A four-game road trip got off to a rocky start for the Portland State women’s basketball team with a loss to the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds on Thursday. The 83-60 defeat dropped the Vikings to 11-13 overall and 5-10 in conference.
“I call myself an optimist, and that’s what I have to be,” head coach Sherri Murrell said in a release. “At no time do I want to lose by 20 points, but there is a bright spot in this. Younger players are going to get some good playing time, and our injured players are going to come back and come back stronger.”
The Vikings were without junior forward Angela Misa, who has been a key inside presence for the squad all season. Misa will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered during the game against California State University, Sacramento last weekend. The Vikings were outscored in the paint 40-22 in Thursday’s game.
Along with Misa, the team is also still missing senior guard Karley Lampman and junior guard Kate Lanz, both out with injuries. PSU has turned to its bench for help during this difficult stretch.
Senior guard Courtney VanBrocklin had 20 points, and junior guard Allison Greene chipped in 14 points with 6 rebounds against the Thunderbirds, but their efforts were in vain. PSU came out strong in the early going and held a couple of brief leads, but after the Thunderbirds tied the score at 13-all, they took control and never looked back. The home team went on a 24-4 run and raced into halftime with a 22-point lead.
The second half was as hard on the Vikings as the first. The team came out determined to make a dent in the Thunderbird advantage, but never got closer than 15 points. Southern Utah led by as many as 29, keeping their foot on the gas throughout and routing the visiting squad.
PSU currently occupies the ninth spot in the Big Sky standings. They are just half a game ahead of the University of North Dakota, which holds a comfortable lead over winless Weber State. The Vikings will need to move up to seventh place in order to be eligible for the Big Sky tournament next month.