Late fire not enough

A horrendous shooting performance from the field and an early 18-0 run by Northern Colorado proved too much for Portland State to overcome Saturday, as the Vikings lost on the road 61-56 against the Bears.

After scoring 97 points at home against Idaho State last week, the Vikings (14-4, 4-1) were only able to muster 16 points in the first half, their lowest point total for a half this season. Aggressive defense from Northern Colorado (9-8, 3-1), combined with a sluggish performance from the Vikings, led to Portland State shooting a dismal 22.6 percent from the field in the first half.

“We came out extremely flat, and non-aggressive,” said head coach Sherri Murrell.

A shuffled lineup and assertive second-half play helped the Vikings’ chip away at the deficit, eventually cutting the lead to just two points with under a minute to play. But Northern Colorado vanquished the Vikings’ late comeback hopes with strong foul shooting by senior center Danielle Hagen and junior guard Jamie Schroeder.

“In the second half we really played much better and we had our chances to win,” Murrell said.

Freshman guard Kelly Marchant gave Portland State a boost off the bench with 14 points, while sophomore point guard Claire Faucher matched her effort with 14 points of her own. The second half also featured a strong performance off the bench by junior guard Katia Hadj-Hamou, who had nine points, all on three-point shots.

“Those players really sparked our comeback efforts tonight. I was happy with the way they played,” Murrell said of Hadj-Hamou and Marchant.

The loss breathes life into the Big Sky Conference early-season picture, as the defeat drops Portland State into a tie with Idaho State and Montana atop the conference standings. With another seven-day layoff before facing Eastern Washington this Saturday, the Vikings will increase the intensity of practices this week, hoping to avoid another letdown.

“It wasn’t a lack of respect for (Northern Colorado) today that was our problem. We just didn’t play our game,” Murrell said. “Now we just need to learn our lesson and get ready for next week.”Major halftime adjustments

After shooting a porous 22.6 percent from the field and allowing Northern Colorado to double their score at 32-16 in the first half, the Vikings fought back with vengeance in the final 20 minutes.