BOISE, Idaho — With the exception of a four-minute stretch in the third quarter, the Portland State women's basketball played Boise State even Sunday at ExtraMile Arena. But college basketball games aren't 36 minutes long. They're 40 minutes and that four-minute stretch in the third quarter featured a 12-0 run for the Broncos that proved the difference in their 71-61 victory over the Vikings.
 
It was a contrast of styles in Sunday's game. The Vikings (2-2) held the advantage from the outside, as they outscored the Broncos 30-12 on three-pointers while going 10-fo-26 (.385) from deep. But the Broncos (3-2) countered with a superior inside game that saw them outscore the Vikings 38-22 in the paint.

"I liked out fight today," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said afterwards. "I'm proud of how we competed, even when shots weren't falling for us in the third. We will continue to grow and learn together as we get more game experience under our belts."
 
The Broncos' ability to go inside helped them play a more efficient game than the Vikings. They outshot the Vikings .560-to-.371 overall Sunday, and that discrepancy was even bigger inside the arc. The Broncos went 24-of-37 (.649) on two-point shots, while the Vikings were 13-of-36 (.361).
 
It was efficiency in the third quarter that separated the Broncos from the Vikings. Two free throws from Mia 'Uhila tied the game at 35-35 with 6:55 remaining in the period. The Broncos missed their next shot, but then made the following seven shots in a row while taking a 51-38 lead with 2:09 left in the quarter.
 
All told, the Broncos finished the third quarter 9-of-12 (.750) from the field, while the Vikings went just 4-of-14 (.286).
 
The Vikings bounced back with an 18-point fourth quarter, but they never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
 
Boise State's Elodie Lalotte benefited the most from the Broncos' inside game, as she set a new career high with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
 
Jada Lewis led the Vikings with 15 points while going 6-of-17 from the field and 3-of-8 from three-point range. Esmeralda Morales added 14 points while going 4-of-8 from deep for the second straight game. Alaya Fitzgerald also went into double figures with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field.
 
Cinco McCartney chipped in eight points, though her biggest contribution came on the glass where the Vikings battled the Broncos to a respectable margin. The Broncos came into the game leading the Mountain West in rebounding (44.8 per game) while also ranking in the top 50 for rebounding margin at plus-11.2. The Vikings, meanwhile, came into the game ranked ninth in the Big Sky in rebounds per game.
 
And yet, the Vikings out-rebounded the Broncos 10-to-7 on the offensive glass, leading to a 14-12 advantage in second-chance points.

"Focus for us going into today was to value the basketball and control the glass. I think we did a lot better with those two areas today and gave ourselves a chance against a long, big, and disciplined Boise State team," Gregg said afterwards.
 
McCartney contributed to that with two offensive rebounds while teammate Rhema Ogele added three. Both players tied for the game high with seven rebounds, more than any Bronco player.
 
The Broncos still out-rebounded the Vikings 35-to-27 overall, but both the total and margin were below the Broncos' season averages.
 
The Vikings return home for their next game, as they host Utah Valley Saturday, Nov. 26, at Viking Pavilion. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 12-28 all time against the Broncos with the loss…Lewis' three three-pointers Sunday moved her into a tie with Emily Easom (2012-15) for eighth all time in career makes at Portland State…Mia 'Uhila led the Vikings with four steals Sunday while the Vikings forced the Broncos into 16 turnovers which led to 20 Portland State points.