KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With respect to Kansas City barbecue sauce, it couldn't taste as sweet as an 85-79 overtime victory for the Portland State women's basketball team Saturday.
 
The Vikings erased a six-point deficit entering the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Roos, winning the game from the free throw line where they scored their last 10 points in overtime.
 
The win at the Swinney Center marked the Vikings' first-ever victory within the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. It was also the Vikings' first road win since Nov. 16, 2024, when they beat Seattle U, 67-57, at the beginning of last season.
 
"Road wins are hard in general, but to win in overtime, I'm really excited for this group. We were super excited about our team's response [to the fourth-quarter deficit] and doing what it takes to win. We stayed connected down the stretch and believed. Really proud of this group and hopefully we can get some momentum going on the back of this," Portland State first-year head coach Karlie Burris said of the win.
 
All the momentum was with the Roos (2-7) at the start of the fourth quarter. They erased a seven-point halftime lead for the Vikings in less than 90 seconds with a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. Emani Bennett got hot to lead the Roos, scoring 16 of her team-high 27 points in the third quarter while going 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range in the period.
 
But the Vikings (3-6) opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets from Kyleigh Brown and Sophie Buzzard to get back within two. Three straight three-pointers from Brown, Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Taylor Moffat then saw the Vikings take a 66-65 lead with just over five minutes remaining.
 
"I was really proud of how we responded in the fourth quarter after the third. They came out in a press and forced us to turn the ball over a few too many times, and we went into a little offensive lull. But I'm really proud of the response. We stayed the course and really came out focused and locked back in with what we were trying to do," Burris said of the Vikings' response in the fourth quarter.
 
Hannah Chicken converted a three-point play to give the Vikings the lead again at 69-67, while Ajae Yoakum hit a layup to stretch it to a 71-67 lead with 3:13 remaining.
 
The Roos got level again at 71-all with 2:15 remaining, but then both teams failed to score over the rest of the fourth quarter. Kansas City had the ball at the end of regulation, but the Vikings forced them into taking a contested three-pointer that rimmed out as time expired.
 
The Vikings' free throw shooting then took over the overtime period. A 10-0 run that all came from the free throw line turned a one-point deficit with 1:49 remaining into a nine-point lead for the Vikings with 11 seconds to go.
 
The Vikings finished the game with 10 more free throw attempts than the Roos while going 29-for-40 (.725) from the line. The 40 attempts represented a season-high, as well as the Vikings' most in a game since they had 44 against CSUN on Nov. 11, 2016.
 
"Free throw shooting will continue to be huge for us," Burris said. "72.5 percent is a good percentage, but I honestly feel like if we could hit a few more, we'd be more satisfied. But I love that that's been part of our game. It was great that we got contributions from everyone, too."
 
Brown got to the free throw line in bunches, making 10+ for the third straight game. She went 12-for-13 from the charity stripe Saturday while setting a new career high for the second straight game with 29 points to go with six rebounds and two assists.
 
Brown wasn't alone this time, however. Four others scored in double figures, giving the Vikings five players with 10+ points in the same game for the first time since Nov. 12, 2021. Besides Brown, Torres-Kahapea, Chicken and Yoakum all scored 11 points each, while Buzzard added 10.
 
"It may not always look pretty for us, but we're going to scrap our way and find a way to win. Balanced scoring is good for us. Kyleigh will get a lot of attention, so that needs to be a staple for us moving forward," Burris said.
 
Yoakum added a career high-tying 14 rebounds to her 11 points giving the senior transfer her first double-double as a Viking.
 
Rebounding was a strength for the Vikings throughout Saturday's victory. The Vikings out-rebounded the Roos 56-to-33, with the +23 margin representing the Vikings' best since they out-rebounded Multnomah by 24 on Nov. 25, 2017.
 
Twenty-five of the Vikings' 56 rebounds came on the offensive glass, the program's most in a game since they had 26 against Corban on Nov. 20, 2012. Fifteen of the Vikings' 25 offensive rebounds came in the first half. The Vikings only missed 20 shots in the first half, meaning they got the offensive rebound 75 percent of the time in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Five of Yoakum's game-high 14 rebounds came on the offensive end. Four of Chicken's eight rebounds did as well, while Buzzard had four of her five rebounds come on the offensive end.
 
"It was really nice to have Ajae back. We needed her production. I'm sure she would have liked to see a few more shots go in tonight, but her energy and effort really helped us carry it through.
 
"I can't say enough about Sophie's effort on the glass. Her and Hannah with four offensive rebounds each was great, and then we had some other players contributing. But really proud of our effort on both sides of the glass tonight," Burris said.
 
Defensively, the Vikings held a Kansas City team that came into the game ranked second nationally in three-point shooting at 43.5 percent to just 4-for-14 (.286) Saturday. The four three-pointers tied a season low for the Roos.
 
The Vikings matched the Roos on the other end with four three-pointers of their own. They were 1-for-10 through the first three quarters but went 3-for-4 over the fourth quarter and overtime.
 
The Vikings have a week off before their next game when they'll travel to Cal State Fullerton for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Dec. 13. That game will come after finals week on the campus of Portland State University.
 
The Vikings passed one test already with their first road win of the season. Perhaps they'll celebrate with some barbecue on their way to the airport.
 
Game Notes:

• This was the first win for the Vikings over Kansas City, as they were 0-3 against the Roos coming into the game.
• The Vikings are now 1-5 all-time within the Big Sky-Summit Challenge.
• The Vikings' 56 total rebounds were their most in a game since they had 61 against Warner Pacific on Feb. 22, 2021.
• This was the Vikings' first fourth-quarter comeback since they erased a nine-point deficit against UC Davis on Nov. 30, 2024.
• Brown has scored 20+ points in four of the Vikings' last five games. She has 10+ made free throws in the last three games.

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