SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Esmeralda Morales hit two late three-pointers to cut the Portland State women's basketball team's deficit down to two possessions late in Saturday's game at Sacramento State. But the Vikings couldn't string enough other plays together to get over the hump, as they fell 72-65 to the Hornets at The Nest.
 
Morales' two late triples came after the Vikings (5-16, 0-9) started the fourth quarter 1-of-9 from the field as both teams went cold over the final 10 minutes. The Vikings finished 4-of-15 (.267) from the field in the final period, while the Hornets (2-18, 1-8) weren't much better, going 3-of-11 (.273).
 
But the Hornets did enough to maintain their lead that they built in the third quarter. The Vikings initially took control out of halftime, scoring nine of the first 13 points of the third quarter to go up 43-39 with 6:13 remaining. The Hornets answered with a 15-3 run, however, that gave them a 54-46 advantage. That would be the 11th and final lead change in a game in which neither team ever led by double digits.
 
"We have to make teams miss and right now we're not doing that," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said after the game. "We got some good looks but didn't capitalize. Winning the rebounding battle and having three players in double figures are some bright spots."
 
Morales, Mia 'Uhila and Rhema Ogele were the three players in double figures for the Vikings. Morales finished with 22 points and five assists, giving the Big Sky's scoring leader her eighth 20-point game of the season. 'Uhila added 15 points and five rebounds while going 5-of-9 from the field. Ogele, meanwhile, finished with her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end.
 
But to Gregg's point, the Vikings gave up too many open looks to the Hornets while missing some layups of their own. The Hornets outshot the Vikings .479-to-.348 in the game, and were shooting even better until they went cold in the fourth quarter.
 
The Hornets were shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) through the first three quarters of the game. That was the only reason they were leading, essentially. Otherwise, the teams made the same number of field goals (23), a similar number of three-pointers (PSU 7, SAC 6), and a similar number of free throws until the Vikings started to foul late. Additionally, the Vikings controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Hornets 37-to-35, and outscored the Hornets in the paint (26-22) and on second-chance points (13-5).
 
The Vikings' offensive rebounding gave them a spark in the first half. Ogele led that effort as she and the Vikings finished with 17 offensive rebounds against the Hornets for their second highest total of the season. Seven of the Vikings' first 19 points of the game came on second-chance opportunities, in fact.
 
In addition to winning the rebounding battle, the Vikings also won the turnover battle against the Hornets, which has been a sore spot for the Vikings at times. The Vikings forced the Hornets into 20 turnovers Saturday, tied for the second most by a Viking opponent this season.
 
That – along with the offensive rebounds – helped spark the Vikings early in the game as 12 of the team's first 23 points came off turnovers. The Vikings finished with a 21-14 advantage in points off turnovers, including five in the final quarter.
 
Still, it was a 35-34 Hornet lead at halftime. The Vikings tried to take control with their spurt at the start of the third quarter. Alaya Fitzgerald scored on a fast break to give the Vikings a 40-39 lead, then knocked down a corner three on the team's next possession to give the Vikings their largest lead at 43-39.
 
Morales then answered with her second of four three-pointers after the Hornets had retaken the lead, putting the Vikings back up 46-45 with 3:49 left in the third quarter. But that would be the Vikings' final lead.
 
Saturday's game closed out the first half of the Big Sky schedule for the Vikings. They'll close out a four-game road trip Monday night when they play at Eastern Washington at 6 p.m. After that, the Vikings will play five of their next seven games at home as they wrap up the regular season.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Hornets, 33-25, despite Saturday's loss…Saturday's game was only the second time during the Vikings' 13-game losing streak that they've had three players score in double figures in the same game…The Vikings assisted on only six of their 23 field goals Saturday while the Hornets assisted on 17 of their 23.
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