quarter comeback in program history Friday, overcoming an 11-point deficit with 5:36 remaining while beating Southern Utah 60-57. It was the fifth time this season that the Vikings have come back to win after trailing by at least six points in the fourth quarter. The other comebacks came against Montana State on Jan. 16, Montana on Feb. 4, and Northern Arizona on both Feb. 11 and 14.
• Sophomore Jada Lewis hit the go-ahead three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the Vikings' comeback win over Southern Utah Friday. Lewis also hit the game-winning three-pointer in the Vikings' 75-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11, giving her two last-second game-winning or go-ahead shots this season.
• Kylie Jimenez moved up to ninth all-time in steals within Big Sky history with two Friday, passing Montana's Sherri Brooks (1992-96). Jimenez passed current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford for 10th all-time during the Vikings' game against Warner Pacific on Feb. 28. Jimenez also ranks ninth all-time in Big Sky history for assists, having moved into the career top 10 during the Vikings' game against Idaho on Feb. 20. 
• The Vikings came into the tournament ranked second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 9.57 steals per game as a team. Four different Vikings ranked in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez who ranked second in the conference with 2.4 steals per game. Nakia Boston, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen all average 1.4 steals per game, themselves, with Boston tied for 13th in the conference, and Streun and Hansen tied for 15th.
• Junior Desirae Hansen came into the tournament ranked in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (13th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (13th, 6.0 rpg) and assists (9th, 2.9 apg). Hansen also ranked in the top 15 of the Big Sky in seven other statistical categories, including three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.7), blocks per game (8th, 1.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 1.4).
• Tatiana Streun has led the Vikings in scoring in each of their past two games, and has averaged 14.75 points per game in the Vikings' last four against Big Sky opponents. Streun came into the tournament ranked 11th in the Big Sky with 6.5 rebounds per game, and also stood fifth with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds at Portland State earlier this season, and passed Hiedi Hatcher (1997-01) for ninth all-time with six rebounds in Monday's game.
• Senior Kylie Jimenez recorded her 500th career assist on Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer against Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. The epic context of the assist was appropriate, as it also made Jimenez only the third player in program history to reach 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career at Portland State. Jimenez joined two PSU Hall of Famers in the elite club between Claire Faucher (2006-10) and Kim Manifesto (1992-96). With three more three-pointers, Jimenez will stand alone as the only one of those three to also hit 200 three-pointers in her career.
• With 536 career assists entering the Big Sky tournament, Kylie Jimenez stood fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranked behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (726), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (613) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (611).
• Sophomore Jada Lewis came into the tournament ranked second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 41.2 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranked 37th in the nation in the category, and stood fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes per game.
• Freshmen Nakia Boston and Jenna Kilty have combined for 13 double-digit scoring games, between seven for Boston and six for Kilty.
• The Vikings had six of their first seven games of the season canceled, and did not play their season opener until Dec. 16.
• The Vikings played their season opener against Dixie State with only seven 5-on-5 practices under their belts. The Vikings did not have an exemption to practice 5-on-5 until Nov. 25, the official opening date of the season. However, practice was shut down again four days later for a two-week quarantine and didn't resume again until Dec. 10.

 

FOURTH-QUARTER VIKS

Friday's comeback win at Southern Utah proved no lead is safe against the Vikings this season. Down by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings closed Friday's game on a 14-1 run to beat the Thunderbirds 60-57. The Vikings trailed by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining, and out-scored the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the final minute. The Vikings had never before come back from as many as 11 points down in the fourth quarter, making Friday's comeback the largest in program history. The comeback didn't come from nowhere, though, as the Vikings now have five comebacks, after Friday, in which they've erased at least a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit. The first fourth-quarter comeback came against defending champion Montana State on Jan. 16, when the Vikings trailed by six with 7:37 remaining. The Vikings then came back to beat Montana on Feb. 4 despite trailing by seven with 8:28 left. Poor Northern Arizona saw the Vikings post back-to-back comebacks from sizeable fourth-quarter deficits as the Vikings swept the Lumberjacks on Feb. 11 and 14. The Vikings came back after trailing by six with 4:35 left on the 11th, and then overcame an eight-point deficit with 4:30 left on the 14th. 
 

CREATING CHAOS

The Portland State defense has created chaos on the perimeter this season. The Vikings forced their last six regular-season opponents into an average of 20.5 turnovers per game, while the Vikings came into the Big Sky tournament ranked second in the Big Sky and 49th in the nation with 9.57 steals per game. Four different Vikings rank in the top 15 of the Big Sky, led by Kylie Jimenez who ranks second in the conference with 2.4 steals per game. Nakia Boston, Tatiana Streun and Desirae Hansen all average 1.4 steals per game, with Boston tied for 13th in the conference, and Streun and Hansen tied for 15th.
 

GET READY FOR BOISE DES

As we enter March, one sight should strike fear into every Big Sky Conference head coach, and that's Desirae Hansen in Boise, Idaho. Boise Des re-emerged for the Vikings Monday, as she finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Vikings' first-round win over Eastern Washington. The Eagles have been a frequent victim of Boise Des, as she hit the game-winning shot against the Eagles in the 2019 Big Sky championship game. Des followed that up with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting overall and 5-of-6 from three-point range in the team's first-round win over the Eagles last season. Hansen had been rounding into her Boise form over the past few weekends, scoring in double figures in the Vikings' final five Big Sky games after failing to do so in the previous four. Hansen ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in scoring (13th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (11th, 6.5 rpg) and assists (9th, 2.9 apg). Hansen also ranks in the top 15 of the Big Sky in seven other statistical categories between defensive rebounds per game (5th, 6.0), free throw percentage (11th, .806), three-pointers made per game (12th, 1.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 1.4), blocks per game (8th, 1.0), steals per game (T-15th, 1.4) and minutes played per game (13th, 31.1).
 

JADA CAN KNOCK DOWN THE J's, DUH

Jada Lewis' go-ahead three-pointer in the final 10 seconds of Friday's comeback win over Southern Utah gave her the second last-second game-winning or go-ahead three-pointer this season. In addition to Friday's crucial three, Lewis also hit the game-winning triple in the Vikings' 75-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. Those two game-winning plays have provided the high points of a season full of knockdown three-pointers for the sophomore guard. Lewis came into the Big Sky tournament ranked second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 41.2 percent of her shots from the outside. Lewis also ranked 37th in the nation in the category, and stood fourth in the Big Sky with 2.1 makes per game. The sophomore guard has 11 games this season with at least three triples, including four in the Vikings' win over Eastern Washington Monday.
 

GET YOUR OWN TOTS!

Fifth-year senior Tatiana Streun has led or tied for the lead in their past two games between 19 points against Southern Utah and 16 points against Eastern Washington Monday. Streun also recorded her fifth double-double of the season on Feb. 27 with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Northern Colorado, and has averaged 14.75 points per game in her last four against Big Sky opponents. Streun leads all current Vikings with 11 career double-doubles, and ranks in the career top 10 at Portland State for rebounds and field goal percentage. Streun entered the career top 10 for rebounds during the Vikings' weekend at Montana, surpassing former teammate Pia Jurhar for 10th all-time. Streun passed Hiedi Hatcher (1997-2001) for ninth all-time with six rebounds in Monday's game, upping her career total to 615. This season, Streun entered the Big Sky tournament ranked 11th in the Big Sky with 6.5 rebounds per game, and stood fourth with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. Additionally, Streun, who came up with a crucial steal to set up Kylie Jimenez's game-winning layup at Montana on Feb. 4, also ranked tied for 15th in the Big Sky with 1.4 steals per game. 
 

IRON WOMAN

Senior Kylie Jimenez has started all 121 games of her Portland State career, and will tie the career record for games started if she starts Tuesday's quarterfinal against Idaho State. Jimenez will match the record Kelsey Kahle (2005-09) set at 122 games started. Jimenez's durability has helped her hit milestone after milestone during her Viking career. Jimenez surpassed 1,000 career points against Weber State on Feb. 29 last season, and hit two more milestones earlier this season. Jimenez recorded her 250th career steal against Montana on Feb. 6, and recorded her 500th career assist on Jada Lewis' game-winning three-pointer to beat Northern Arizona on Feb. 11. Only two other players at Portland State have reached 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in their career, and they're both PSU Hall of Famers in Kim Manifesto and Claire Faucher. If Jimenez hits three more three-pointers, then she'll separate herself from Manifesto and Faucher as the only one of the three with 200-career three-pointers in addition to the other three milestones. Jimenez ranks well against her contemporaries, as well, as she entered the Big Sky tournament ranked fourth among active players in the NCAA. Jimenez ranks behind only Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse (726), Ane Olaeta of California Baptist (613) and Destiny Slocum of Arkansas (611). Jimenez has also entered the career top 10 within the Big Sky Conference for assists and steals this season. Jimenez entered the top 10 for assists during the Vikings' game against Idaho on Feb. 20, and now ranks ninth all-time. Jimenez entered the career top 10 for steals against Warner Pacific on Feb. 28, passing current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford. Jimenez moved up to ninth all-time with two steals Friday against Southern Utah.
 

FRESHMEN SENSATIONS

Freshman Nakia Boston scored 11 points in Friday's comeback win over Southern Utah, giving her the seventh double-digit scoring game of her first collegiate season. Fellow freshman Morgan Baird also had one of her strongest games all season against the Thunderbirds, finishing with season and career highs for rebounds (14), blocks (3) and minutes played (35). Freshman Jenna Kilty was forced to sit the Vikings' series at Southern Utah, but still leads all Viking freshmen with 6.0 points per game and 18 starts this season. 
 

MILESTONE WATCH

Three different Vikings are waiting on some career milestones this season between Kylie Jimenez, Desirae Hansen and Tatiana Streun. It's up in the air how many games the Vikings will get in this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with any luck, those three will reach the following milestones:

• Jimenez needs 3 three-pointers to reach 200 in her career
• Jimenez needs 1 start to tie the career record for starts at Portland State
• Hansen needs 59 rebounds to reach 500 in her career
• Hansen needs 129 assists to reach 400 in her career
• Streun needs 134 points to reach 1,000 in her career

Jimenez, who has already become only the third player in Portland State history with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in her career, would stand alone as the only player to add 200 career three-pointers if she reaches the milestone. Hansen and Streun, meanwhile, could each become the first Viking to record over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career since Kelli Valentine reached both marks during the 2010-11 season. Whoever is first to both milestones will become just the 11th member of the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club at Portland State.
 

STREUN DEBUTS WITH SWISS NATIONAL TEAM

Tatiana Streun made her debut with the Swiss National Team in two qualifying games for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 tournament. Streun, who has dual citizenship between the U.S. and Switzerland thanks to her father Boris, appeared in the Swiss team's games against Russia and Estonia on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14, respectively. There's another qualifying period on Feb. 4 and 6, 2021, which Streun could potentially play in as well. Switzerland already played two of their qualifying games within Group C, beating Estonia 73-63 before losing 80-61 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The nine group winners and the five-best second-place teams in each group will advance to the final round of the EuroBasket tournament.
 

NEWCOMERS

The Vikings added five freshmen this season in Morgan Baird, Nakia Boston, Reilly Kelty, Jenna Kilty and Itziar Ugarte. Of the freshmen, Baird, a 5-11 forward out of Coquille, Ore., was the Oregon State 2A Player of the Year as a junior, and was a unanimous all-state first-team selection as a senior even as Coquille moved up a classification to 3A. Boston, a 5-9 guard from Everett, Wash., regularly scored 30-plus points for Lynnwood High School, and was the 3A/2A WESCO Player of the Year. Kelty, a 6-3 forward out of Cottage Grove, Ore., played her first three years of high school for Cottage Grove before transferring to Sheldon for her senior season. Kilty, a 5-10 guard out of Oakland, Calif., won back-to-back NorCal titles as a junior and senior, and finished as state runners-up as a junior. Finally, Ugarte, a 5-11 guard out of Madrid, Spain, was the MVP of the 2017 International Basket Cup in Benidorm, Spain.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

March 8, Portland State 71, Eastern Washington 51: The Vikings recorded their largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent this season with a 20-point victory over the Eagles. It was also the Vikings' largest margin of victory in a Big Sky tournament game. Desirae Hansen reached the 1,000-point career milestone during the game, becoming the fourth Viking in as many seasons to hit the benchmark.
March 5, Portland State 60, Southern Utah 57: The Vikings set a program record for largest fourth-quarter comeback, overcoming an 11-point deficit with 5:36 remaining. The Vikings closed the game on a 14-1 run, and out-scored the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the final minute. 
Feb. 28, Portland State 83, Warner Pacific 41: Labrea Denson and Ruchae Walton started for the first time in their careers while playing in their last home games. Kylie Jimenez also entered the career top 10 for steals within the Big Sky Conference during the game, passing current Montana State head coach Tricia Binford.
Feb. 22, Portland State 66, Warner Pacific 30: The Vikings set a Big Sky-era program record by allowing only 30 points to Warner Pacific, the fewest points by a Viking opponent since the 1975-76 season. The Vikings also held the Knights to 18.8 percent (12-of-64) shooting, the lowest mark for a Viking opponent since game-by-game records date back through the 2006-07 season.
Feb. 14, Portland State 58, Northern Arizona 56: Desirae Hansen hit three game-winning free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining, giving the Vikings their third last-second win out of their last four. The Vikings trailed by eight with less than five minutes left, but out-scored the Lumberjacks 12-2 the rest of the way.
Feb. 11, Portland State 75, Northern Arizona 73: Jada Lewis hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left off a dish from Kylie Jimenez. The assist gave Jimenez 500 in her Portland State career, making her just the third player to reach 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals for the Vikings.
Feb. 4, Portland State 61, Montana 60: The Vikings won in Missoula for just the fifth time in program history as Kylie Jimenez hit a game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds remaining. The Vikings led for less than three minutes of game time, but won despite being out-shot and out-rebounded in the game. 
Jan. 27, Portland State 59, The College of Idaho 37: The Vikings grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds against the Yotes, bettering their previous best by 11. The 56 rebounds tied last season's opener against Multnomah as the highest total in a game over the past four seasons.
Jan. 23, Idaho State 70, Portland State 62: The Vikings out-rebounded the Big Sky's top rebounding team in Idaho State, 43-37. Tatiana Streun scored 21 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, while adding a game-high 12 rebounds, too. Streun also went went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to become just the 14th player in program history to go perfect from the line while attempting at least 10 shots.
Jan. 16, Portland State 72, Montana State 70: The Vikings had five players score in double figures for the first time during the season. Desirae Hansen led the way with 20 points, 15 coming in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter.
Jan. 14, Montana State 75, Portland State 67: Jada Lewis scored 15 of the Vikings' 19 points in the fourth quarter, and assisted on the team's only other field goal. Lewis' 15 points came within one of the school record for points in a quarter.
Jan. 9, Portland State 74, Sacramento State 64: The Viking bench scored a season-high 25 points, its highest scoring output in nearly two years. Freshman Morgan Baird, who hadn't scored yet coming into the game, led the way with 10 points. Sophomore Syd Schultz added eight points and seven rebounds, while senior Labrea Denson chipped in five points, four rebounds and two assists.
Jan. 7, Portland State 66, Sacramento State 64: The Vikings recorded their first overtime win since Dec. 16, 2017. The Vikings shot just 2-of-17 in the fourth quarter as the Eagles came back, but stayed ahead in overtime thanks to a 26-15 advantage on the boards in the second half and overtime.
Jan. 2, Eastern Washington 73, Portland State 67: Sophomore Jada Lewis scored a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range while making her first-career start. Lewis scored 12 of her 20 points while going 4-of-4 from deep in the third quarter. The Vikings erased 14 of a 16-point halftime deficit in the third quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback. 
Dec. 31, Eastern Washington 73, Portland State 71: Freshman Jenna Kilty came within two points of the school record for points in a quarter with 14 in the third quarter. Kilty was 5-of-7 from the field in the quarter, and hit 2-of-3 from deep.
Dec. 16, Portland State 63, Dixie State 53: The Vikings won their long-delayed season opener, 281 days after they last took the court in an official game. The Vikings trailed 37-28 at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter but turned that into a 56-43 advantage with 4:26 left in the fourth behind an extended, 28-6 run.