Vikings falter against Eagles

The Portland State women’s basketball team was active on the boards against Eastern Washington University on Monday, out-rebounding their opponents 43-36, but it was not enough to hold off their Dam Cup rivals as the Eagles beat the Vikings 68-56 on Monday.

“They hit a bunch of shots down the stretch, and we weren’t able to hit our shots and get enough stops,” sophomore guard Allison Greene said after the loss.

Both teams kept the score within reach for nearly the entire game, but with just over five minutes to go, the Eagles went on a 10-2 run to give them a 65-54 advantage with 1:22 left on the clock. Junior forward Angela Misa, the Vikings’ leading scorer this season, sunk a basket to cut the lead to nine, but the Eagles made their free throws down the stretch to seal the 12-point victory. Misa led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Greene added 14 for the Vikings and senior guard Courtney VanBrocklin scored nine.

The game was up for grabs in the first half, as neither team held more than a six-point lead. A bucket by Greene put the Vikings up six with under five minutes to go in the half, but the Eagles chipped away at the lead and went into halftime ahead 34-30. Though they lost the rebounding battle, the Eagles benefitted from their aggression on the offensive glass, scoring all 14 of their second-chance points in the second half.

The Vikings have adjusted to playing without junior guard Kate Lanz, but lost another teammate when up-and-coming sophomore forward Mikaela Rivard had to miss the game because of illness.

“It hurt to not have Mikaela tonight,” head coach Sherri Murrell said. “She brings a lot of scoring at that four position.”

The loss dropped the Vikings to the ninth place in the Big Sky standings. They’ll look to get on track again against the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds at home tonight.

“We have to bounce back,” Greene said. “We have to keep working and establish our game.”