Missoula trumping

When the Vikings and Grizzlies last met on Jan. 29 in the Stott Center, the home team prevailed by 10 points in a slugfest of a matchup.

History repeated itself on Saturday, but this time the Vikings were the unfortunate guests, falling 70-60 in Montana and giving up the conference regular season title to the hosts Lady Griz in the process.

The stage was set for a Big Sky showdown as nearly 7,000 fans packed into the Dalhberg Arena in Missoula to watch the two best teams in the conference go at it.

From the opening tip-off, Montana looked to attack the basket, scoring 16 of their 33 first-half points in the paint.

The Vikings, however, settled for jump shots, hoisting 13 three-pointers in the first period, but only connecting on four.

Though the Grizzlies seemed to be edging ahead in the latter half of the first period, the Vikings mounted an 8-3 run that tied the game at 33 heading into intermission.

As usual, the Vikings relied on a balanced attack in the opening period as junior guard Claire Faucher distributed to her teammates, doling out eight assists in the first half. Sophomore Kelli Valentine led the Vikings with seven points and Faucher and senior guard Katia Hadj-Hamou both chipped in six.

When the two teams first faced off this season, Grizzly guard Mandy Morales systematically broke down the Vikings defense, exploding for 34 points on 15 of 28 from the field.

Hoping to contain her on Saturday, Portland State focused much of their defensive energy on her, leaving guard Sonya Rogers open. Rogers capitalized on the open looks, draining two three-pointers on her way to a game-high 10 first-half points.

Montana surged at the start of the second half, opening with a 12-4 run.

With her team trailing, Vikings leading scorer Kelsey Kahle could only watch from the sidelines after getting into foul trouble early in the half. Though she finished the game with 11 points, Kahle eventually fouled out after playing a total of only 24 minutes.

With the school’s all-time scoring champion on the sidelines, Faucher stepped up her offensive game in the second half, taking 15 shots en route to a 20-point performance. But the veteran struggled from behind the three-point arc, hitting just one of 10 attempts in the game.

Rogers, meanwhile, continued her aerial assault on the Vikings, nailing four more three-pointers in the second half, including two in the final three minutes that helped seal the victory for the home team. She finished the day with 22 points on 6 of 8 shooting from behind the arc.

Though the season ended with a loss, it was one of the program’s most successful in history. Behind second-year head coach Sherri Murrell, the Vikings rolled to a 21-8 overall record, marking the first time the team has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons.

Also, at 14-2, the team authored their best-ever conference record.

With the second seed in the conference tournament, the Vikings earn a bye in the quarterfinals round on Thursday, March 12. If the Vikings win their semifinal matchup on Friday, March 13, then they will advance to the Big Sky Championship game on Saturday, March 14, with a likely shot at Montana again, this time with a potential berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.