PORTLAND, Ore. — Once you're in it, you want to win it. But a 66-63 loss to a Montana State team that blew out the Vikings less than four weeks earlier provided a bittersweet feeling for the Portland State women's basketball team Thursday at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings (6-22, 2-14) improved dramatically between both games against the Bobcats (21-6, 14-2), a 91-43 game in Bozeman on Jan. 31. The Bobcats led 31-1 after the first quarter of that game. And yet every quarter was within a possession Thursday, while the Vikings had two shots at a potential game-tying three at the end of regulation.
 
"I feel like that was the most complete game we had played all year. We wanted to be the aggressor, which I thought we were. We were switching and really physical. I wish we could have back a few of those plays late, but really proud of the group overall," Portland State head coach Karlie Burris said afterwards.
 
Sophie Buzzard and Kyleigh Brown strung a three-point play and a three-pointer back-to-back to give the Vikings a 59-58 lead with 4:45 remaining. Brown hit from three-point range again with 1:08 remaining to tie it at 62-all.
 
The Bobcats went back up 64-62 with a layup from Isobel Bunyan with 44.8 seconds left. The Vikings tried to work a pick-and-roll between Brown and Ajae Yoakum, but the Bobcats poked the pass away.
 
The Vikings had another chance to tie after two missed free throws gave them the ball back down three with 18.6 seconds remaining. But the Vikings missed two potential game-tying threes on their final possession as the Bobcats escaped with the victory.
 
"I thought we had a look, but they junked it up. They're long across the board. Again, we're going to be hardest on us as a staff to get a cleaner look," Burris said of the late-game situation.
 
Despite narrowly missing a signature win Thursday, the Vikings still picked up some key statistical victories that showed the improvement from game-to-game against the Bobcats. For one, they outshot Montana State .411-to-.375. The Bobcats' .375 field goal percentage was the lowest market by a PSU opponent since the Vikings held Sacramento State to .370 shooting on Jan. 10.
 
Additionally, the Vikings finished level with the Bobcats in rebounds, 39-to-39. The Vikings hadn't finished level or better with an opponent on the glass since Jan. 15, when they out-rebounded Northern Colorado by five.
 
The Bobcats overcame that by earning a few more possessions than the Vikings. They had eight more field goal attempts, thanks in part to a 16-to-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Eight of the Bobcats' 16 rebounds came in the fourth quarter, including two on missed free throws during what amounted to a five-point possession for the Bobcats to go in front 60-57 early in the final period.
 
Turnovers also went in the Bobcats' favor Thursday, though not by nearly as much as the first time the teams played each other. The Bobcats finished +15 against the Vikings back on Jan. 31. But Thursday, the Vikings limited that to +7. That's under what the Bobcats average, as they came into the game ranked fourth nationally with a +10.5 turnover margin this season.
 
The turnovers still led to a key 24-15 advantage for the Bobcats in points off turnovers, however.
 
"We had them on the ropes. You could tell they were a little tense at times," Burris said.
 
"This is where we're still learning and are going to continue to. But this was the first time where I felt like we had a really solid effort through all four quarters, and if just one or two plays go differently, then I think it's a different result."
 
The Viking offense put five players in double figures for the first time in Big Sky play. Ellington led the Vikings with 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go with nine rebounds. Brown followed with 12 points, while Buzzard, Hannah Chicken and Taylor Moffat all added 10 points each.
 
Buzzard's 10 points marked her first time in double figures since Dec. 13 against Cal State Fullerton.
 
"I thought Sophie was big tonight. This was a game that just lent itself to how she plays. We adjusted some things on the offensive end, which I think kind of fit her style a little bit more. She also had the assignment of guarding [Montana State's Taylee] Chirrick, which is no small task, so I thought she stepped up," Burris said of Buzzard.
 
Moffat, meanwhile, went into double figures for only the third time all season. Moffat and Buzzard also chipped in three of the Vikings' six three-pointers Thursday, while Brown had the other three. The Vikings' six three-pointers gave them the advantage from beyond the arc – Montana State went 4-for-17 from three-point range – for only the fourth time during the conference season.
 
Thursday's improvements against one of the conference's best teams should give the Vikings confidence going into their final two games of the regular season. They close out their home schedule Saturday (2 p.m.) against Montana, then travel to Weber State Monday (5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT).
 
Both upcoming opponents have shown their own improvements of late. But the Vikings have to like their chances now after their complete showing Thursday.
 
"I'm excited," Burris said. "I hope it gives our team confidence that we're still playing this hard regardless of our record. I still feel like we can compete with anyone."
 
Game Notes:

• The Vikings fell to 32-47 all-time against the Bobcats with Thursday's loss.
• The Vikings have outshot eight of their 16 Big Sky opponents, but they're just 2-6 in those eight games.
• The Bobcats finished with 16 more free throw attempts (29-to-13) than the Vikings. That's double the Vikings' previous largest deficit in free throw attempts this season, which was eight against Northern Arizona on Jan. 17 and Montana on Jan. 29.
• Brown scored 11 of her 12 points in the second half. Within Big Sky play, she's averaging 5.6 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the first half of games, versus 11.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting in the second half.

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