PORTLAND, Ore. — An improved defensive effort against a Weber State team that shot lights out against them the last time around wasn't enough for the Portland State Vikings Thursday, as they fell to the Wildcats 67-46 at Viking Pavilion.
 
Weber State (7-17, 4-7) shot a school-record 64.3 percent (36-of-56) against the Vikings (5-18, 0-11) in the teams' first game against each other on Jan. 13. Thursday night, the Vikings held the Wildcats to 45.8 percent (22-of-48) from the field. Additionally, after the Wildcats outscored the Vikings 56-24 in the paint the first time around, the Vikings held them to just a 28-24 advantage Thursday.
 
But for the second straight game, the Vikings shot under 30 percent, going 18-of-62 (29.0 percent) from the field. The lack of consistent offense meant the Wildcats led comfortably for most of the game.
 
After falling behind 17-8, the Viking defense tried to spark a comeback, holding the Wildcats scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter. The Wildcats were shooting just 6-of-19 (.316) from the field at that point, having missed their first three shots of the second quarter.
 
Rhema Ogele was outscoring the Wildcats 4-0 in the second quarter at that point. Her putback with 5:23 remaining in the first half brought the Vikings back within five at 17-12.
 
Ogele scored on another second-chance opportunity – really a third chance – on the team's opening possession of the second half. That made it a single-digit game again at 29-20. But that would be as close as the Vikings got the rest of the way as the Wildcats stretched their lead in the second half.
 
Ogele played effectively for the Vikings in the paint, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. However, after fouling only once in the first half, she picked up three quick ones in the third quarter, forcing her to sit with 6:25 remaining in the period. She'd foul out with 7:37 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
Fellow post Lana Wenger had four fouls in the first half and fouled out just a few moments after Ogele.
 
Despite that, the Wildcats held their own in the paint, thanks in part to reserves Joy Haltom and Paige Winter. Haltom tied her career high with seven points while going 3-of-4 from the field.
 
The Vikings even finished with a 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass, but their poor shooting meant they turned those 13 offensive rebounds into only six second-chance points.
 
Esmeralda Morales led the Vikings with 12 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. It was a struggle for Morales to get her 12 points, however, as she went 4-of-17 from the field while facing the brunt of the Weber State defensive effort.
 
Weber State countered with 18 points each from fifth-year seniors Jadyn Matthews and Daryn Hickok. No other Wildcat was in double figures.
 
The Vikings now turn to Saturday's home game against Idaho State for their elusive breakthrough. The Bengals, short-handed due to some key injuries, fell to Sacramento State, 61-58, in other action Thursday.
 
Both teams will want to get back in the win column Saturday, then, when the ball goes up at Viking Pavilion at 2 p.m.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 31-33 in the all-time series between them and the Wildcats…Thursday's loss was the Vikings' 15th in a row…Morales went 1-of-7 from three-point range Thursday, maintaining her streak of hitting at least one three-pointer in every game this season.
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