Portland State suffered their first loss of the season this past Sunday in Eugene, as the women’s basketball team fell 75-71 to the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena.
Portland State (2-1 overall, 0-0 conference) played hard for the full 40-minutes and nearly pulled off a late-game upset after trailing by 14 points early in the second half. The Vikings cut the lead to 72-71 with under thirty seconds left in the game, but the final and most critical Ducks’ possession of the game ended with a three pointer by Oregon freshman guard Jordan Loera.
The Ducks were led by 6-foot-2 senior Amanda Johnson, who overwhelmed the Vikings inside. Johnson finished with 30 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
“We were out-matched with Johnson,” Vikings head coach Sherri Murrell said. “She’s a big kid and we didn’t have an answer for her size.”
Despite the loss, the Vikings were proud of their defensive effort. The Ducks came into the game averaging 89.5 points, but Portland State held the Ducks to 40-percent shooting from the field and 20-percent from the three-point line.
“Our defense did really well,” Murrell said. “Our game plan was well executed and we did everything we could to slow them down.”
Portland State was paced by last season’s Big Sky MVP, senior guard Eryn Jones, who led all Viking scorers with 20 points, including six rebounds and three assists. Junior Karley Lampman continued her reliable all-around play, adding 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Freshman guard Kate Lanz scored her first basket in a Vikings uniform, scoring 11 points and leading the team with five assists. Lanz also topped the Vikings with six turnovers. Junior Courtney VanBrocklin finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Overall, the Vikings struggled offensively, shooting a dismal 24-74 (32.4 percent) from the field. Portland State also had 17 total turnovers compared to only 15 assists. Still, it was hot perimeter shooting with key three pointers made by Lanz, Lampam and Jones that sparked the Vikings’ rally. The Vikings made nine three-pointers compared to just four shots from beyond the arc for the Ducks.
Next up, the Vikings will take on the Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center on Friday night. The Pilots main offensive threat is senior Natalie Day, who is averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season.
The Pilots currently have a 3-2 record, including a 1-1 record at home this season. This past weekend, they played in the Jack in The Box Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, winning two of their three games, with victories over San Diego State and Hawai’i. Both the Pilots and the Vikings also share wins over UC Irvine this season.
“We’re going to have to bounce back,” Murrell said. “It comes down to effort. [The Pilots] have talent and we have talent. It’s going to be who plays the hardest.”
Friday’s game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The Vikings will then travel to play a road game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 2 p.m. on Sunday.