PORTLAND, Ore. — We've all had a Thanksgiving Dinner that got a bit chippy. It's only appropriate, then, that the Portland State women's basketball team grinded out a hotly contested 75-68 victory over Seattle U the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
 
The Vikings (3-2) nearly led wire-to-wire at Viking Pavilion, but still had to fight off a ferocious comeback from the Redhawks (0-6) in the fourth quarter. When Seattle U's Irena Korolenko banked in a three-pointer with 21 seconds left, it made it a one-possession game, 71-68, for the first time since midway through the second quarter. Esmeralda Morales answered with two free throws for the Vikings, however, while Mia 'Uhila added two more after Seattle U missed on its final attempt from the field.
 
"We're continuing to learn through it," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said afterwards. "I think there's growth in that when we'd see pressure before, we didn't stop the run. This time we were able to handle the pressure. Get stops. Overall, I think everybody was locked in, and I'm proud of our performance today."
 
Free throw shooting helped the Vikings ice the game despite being held to just 2-of-12 (.167) from the field in the fourth quarter. The Vikings countered their drought from the field by going 14-of-16 (.875) from the line, including 12 straight makes to finish the game. The Vikings finished 22-of-28 (.786) from the free-throw line overall, with the 22 makes representing a new season high.
 
Through three quarters, the Vikings couldn't miss from the field. They were shooting 19-of-33 (.576) from the field heading into the fourth quarter, including 11-of-17 (.647) from three-point range. Morales hit seven of her first eight shots from the field as well as five of her first six three-pointers.
 
But several other Vikings contributed to the scoring output Saturday. That was as encouraging a sign as any for the Vikings after they scored only 38 points a week ago against New Mexico State. Morales scored 19 of the Vikings' 38 points in that game, but only one other player besides Morales had more than one field goal in the game.
 
Not the case Saturday, as all nine Vikings who played scored. Several chipped in from three-point range where six different players hit at least once. Morales still contributed the lion share with five of the Vikings' 11 makes from deep, but 'Uhila went 2-of-4, while Lana Wenger, Cinco McCartney, Joy Haltom and Sofía Llanos all hit once from the outside.
 
Strong passing helped lead to the better balance offensively. The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals, with Morales and 'Uhila again leading the way individually with four assists each. In their three wins so far this season, the Vikings are averaging 16 assists per game, while they had just 13 combined in their two losses.
 
"That's who we want to be," Gregg said of the assists. "When we talk about identity, we want to be sharing the basketball. And also understanding who has the hot hand. It was E [Morales] tonight, and then Mia at times, and then we were able to go inside a bit. Just continue to share the basketball, yes, but also, can we play with the pace and find the hot hand? That's what we really need to continue to do."
 
The balance came as the Vikings took command in the second quarter. After Morales scored 10 of the Vikings' 16 points in the first quarter, five different Vikings scored from the field in the second period. That included eight points from 'Uhila, including back-to-back buckets to cap a 20-4 stretch that spanned over five minutes of game time. Morales dished to 'Uhila in the corner for a three on the Vikings' penultimate bucket of the run, while 'Uhila picked the pocket of Seattle U's Asta Blauenfeldt on the next possession, leading to a breakaway layup on the other end.
 
That gave the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 39-21 before Seattle U's Mya Moore hit a final bucket before half to make it a 16-point game at the break.
 
The Vikings pushed their lead back out to 18 points a couple of different times in the third quarter, including at the end of the period when 'Uhila again dazzled with a pass over the top of the defense to McCartney for a bucket.
 
It was a 57-39 Viking lead entering the fourth quarter after that. The Vikings still led by 15 at 63-48 with 5:48 remaining when the Redhawks started to narrow the gap. The Redhawks went to a full-court press that took the Vikings out of their rhythm offensively. Meanwhile, Moore went to work for the Redhawks in the paint, scoring 20 of her game-high 28 points after halftime.
 
Korolenko also made two three-pointers for the Redhawks late in the fourth quarter, after Seattle U started the game one of their first 10 from deep. The first triple dropped it to a single-digit lead for the first time since the second quarter, while the second made it a three-point game in the final minute.
 
But again, the Vikings stayed in front behind their free throw shooting. Morales went 8-of-8 from the line in the fourth quarter, four of which came in the final minute.
 
'Uhila hit the final two from the line to cap a career-high 16 points for her. Ogele joined Morales and 'Uhila in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor. McCartney, Haltom and Llanos added five points each.
 
Both 'Uhila and Haltom did more than just score, though. They both led the Vikings to a 32-to-31 victory on the glass Saturday, giving the Vikings just their second rebounding win of the season. Haltom, a freshman, led the way with a career-high nine rebounds, while 'Uhila added six.
 
The rebounding numbers meant both players stuffed the stat sheet Saturday. 'Uhila finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Haltom, meanwhile, added five points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals in what was easily her best game yet as a Viking. Haltom also led all players as a +18 in the plus/minus Saturday.
 
So, the Vikings had to scrap a bit Saturday, but handled the moment behind sharing the basketball and stuffing the stat sheet.
 
Scrapping, sharing, stuffing. Sounds like a typical Thanksgiving.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings improved to 8-9 all time against Seattle U with Saturday's win…The Vikings were called for two technical fouls in the second half…There were 49 fouls calls between both teams Saturday…The Redhawks outscored the Vikings 40-18 in the paint…The Vikings finished with 11 steals as a team, the fourth time out of five games this season that the Vikings have recorded 10+ steals in a game.
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