BOISE, Idaho — Don't call it a turnaround, call it a return to form.
 
A first-round exit at last season's Big Sky tournament – after an 0-20 conference season – was the first time the Vikings hadn't advanced to the conference quarterfinals since 2015-16. So, Saturday's 73-58 win over eighth-seeded Idaho State at Idaho Central Arena saw the Vikings back to familiar ground: advancing at the Big Sky tournament for sixth time in their past seven seasons.
 
It follows a regular season in which the Vikings' improved their conference win total by eight, setting the largest year-to-year turnaround in program history and tied for the second largest in Big Sky Conference history.
 
"You have to have the players. That's where it starts and finishes in our program. Their loyalty and their commitment to getting better every day has been amazing," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said of the Vikings' improvements this season. "When you do it the right way, you get rewarded for it. We've built a culture where we show that we care about our players. I think that goes a long way."
 
The Vikings (14-15) stomped on the throat of the Bengals (11-19) in the second quarter, something they had failed to do in previous games this season. The Vikings had played a number of close games this season, and while they were 5-0 in Big Sky games decided by five points or less, a lot of those could have been double-digit wins if the Vikings had stretched their lead earlier.
 
Saturday, they did just that. The Vikings led 24-8 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter after Jada Lewis drained the last of her three three-pointers in the opening 10 minutes. The Bengals responded with nine straight points to get back within seven, but the Vikings answered with a 10-2 finish to the first half that put them up 44-26 at the break.
 
A 9-0 run midway through the third quarter then put the Vikings in full control, up 60-35 with just over 13 minutes of game time remaining.
 
"A team like Idaho State is not going to quit. Seton [Sobolewksi, Idaho State's head coach] is a great coach. His players are bought in and they're not going to go away. And so, we knew we needed to continue to play good basketball and not allow them even a glimmer of hope that they're going to come back in the game," Gregg said of the team's mentality.
 
Rebounding helped set the tone early. Rhema Ogele grabbed three offensive rebounds with just over two minutes off the clock. By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings had five offensive rebounds while they were outrebounding the Bengals 11-to-5. It'd finish as a 43-to-35 advantage for the Vikings, their largest rebounding margin against a Big Sky opponent this season.
 
"We've been really harping on rebounding," Gregg said of the win on the glass. "Rebounding is what's going to take us as far as we want to go. So, I'm really proud of the effort, especially offensively. Just crashing the boards and putting pressure on their defense."
 
That was in stark contrast to the team's two regular-season games against the Bengals. Idaho State outrebounded the Vikings by 16 and 19 in those. And while the Bengals were without leading scorer Callie Bourne, Laura Bello still gave the Vikings everything they would have wanted in the paint with 30 points and 15 rebounds.
 
The Vikings countered with balance up and down the roster. Four different Vikings finished in double figures, while Ogele was two points away with eight points and seven rebounds. Jada Lewis led the Vikings with 17 points while tying her season high with eight rebounds. Esmeralda Morales followed with 16 points and six assists, while Alaya Fitzgerald and Mia 'Uhila added 12 points each. Four Vikings also finished with at least six rebounds with Fitzgerald and 'Uhila chipping in six each behind Lewis and Ogele.
 
"It feels amazing," Morales said of the victory. "Last year wasn't the season we wanted and I think we took that and put it on our shoulders and said we were going to prove people wrong but at the same be us. Be truthful with what we value. A dub feels amazing in March."
 
It was Lewis' game early on. She finished the first half 5-for-5 from three-point range, as she scored 15 of her 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. Her fifth three-pointer came with 4:07 remaining in the second quarter and put the Vikings up 34-21.
 
"I tried to bring my warmup into the game. I was feeling really good at the beginning of the game and during warmups," Lewis said of her hot-shooting to start the game. "My mentality coming in was to just be aggressive. Take my shots. I know that when I'm open I have to shoot it. Just letting it fly rather than thinking about it."
 
Morales and 'Uhila took the lead in the third quarter, combining for 12 of the Vikings' 16 points in the quarter as they stretched their lead.
 
'Uhila scored all five of her third-quarter points in the Vikings' 9-0 run to go up by 25. She punctuated the run with the best Allen Iverson impression fans are likely to see at the Big Sky tournament this week. She drove the baseline against an Idaho State player, finished through contact, then stepped over her defender on her way back down the court.
 
The balanced attack saw the Vikings assist on 17 of their 25 field goals Saturday, while shooting 41.7 percent (25-of-60) overall and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from three-point range.
 
Idaho State had held the Vikings to below 50 points in their two regular season games this season. The Bengals have typically been a tough team for the Vikings to score against, and they finished the regular season leading the Big Sky in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. The Bengals have had such a consistently strong defense that Saturday' 73 points marked the Vikings' highest scoring output since they won 89-79 on Jan. 17, 2011.
 
It's an encouraging sign for the Vikings' next game, as they face second-seeded Montana State, another team that held them to limited offense during the regular season. The Bobcats swept the season series against the Vikings, including a 63-34 win over the Vikings last Saturday.
 
But everything's up for grabs in March.
 
"I'm excited. We get another chance. We get to play another game so I don't really care who we play," Gregg said of turning around and facing the Bobcats. "We're going to watch [the previous game against Montana State]. We'll be ready to go. They're a veteran team that's played together for a lot of years. We're going to have to clean it up. We're going to have to have a better second half than we did this afternoon, and make some shots. But ultimately, I think we're excited to have that opportunity and be able to prep for another game against them."
 
And the Vikings have been at this stage before. They certainly played like it Saturday.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings improved to 25-43 all time against the Bengals with Saturday's win…The Vikings went 2-1 against the Bengals this season after only beating them once in their previous 23 meetings before the year…The Vikings are now 2-2 in Big Sky tournament games against the Bengals…The Vikings never trailed Saturday, leading for 37:55 of the 40 minutes against the Bengals.