PORTLAND, Ore. — After a slow start cost the Portland State women's basketball team in its last game against Utah Tech, head coach Karlie Burris wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen again.
 
To that end, after the national anthem finished before Friday's tipoff against San Jose State, Burris called her team over to the bench, ignoring the team's intro video as she and the Vikings went over final instructions.
 
The response? The Vikings opened the game with a defensive stop, then pushed the ball up the floor quickly for an easy layup from Cici Ellington on the other end. That was as good an indicator as any that the Vikings had the right mindset Friday, as they put together a 75-64 win over the Spartans at Viking Pavilion.
 
"That will be the norm," Burris said of the team's focus pre-game. "I don't need them looking at themselves in the intro video. We're locked into the game plan and we're going to step on the court and hopefully be able to execute on both sides of the ball."
 
The Vikings (2-4) not only led after the first quarter for the first time against an NCAA Division I opponent this season, they led after every quarter. A 15-2 finish to the third quarter put the Vikings up nine entering the fourth, and they never let the Spartans (0-5) closer than seven points the rest of the way.
 
And while Friday marked the Vikings' first win over an NCAA Division I opponent this season – their first win overall came against NCAA Division III Willamette, 89-52, on Nov. 11 – the final score was only a part of the story. The Vikings set overall season highs for rebounds (44), steals (10), blocks (5) and offensive rebounds (16), while setting seasonal bests against NCAA Division I opponents in rebounding margin (+6), turnover margin (+4), assists (20), three-pointers (6) and opponent field goal percentage (.397)
 
"This season, we're not going to go off wins and losses. It's how are we improving, and I think we got better tonight in a lot of different areas. I thought we were better executing the scouting report and getting to 75 points for us is great. We see the build and we just have to continue to progress," Burris said.
 
Even still, the Vikings found themselves down 42-38 with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter. The Spartans had gone on an 8-1 run, looking reenergized out of halftime as they took their largest lead of the game.
 
But the Vikings answered with 10 straight points of their own as well as 15 of the next 17 to finish the quarter.
 
No play was bigger than the one that started the run. With leading scorer Kyleigh Brown already in double figures, both defenders followed her off a screen from Kirstine Munk. That left Munk open on the back side as Brown slipped a pass over the top of the defense to Munk, who finished through contact for a three-point play.
 
Hannah Chicken followed with three free throws across two different trips to the line, while Brown hit a pair of pull-up jumpers in the paint to give the Vikings a 48-42 lead with 2:38 remaining. Defensively, meanwhile, the Vikings held the Spartans without a field goal for over eight minutes, including the final 7:27 of the third quarter.
 
"The biggest thing for us [in that moment] was to just play through things," Burris said of the game-changing run. "That just showed our growth and maturity. We can sustain a run and fight back if we need to."
 
The Vikings got the buckets they needed to in the fourth quarter to stay in front. Ellington answered the Spartans' first bucket in the fourth quarter with a long two. Brown followed with another pull-up jumper in the paint to answer a second San Jose State bucket. The Spartans scored back-to-back baskets only once over the entire fourth quarter, and by then there was only 2:58 remaining.
 
Chicken scored six straight points after the Spartans drew within seven, including a put back on a missed three-pointer that may have been the back breaker with less than two minutes remaining.
 
The trio of Brown, Chicken and Ellington led the Vikings. Brown scored 20+ points for the second straight game, finishing with 22 on 10-of-20 shooting to go with seven rebounds and two assists. It was the 12th straight game in double figures for Brown, who leads the Vikings with 18.3 points per game this season after Friday.
 
"She shot 10-for-20 tonight. It doesn't even seem like she took that many shots. I wish she took more. But she's a really good player. Her seven rebounds stick out to me, as well. That helps us, and when she's taking care of the ball, that helps us, too," Burris said of Brown.
 
Chicken added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with eight rebounds and a career-high four steals. She's scored in double figures in four straight games during which time she's averaging 13.8 points per game on 63.2 percent (24-for-38) shooting from the floor.
 
"She's at the beginning of how good she's going to be," Burris said of Chicken. "I think she can be a double-double machine for us, with her mobility and athleticism. On the defensive end, I think we can let her loose and she can be a little more active."
 
Ellington, meanwhile, put together her best game yet as a Viking. The sixth-year senior who battled through two years off with injuries at Grambling State, set a PSU career high with 14 points to go with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
 
"I feel like Cici's breakthrough is coming," Burris said of Ellington. "She's been putting in a lot of work. We've been messing around and putting her where we need her, and she's stepped up to it. So, we're excited. I still don't think she's where she thinks she should be, so we expect that from her every single night."
 
Ultimately, it was a team effort for the Vikings Friday. No stat showed that more than the Vikings' 20 assists on 27 field goals, by far the team's best assist percentage in any game this season. Laynee Torres-Kahapea led the way with a career-high seven assists, though seven of the 10 Vikings who played Friday recorded at least one.
 
"That was the stat that stuck out to me the most," Burris said of the assists. "That's something we want to continue to do. We don't want to play one-on-one. We want multiple people to be in double figures. We had three but if we have four or five on any given day, I think we're going to be in good shape."
 
It's why Friday felt like a victory for the Vikings even beyond the final score. And it helped that the Vikings started on the right foot.
 
Who needs to watch their own intro video anyways?
 
Game Notes:

• The Vikings improved to 6-1 all-time against the Spartans with Friday's win.
• Friday marked the first time the Vikings had won the turnover battle against an NCAA Division I opponent this season.
• Ajae Yoakum reached 1,000-career points across her entire collegiate career with a bucket with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter.
• The Vikings won every quarter but the second, which the Spartans won 17-15.
• The Vikings are 2-0 at Viking Pavilion after Friday's game.

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