PORTLAND, Ore. — If on Thursday, the Portland State women's basketball team improved in a number of statistical areas, Saturday, the Vikings showed improved fight. They battled back from multiple deficits against one of the hottest teams within the Big Sky Conference in Northern Colorado, but it wasn't enough as the Bears won their fifth straight game, beating the Vikings 71-54 at Viking Pavilion.
A 24-point fourth quarter in which the Bears (9-7, 4-1) missed only one shot, going 10-of-11 from the floor (.909), finally saw them put enough distance on the Vikings (5-13, 0-6). They didn't in the first half, as the Vikings erased a 13-point deficit to tie the game back up after falling behind early. They again tied it early in the third quarter after the Bears had edged ahead by five.
It looked at times like the Vikings would make a similar run in the fourth quarter. Their bench exploded with five minutes left in the game when
Rhema Ogele hit a layup through contact that brought them back within seven at 57-50. But the Bears outscored the Vikings 14-4 the rest of the way to close out the victory.
"We needed to take the lead," Portland State head coach
Chelsey Gregg said of her team's multiple comebacks Saturday. "Last year, maybe the difference was we'd take the lead [in these situations]. So, we still have to find that.
"I thought I saw a lot more fight today and celebrating each other, but we've still got to find a way in those moments to take the lead, to get the stop, and to kill their runs a little bit earlier."
The Vikings never did get over the hump against the Bears, as they either trailed or were tied the entire way.
That fact belies how close the game felt until the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, however. The Vikings stayed in the game thanks in part to carrying over some of the improvements they showed Thursday against Northern Arizona. The Vikings finished level with the Bears in points off turnovers, 18-18, as well as points in the paint, 34-34. Before Thursday, the Vikings hadn't done either in their last 10 games.
Saturday, the Vikings also shared the ball better than they have in several games, finishing with 14 assists on 24 field goals. The 14 assists were the Vikings' most since they had 15 against Bushnell on Dec. 12.
The assists helped spark the explosions the Vikings saw from their bench, which was part of the better energy they showed in the game.
Paige Winter scored off three straight assists to spark the Vikings' comeback in the second quarter. The Bears led 26-13 when Winter scored the first six points of an eventual 13-0 run that tied the game up at 26-all.
Mia 'Uhila scored the next two buckets for the Vikings after Winter's solo 6-0 run, then made the extra pass to Sofía Llanos for a corner three that tied it up with 53 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
'Uhila again made the extra pass early in the third quarter, feeding
Alaya Fitzgerald for another corner three that tied it up at 31-all. The three-pointer from Fitzgerald came as part of a strong sequence for the junior, as she then followed a UNC bucket with a steal-and-score to tie it back up at 33-all.
"I thought Alaya was shot ready tonight," Gregg said of Fitzgerald. "She definitely stepped up and hit some big shots for us and got in the passing lanes to force turnovers."
But the 33-all tie would be the last for the Vikings. The Bears answered with nine straight to retake a 42-33 lead, then held at least a seven-point advantage the rest of the way.
The Vikings could only trade baskets with the Bears in the fourth quarter, which stymied their comeback attempt. The fact that the Bears were nearly perfect, going 10-of-11 from the field (.909) and 3-of-3 from three-point range, didn't help. The Bears shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) across all four quarters, as they cracked 50 percent for the second straight game after shooting a season-high 56.1 percent Thursday in a win over Sacramento State.
The Vikings countered with a more balanced attack than they've seen recently. Winter finished with six points off the bench, while
Laynee Torres-Kahapea added four – including a circus shot to beat the shot clock in the fourth quarter – and Llanos three.
The 13 bench points were the Vikings' most since they also had 13 against the University of Portland on Dec. 20. The Vikings' bench has only scored more than 13 points once this season, which came when they scored 22 against Warner Pacific, a lower division school, on Nov. 14.
Out of the starters, Fitzgerald led the way with 14 points, while Ogele and
Esmeralda Morales followed with eight each. 'Uhila finished with six points to go with five assists and no turnovers.
The balance wasn't enough for a win, of course, but the down-the-roster contributions, coupled with the better ball movement and higher energy will only serve the Vikings during an upcoming four-game road trip. That road trip starts this coming Thursday, Jan. 25, when the Vikings face Montana at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 11-24 all time against Northern Colorado after Saturday's loss…The Vikings have lost 15 of their last 17 games against the Bears…PSU has now lost 10 games in a row…Morales was held to single digits in the scoring column for the first time this season…The Vikings outscored the Bears 8-2 in fast-break points, with the Vikings' eight points representing their most since they had 12 against Eastern Washington on Dec. 28.
