MISSOULA, Mont. — It was déjà vu in the worst way for the Portland State women's basketball team Thursday. Leading by four entering the fourth quarter, the Vikings went ice cold in the final period, going just 2-for-15 (.133) from the field as Montana came back to beat the Vikings 69-63 at Dahlberg Arena.
 
It was a similar story in the Vikings' last Big Sky road game against Northern Arizona on Jan. 17. The Vikings (5-15, 1-7) led by two entering the fourth quarter of that game, but then shot 5-for-19 (.263) in the final period as the Lumberjacks came back to win.
 
A couple more buckets in either game could have resulted in a road breakthrough for the Vikings. Instead, they'll continue that search at Montana State Saturday (1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT).
 
"I thought we had a lot of really good looks late. Sophie [Buzzard] had a wide-open three. Kyleigh [Brown] had some that she usually makes. So, I thought we had the looks, they just didn't go in. That's part of learning how to win, which is what we're doing," Portland State head coach Karlie Burris said afterwards.
 
"I told the team after the game that we're not hanging our heads. We executed the scout the way we were supposed to. I thought we just gave them too many rebounds. That was a huge point of emphasis for us, as well. We didn't get nearly as many offensive rebounds as we wanted and we gave them too many, and that was the difference in the game."
 
The Vikings set themselves up to have a chance behind one of their better defensive performances within Big Sky play. Montana (7-13, 4-5) came into the game leading the Big Sky and in the top 10 nationally with 9.7 three-pointers per game. But the Vikings held them to a season-low two three-pointers on just 9.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
 
"The scout was to limit their three-point field goal attempts. We were pretty much sucked up to them. Looking at the film, other teams were collapsing and giving them wide open looks. We were able to take that away from them and I'm proud of the team for being able to execute that tonight," Burris said of the defense.
 
Avery Waddington helped the Lady Griz overcome their uncharacteristic three-point shooting, though. She set a season high for a Viking opponent with 31 points on 13-for-20 shooting to go with 10 rebounds. Seven of Waddington's 10 rebounds came on the offensive end, as she led Montana to its biggest rebounding win (+9 versus PSU Thursday) since its season opener against Seattle Pacific. Montana out-rebounded the Vikings by seven in the fourth quarter alone.
 
Waddington drove to the bucket with 42 seconds left to put the Lady Griz up for good, 65-63. The Vikings missed their final three field goals from there as the Lady Griz salted the game away from the free throw line.
 
Waddington was also part of a hot start for Montana. She scored 12 of her 31 points in the opening quarter, leading the Lady Griz to a 19-12 advantage after one period. Montana shot 9-for-14 (.643) in the opening quarter, thanks largely to Waddington going 6-for-7 from the field.
 
The Lady Griz extended it to a 23-12 lead with 6:28 remaining in the second quarter, but the Vikings responded from there. The Viking defense held Montana scoreless over the rest of the half while finishing the second quarter on a 13-0 run. Laynee Torres-Kahapea and Sophie Buzzard combined for three straight three-pointers to finish the run, with Buzzard hitting the final two.
 
The Vikings held the Lady Griz to only four points in the second quarter, a new season low for a Viking opponent in any quarter this season.
 
Portland State also responded well to a Montana run in the third quarter. The Lady Griz took an eight-point lead with a 14-0 stretch midway through the period during which time the Vikings missed seven straight shots from the field. But the Vikings answered with a 15-3 run of their own to finish the third quarter and re-take the lead entering the fourth.
 
Cici Ellington scored eight of her 12 points in the game during the Vikings' third-quarter run.
 
"It was super encouraging to see the responses, going into halftime with the lead and then in the third quarter. I thought we responded well. There was never any panic, and I thought we just went about our business and continued to execute the scout," Burris said.
 
"We're learning how to win. And like I told them, we're going to get over that hump and go on our own run."
 
Hannah Chicken gave the Vikings the first field goal in the fourth quarter, too, making it a 52-46 PSU lead with 8:24 remaining. But the Vikings missed eight straight shots from there and 11 of their final 12 as the Lady Griz pulled off the comeback.
 
Kyleigh Brown led the Vikings with 20 points, recording her third straight 20-point game and ninth of the season. Brown hit the 20-point mark after converting three late free throws that tied the game at 63-all with 52.8 seconds remaining.
 
Ajae Yoakum joined Brown and Ellington in double figures with 10 points to go with six rebounds. She had a crucial three-point play with 1:48 remaining that got the Vikings back within one at 61-60.
 
Chicken chipped in all over the court, finishing with eight points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.
 
"Going forward, it's the rebounding [we'll focus on]. We will clean up stuff. I'm excited to play them again at home. But overall, I thought the team did a really good job of executing and stepping up in some different moments," Burris said.
 
"We're right there."
 
Game Notes:

• The Vikings fell to 22-59 all-time against the Lady Griz with Thursday's loss.
• The Vikings have now lost 25 straight Big Sky road games. Their last conference road victory came at Eastern Washington on Feb. 4, 2023.
• The Vikings committed a season-low four turnovers Thursday while winning the turnover battle (+4) for the second time in the last three games.

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