Portland State University Athletics

PORTLAND, Ore. — You don't always win a game just once. Sometimes an opposing team forces you to win it two or three times within a single game, as was the case for the Portland State women's basketball team Tuesday night in a 69-60 win over Bushnell at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Beacons caught the Vikings on the back foot early in the game, going up 15-8 in the first quarter, then got back within four points in the fourth after the Vikings had led by as many as 16.
 
"It just felt like we were stuck in the mud a little bit for whatever reason," Portland State head women's basketball coach Chelsey Gregg said afterwards. "Maybe a finals hangover, whatever it is. But also, Bushnell came out and hit some shots early and played well.
 
"I would like to see us have a bit more of a killer instinct and put teams away early. But we took care of business and found a way. That's the takeaway from today. It wasn't pretty, but we found a way, which is important."
 
The Vikings (5-3) were dealing with a short turnaround after facing in-state Pac-12 program Oregon Saturday in Eugene. The Vikings led that game in the third quarter before the Ducks came back, and the Beacons may have caught the Vikings lamenting that loss early in Tuesday's game.
 
At the same time, there was only one lead change in the game as the Vikings never relinquished the lead once they seized it in the second quarter.
 
Esmeralda Morales made sure of that for the Vikings, as she put together another sparkling performance at Viking Pavilion. Needing only nine points to become the 21st player in Portland State program history to reach 1,000 in her career, Morales soared past the 1k mark with a game-high 26 on 8-of-14 shooting and 6-of-9 from three-point range.
 
It should be expected from Morales when she plays at Viking Pavilion at this point. In three home games this season, Morales has scored 23 against Warner Pacific on Nov. 14, 27 against Seattle U on Nov. 25, and now 26 against Bushnell. What's more, Morales is a combined 16-of-27 (.593) from three-point range when playing at home, having hit at least five shots from beyond the arc in all three games.
 
"I'm just really proud of Esme for the way she puts in the work. She always wants to compete and get better. To see that rewarded is special," Gregg said of Morales. "I know that she would trade wins for some of the records she's setting, but on this team, we need her to score. So, she's taken on that role. Just really proud of her and the way that she's done it."
 
Coincidentally, it was Morales' third three-pointer of the game – the one that put her over the 1k scoring mark – that gave the Vikings the lead for good against the Beacons. It came with 8:23 left in the second quarter and pushed the Vikings in front, 22-19.
 
It was still a three-point game at 31-28 when the Vikings closed the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 40-28 halftime lead. The Vikings' outside shooting sparked the run as Morales hit her fourth triple of the first half in between three-pointers from Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Joy Haltom. The Vikings shot 8-of-17 (.471) from three-point range in the first half, and would go on to finish 10-of-27 (.370) from beyond the arc.
 
The Vikings have hit at least 10 three-pointers in all three home games so far this season. Besides Tuesday's showing against the Beacons, the Vikings went 13-of-24 (.542) against Warner Pacific, and 11-of-22 (.500) against Seattle U.
 
"It's nice to be home, absolutely," Gregg said of the team's shooting numbers at Viking Pavilion. "It's where you shoot. It's where you practice. It's always nice to see the ball go in like that."
 
The Vikings had to find other ways to score in the second half, however. Post players Rhema Ogele and Lana Wenger answered that call. Ogele came out of halftime on fire, scoring six straight points to push the Vikings' lead to 14. Wenger provided the next five for the Vikings, including a three-point play that gave the Vikings at 51-36 lead with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Ogele and Wenger would finish with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Ogele added a team-high eight rebounds to her 13 points, while Wenger's 12 represented her second straight career high after she had eight points at Oregon Saturday. Wenger scored her 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, with her only miss coming on a three-point attempt in the fourth quarter.
 
"She's continuing to grow in confidence and understanding what we're looking for. And where and when are those times for her score. But yeah, we need her to be aggressive. We need her to continue to contribute, and defensively, continue to grow in her understanding of our system," Gregg said of Wenger.
 
After Wenger's three-point play in the third quarter, the Beacons put a lid on the Vikings' basket. Portland State wouldn't score for the rest of the third quarter while the Beacons whittled the Vikings' lead down to four.
 
It was still a four-point lead when Morales hit a clutch three-pointer early in the fourth quarter to give the Vikings some breathing room, up 56-49. A few moments later, Morales came up big again, getting to the line after stealing an in-bounds from the Beacons. She'd hit both free throws, pushing the Vikings' lead to nine at 62-53. A final three-pointer from Morales – her sixth of the game – provided the dagger with 1:17 remaining and the Vikings leading 69-59.
 
All told, Morales scored 12 of the Vikings' 18 points in the fourth quarter, ensuring the Vikings never gave up the lead to the Beacons.
 
The Vikings won Tuesday's game despite being outshot .442-to-.414. The Vikings earned more possessions than the Beacons, however, outrebounding them 36-to-28 and recording eight steals on 12 forced turnovers. The Vikings also had a significant advantage from three-point range where they made 10 shots to the Beacons' four. Morales going 6-for-9 from beyond the arc no doubt helped that.
 
Tuesday's game kicked off a five-game homestand for the Vikings. They'll host San Francisco Saturday at 2 p.m. and the University of Portland on Dec. 20, before opening conference play at home against Eastern Washington (Dec. 28) and Idaho (Dec. 30).
 
The home-heavy December schedule has the Vikings eying a bit of a run if they can string some performances together. Tuesday's win started any potential streak with a victory. Even if it felt like the Vikings had to win it two or three times by the end of the night.
 
Game Notes: Tuesday's game was the first counting meeting between the Vikings and Beacons…Haltom grabbed three steals in Tuesday's game, her third time recording three or more steals out of her seven appearances so far this season…The Vikings assisted on 15 of their 24 field goals Tuesday, with Mia 'Uhila leading the way with five assists…Due to NAIA rules, Tuesday's game counted as an exhibition for Bushnell who came in 6-3 overall on the year.
  Read Full Article