PORTLAND, Ore. — It's not a fool's errand to look for progress in a loss. The Portland State women's basketball team can find plenty of progress in how it played Monday despite falling 82-57 at home to one of the Big Sky Conference's powers in Montana State.
 
The Vikings outrebounded a Montana State team, 39-37, that came into the game ranked third in the Big Sky for rebounds per game. Additionally, the Vikings held a 14-10 advantage on the offensive glass despite the Bobcats coming in ranked second in the conference for offensive rebounds per game. The Vikings hadn't won the rebounding battle against any Big Sky opponent this season going into Monday night, and hadn't beaten an NCAA Division I team on the boards since outrebounding Prairie View A&M 41-39 on Nov. 20.
 
So, progress.
 
"I feel like we got better tonight. We had better energy. We were more together and I can deal with that. Our shirts tonight said 'The Power of One' and we talked about what that would mean for us tonight. It's not going to be one person stepping up, it's going to be a collective effort," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said after the game.
 
"I'm really proud of the team for winning the rebounding battle. That was one of our goals tonight. Fourteen offensive rebounds are huge. I'd like their 10 to not be there, but winning 39-37 against a tough, older team like that who crashed hard, I was proud of that effort."
 
The Vikings also found progress in how they distributed the ball. The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals, with the 15 total assists marking their most in a game since they had 19 in a near-win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 29. Esmeralda Morales had eight assists Monday, setting a new conference season-high for the Vikings' freshman point guard.
 
"I thought Esme, especially in the third quarter, really made some great decisions with the basketball. She found open teammates and they were able to knock down shots. I liked that flow," Gregg said of the team's passing.
 
"We would have had even more assists if we made some open shots. We got the looks tonight that I thought we had struggled to find before. The next level is to knock more of those down." 
 
Six of Morales' eight assists came in the third quarter when the Vikings used a hot start to get back within striking distance. The Vikings scored more points in the third quarter (22) than they did in the entire first half (17), and 16 of those 22 points came in the first five minutes after halftime. Savannah Dhaliwal scored 10 quick points in the third quarter as she hit double figures in the period in just over four minutes of game time. Additionally, after Dhaliwal scored her 10th point in the third, she got a steal on the ensuing Bobcat possession, which led to a fast-break layup amid contact for Jenna Kilty. Kilty converted the three-point play, and the Vikings got back within 11 at that point after trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half.
 
So, good energy after a large early deficit against one of the best teams in the Big Sky Conference? Progress
 
The Bobcats, to their credit, didn't falter when the Vikings made their surge in the third quarter. They never let the game get closer than 10 points, and after it did, they closed the third quarter on a 12-3 run. They extended that with the first five points of the fourth quarter, giving them a 63-39 lead with nine minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings wouldn't get closer than 21 the rest of the way.
 
"They're a well-coached, veteran team. They've been in those situations before and know how to handle that. We're still learning that," Gregg said of Montana State's ability to answer the Vikings' runs.
 
Three-point shooting hurt the Vikings as the Bobcats always seemed to hit a big three-pointer when they needed to. The Bobcats finished 10-of-19 (.526) from deep in the game and generally held a sizeable advantage in the efficiency categories. The Bobcats outshot the Vikings .492-to-.339 overall and won the turnover battle as they forced 17 out of the Vikings while committing only seven themselves.
 
The Vikings countered with their own three-point shooting barrage. The team took 36 three-point attempts, setting a new program as the previous record had been 35 in a game at Syracuse on Nov. 22, 2008. The 36 attempts weren't bad shots, either, as a lot of them were open looks. The Vikings ended up knocking down 12 of their 36 attempts, tying a season-high for makes this season.
 
Jada Lewis went 4-of-12 from beyond the arc as she led the Vikings with 14 points to go with five rebounds. Lewis also had a big game from the outside when the Vikings played the Bobcats in Bozeman on Jan. 22 earlier this season. Lewis went 5-of-7 from deep in that game, meaning she went a combined 9-of-19 (.474) in the Vikings' two games against the Bobcats this season.
 
Dhaliwal tied a season- and career-high with three makes from deep herself, as she had her best scoring game since she had 16 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 29. Dhaliwal finished with 13 points, 10 of which came in that third-quarter run, and added eight rebounds and two assists.
 
Morales and Kilty each had two made three-pointers while chipping in 10 and nine points, respectively. Mia 'Uhila hit the other three-pointer, part of a five-point, four-rebound and two-assist night for the freshman guard.
 
Rhema Ogele led the Vikings on the boards as she recorded her first double-digit rebounding game since the opening week of the season. Ogele finished with 11 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass (a career-high). Five different Vikings finished with at least four rebounds in the game, as in addition to Ogele, Dhaliwal had eight, Lewis had five, and 'Uhila and Reilly Kelty each had four.
 
So, while Monday ended up another loss for the Vikings, it still earned the Vikings some momentum heading into a week-long road trip. That road trip starts two days from now, as the Vikings head to Weber State for a rare Wednesday night conference game. Tipoff between the Vikings and Wildcats is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT.
 
Progress.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 30-40 all-time against Montana State with the loss Monday…Montana State moved into a tie with Idaho State for first in the Big Sky standings with its win over the Vikings…The Vikings were without Alaya Fitzgerald, who had been leading the Vikings in scoring in the 12 games since their season restarted on Jan. 15, due to concussion protocols…Kelty had three blocks in the game, the fifth time this season she's had at least three blocks in a game.