GREELEY, Colo. — The Portland State women's basketball team couldn't complete the season sweep of Northern Colorado Saturday, falling 68-50 to the Bears at Bank of Colorado Arena.
 
The Vikings (4-18, 1-12 Big Sky) beat the Bears 58-52 in Portland on Jan. 16. That left them with the chance to get a second win, but Northern Colorado snuffed that out with an 11-1 run to open the second half. The Bears (12-13, 5-9 Big Sky) then led by at least 10 points the rest of the way.
 
"We need to learn how to affect the game even when we aren't making shots," Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said afterwards. "We need to make next weekend [the Vikings' last at home] our best weekend yet, and play with pride and a sense of urgency."
 
The Bears flipped several statistical categories that went in the Vikings' favor the last time around. The Vikings out-rebounded the Bears 35-to-28 in their win on Jan. 16, but the Bears won the rebounding battle Saturday, 36-to-31. The Vikings also limited their turnovers to 11 the last time, but the Bears forced the Vikings into 15 giveaways Saturday, which led to a 19-12 for the Bears in points off turnovers. Eleven of the Vikings' 15 turnovers came in the second half when the Bears distanced themselves from the Vikings.
 
The Bears' biggest statistical advantage came from their bench, which outscored their Viking counterparts 31-6.
 
It was the UNC bench that initially flipped the game for the Bears. The Vikings jumped out to a 9-4 lead behind five quick points from Cici Ellington and another four from Rhema Ogele. But the Bears shuffled their lineup and answered with a 13-2 run that gave them the lead for good.
 
The Bears picked up their shooting after the Vikings' initial burst. After going 1-of-8 (.125) from three-point range in the first quarter, they went 7-of-15 (.467) over the final three quarters. The Vikings couldn't match on their end, going just 3-of-16 (.188) from three-point range. UNC also outshot them .444-to-.365 overall.
 
Those numbers were reversed the last time the Vikings played the Bears. Portland State shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field in that game, while they assisted on a season-high 17 of their 25 field goals. But Saturday, the Vikings recorded only six assists on 19 field goals.
 
The Bears did a good job limiting leading scorer Alaya Fitzgerald. After Fitzgerald scored 25 points at Northern Arizona Thursday, the Bears held her to eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. She didn't hit a field goal until the second half.
 
Ogele led the Vikings with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ellington finished with 11 points behind her, while Laynee Torres-Kahapea added nine points.
 
The Vikings return to Portland for their final home weekend next week. The Vikings will open the weekend against Idaho State Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., before hosting Weber State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, for Senior Day.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings fell to 12-26 all-time against the Bears with Saturday's loss…The Vikings have lost 14 games in a row in Greeley where they haven't won since Feb. 19, 2009.
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