PORTLAND, Ore. — Through one half Monday, the Portland State women's basketball team looked like a team ready to break through. The Vikings were coming off two close losses to some of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference, including a one-point loss Thursday to league-leading Southern Utah.
 
The Vikings were facing those same Thunderbirds against Monday night at Vikings Pavilion, and had them down 31-28 at the break. But a flat start to the second half ended up costing the Vikings, as a 22-3 run right out of halftime put the Thunderbirds (12-6, 8-1 Big Sky) in the lead for good as they cruised the rest of the way to a 77-53 road victory.
 
Stopping big runs was something the Vikings talked about after their game against Northern Arizona Saturday. The Vikings led for most of that game before the Lumberjacks ended on an 18-0 run to beat the Vikings, 79-68.
 
"Foul trouble affected our mental state a little bit, unfortunately, and we have to grow in that area, because I thought we did a lot of good things in that first half. But we came out pretty flat in that second half," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said of the Thunderbirds' big run at the start of the second half.
 
So, the Vikings (5-12, 0-9 Big Sky) will have to wait at least another game to get the breakthrough they've appeared to deserve at various times over their last three games.
 
It certainly looked the Vikings would get their first conference win after the opening 20 minutes Monday. The Vikings held Southern Utah – the league's leading offense at 73.8 points per game – to only 28 points on 10-of-33 (.303) shooting from the field. The Vikings were humming on the other side of the court, too, as Jada Lewis poured in 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range in the first half, while freshman guards Esmeralda Morales and Mia 'Uhila had eight points each.
 
"We executed really well," Gregg said of the first half. "We were making shots, but it was because they were great shots. We executed, almost to a T, what we would like to do. I thought defensively we had great energy, too. Ultimately, we were doing what we had game-planned for."
 
The Vikings opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run that gave them their largest lead of the game at 27-16. 'Uhila kicked off the quarter with what's likely to be the lead highlight on her highlight reel for the season. The freshman picked off a Southern Utah pass, then sprinted to save the ball from going out-of-bounds before firing a no-look pass to Lewis along the left baseline for Lewis' second triple of the game.
 
Lewis hit another three-pointer during the run to put the Vikings up 25-16, while two free throws from Morales ended the rally with 5:08 remaining before halftime.
 
The Thunderbirds started to turn around the game after that, however. A pair of three-pointers cut the Vikings lead to five at 27-22 with 2:21 left before halftime, and the Thunderbirds would cut it to a three-point lead, 31-28, at the break. That bled into the Thunderbirds' 22-3 run to start the second half, which gave them a 50-34 lead and put them up for good. All told, the Thunderbirds outscored the Vikings 34-7 after the Vikings led 27-16 with just over five minutes remaining before halftime.
 
Lewis added five points in the second half to finish with 15 for the game on 6-of-12 shooting overall and 4-of-8 from three-point range. Lewis also led the Vikings with six rebounds in the game.
 
Alaya Fitzgerald, who had a breakout performance Saturday against NAU with a career-high 23 points, followed up with 10 points to go with five rebounds, two steals and an assist.
 
Morales and 'Uhila both didn't score in the second half, as the Thunderbirds held the Vikings to only 22 points after the break. Savannah Dhaliwal – who averaged 18.5 points per game in the Vikings' last two games, including a season-high 21 points against SUU Thursday – was held scoreless for the first time this season.
 
"We continue to talk about pace so we have to continue to grow together and take great shots. Not just good shots, or contested shots. That's what happens when you have an opportunity and you don't take it," Gregg said of letting the halftime lead slip.
 
"A number one team, an old team, a veteran team, a very skilled team [Southern Utah], they're not going to give you another opportunity to take it. And so I think that can really be a learning opportunity for us. When those opportunities arise, we have to take it."
 
The Vikings can apply those lessons quickly, as they remain home to host Northern Colorado at Viking Pavilion this coming Thursday. Tipoff between the Vikings and Bears is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Thunderbirds 16-13 despite Monday's loss…The Vikings and Thunderbirds played just four days earlier in Cedar City, with the Thunderbirds winning, 64-63, on a free throw with 0.8 seconds remaining…The Vikings went 11-of-13 (.846) from the free-throw line after two uncharacteristic poor free-throw shooting games earlier in the weekend.