A fairy-tale finish

A Big Sky championship title and first-ever appearance at the NCAA tournament did not come easily for the Vikings.

Picked to finish first in both preseason polls, the Viks had a rough start to their victorious season.

“We got there the hard way,” said head coach Sherri Murrell. “But that was probably the most satisfying way to win.”

PSU opened up their season with three straight wins. A one-point win over Pac-10 Washington in the second game ended came after a buzzer-beating shot by forward Kelli Valentine. Following this unpredicted win, PSU went on to lose the next five non-conference games—the most Murrell has ever consecutively seen with the Viks.

With Portland State’s former star player Kelsey Kahle having graduated last year, the Vikings worked hard to move up their players to her position. Senior guard Claire Faucher stepped up and filled the shoes of her friend and once teammate and passed her in steals in the second half of conference play with 278—26 ahead of Kahle. Faucher also become the second Viking, behind Kahle, to be named First Team All-Big Sky three consecutive times.

It isn’t just Faucher that stepped up. This season, scoring has become a much more divided field. Last year only three players averaged over 7.0 points per game, and this season six players averaged 6.1 points or better.

Record wise, sophomore Katy Wade earned the highest single-season blocked shots mark with 66 on the year. Sophomore guard Eryn Jones moved up in the last 11 conference games to average 12.9 points, the team best.

Finishing up her play with Portland State, senior Erin Yankus has become an important starter. She began the season on reserve for 11 games, but when she moved up to her starting role and led the Vikings in rebounding, and became fifth in scoring.

“She is a physical post player, and I am so proud and happy of her performances,” Murrell said.

Moving into conference action, the Viks seemed to have trouble winning the easy games.

“In the past, our success had always been that we always won the games we were supposed to, and this season we just didn’t,” said Murrell of the team’s unexpected losses.

The Viks suffered losses on their first matchup with Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona, teams that both did not qualify for post-season play. PSU continued to struggle with NC in their second meeting and suffered another loss, this time home at the Stott Center.

The Vikings also had trouble with the newly initiated back-to-back game schedule. On two separate occasions they managed to bring on the heat and win the first night of the weekend but lost the second. They won the first nights against higher-ranked teams, while falling the following night to lesser-ranked teams. They beat second-ranked Montana, then the following evening fell to third-ranked Montana State, beat seventh place Northern Arizona at home and the next night fell to eighth place Northern Colorado.

Despite all the ups and downs of the season, the Viks secured a spot in the Big Sky tournament in a way that no one expected. The team went into the second half of conference play gunning for a first-ever shot at a regular season championship with a 6–2 record, but saw their chances slip away as the second half of conference play only earned the Viks three wins. Their low number of the season’s second-half victories, combined with Sacramento State and Idaho State winning all but two, forced PSU down to a fifth place finish.

Their undesirable position meant that they had to win all three of the Big Sky bracket games to become champions—and that is precisely what the Viks did. Their first game was against fourth-ranked Idaho State where Portland took a 75–61 victory. It was a game in which Portland State pulled an early lead and never looked back; they knew what needed to be done to win.

With a Big Sky title in sight, the Vikings pulled out a stunning 62–47 win over second-seeded Montana in the semifinal game. The team boasted three players in double digits—Faucher for 11 with 9 assists, guard Eryn Jones with 13, and Valentine for 12.

This win was huge and the final game was a matchup no less surprising than the twists already brought this season. For the first time in Big Sky history, the No. 5 seed, PSU, would take on the No. 6 seed, Montana State, for a winning title.

With Montana State taking out regular season champion Eastern Washington in the semifinals, it was a fight of the underdogs for a shot at the big dance—and Portland State played to win. Tight defense, combined with falling three pointers and inside drives, allowed Portland to beat Montana State 62–58. With the possibility of it being her final game, senior Faucher put on a stellar performance.

Faucher led the team with 26 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. She also went 8 for 16 from above the arc, to earn both school and Big Sky single-game postseason records. The game gave way for Faucher to grab an MVP award in postseason play. Teammates Jones and Valentine joined her on the all-tournament team.

The win landed PSU a first-ever shot at the NCAA tournament, and as this season never ceased to bring surprises, PSU got a 15 seed, allowing them to take on second-ranked Texas A&M rather than against the No. 1 seed.

Portland State carried the early momentum, but Texas A&M was not going to allow PSU a victory, and beat out PSU 84–53. Despite the loss, Murrell said her team fought hard.

“The girls had no fear. They played loose and free,” she said. “They represented their school and town well.”

With a season that could not have been a more eventful one, the rollercoaster ride of the 2009–10 basketball year finished in a fairy-tale ending for Portland State.

“Now that we’ve arrived, we have to get to work to be stronger and better and faster for next season,” Murrell said.