OGDEN, Utah — An 11-0 run to start the second half saw Weber State run away from Portland State Thursday, as the Wildcats broke open what was a one-point game at the break for a 62-48 victory over the Vikings at Dee Events Center.
 
The Wildcats (6-10, 3-3 Big Sky) shot 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the field in the third quarter while outscoring the Vikings 26-12 in the period. They tightened up their ball handling, too. The Vikings (4-11, 1-5 Big Sky) had been successful in turning over the Wildcats in the first half, forcing 12 turnovers behind seven steals. But the Wildcats committed just four turnovers in the second half against eight for the Vikings.
 
The Wildcats also got to the line a lot more in the second half. That was a strength of theirs going into the game, and yet the Vikings held them to just one free throw attempt in the first half, which came more than 15 minutes into the game. But the Wildcats made 13 of 14 free throws in the second half.
 
A constant throughout both halves for the Wildcats was their rebounding advantage over the Vikings. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Vikings 45-to-25, including a 17-to-7 advantage on the offensive glass that led to them outscoring the Vikings 18-5 in second-chance points. The minus-20 rebounding margin was the largest against the Vikings this season, as well as the program's largest since Montana out-rebounded the Vikings by 25 on Jan. 25, 2024.
 
"The great thing about basketball is you get another opportunity Saturday to bounce back," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said after the game. "We have to rebound and commit to defending, even when shots aren't falling."
 
The Vikings stayed in the game through the first half. Alaya Fitzgerald and Lana Wenger combined for 16 of the team's 23 first-half points. Fitzgerald scored seven of the Vikings' first 12 points, including a three-point play that brought the Vikings back within one with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Wenger hit a three-pointer when the Weber State defense sagged off her to give the Vikings a 19-17 lead with 7:52 remaining in the second quarter. She gave the Vikings the lead again at 23-22 with a turnaround jumper with 1:40 remaining.  
 
But that would be the last lead for the Vikings. The Wildcats went ahead 24-23 before the break, then scored the first 11 points of the second half while holding the Vikings scoreless for nearly five minutes. The Vikings only got under 10 points down once the rest of the way.  
 
Fitzgerald and Wenger finished with 11 points each to lead the Vikings. Cici Ellington added nine points, while Jamia Carter scored all seven of her points in the second half.
 
The Vikings get another chance Saturday when they head to Idaho State for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The last time the Vikings dropped their Thursday opener on the road, a 78-49 loss at Eastern Washington, they responded with a strong showing against Idaho two days later. They'll hope for a similar turnaround against another Idaho team in the Bengals Saturday.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 31-35 all-time against the Wildcats with Thursday's loss…The Wildcats outshot the Vikings .397-to-.358…The Vikings' 48 points Thursday marked a conference season low for PSU.
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