Rolling along

Winning at the Stott Center has never been a problem for head coach Sherri Murrell’s squads. Over the last two seasons, the Vikings have amassed a 19-2 record at home, making the Park Blocks a hostile environment for any visiting team.

But up until recently, the Vikings have been less consistent on the road.

On Saturday afternoon, Portland State earned a hard-fought victory in Cheney, Wash., as they defeated Eastern Washington, 65-55, and earned their third-straight conference road win.

The streak is a dramatic improvement from a squad that has bounced back from a 3-4 road record to begin the season.

“I wanted to have a lot of preconference, tough road games on our schedule,” Murrell said. “We were tested on the road early by some big teams, and that’s prepared us for the conference.”

The win, which pushes the Vikings to the program’s best ever start, a 6-0 record in the conference, was a collective effort, as four of Portland State’s starters reached double digits in scoring.

The team also gathered 12 steals in the contest to further solidify their Big Sky dominance in that category. This is the third season in which the Vikings have led the conference in steals.

“The players have good instincts on defense,” said Murrell. “They’re anticipating where the passes are going, and becoming more aggressive. That’s attributing to a lot of our steals.”

In the first half, the two teams were neck and neck, with neither squad able to gain any substantial lead.

The Vikings shot just 38 percent from the field, but were 66 percent from beyond the three-point arc, helped by junior guard Claire Faucher’s two first-half three-pointers.

The Eagles did their damage on the boards, out-rebounding Portland State 20-13 in the opening period of play and taking away the Vikings’ ability to get out on the fast break.

Although the Vikings field goal shooting only slightly improved in the second half, Murrell’s squad earned the victory with energy and hustle on both ends of the court.

The Vikings deployed full-court pressure that they only infrequently use and out-rebounded the Eagles 21-15 in the second half en route to a huge road win.

“We didn’t start the game well in the first half. We were sluggish on rebounding and with defensive pressure,” Murrell said. “In the second half we stepped it up a little bit, and we were able to get 10 offensive rebounds, which was the difference in the game.”

Sophomore forward Kelli Valentine rallied for 10 second-half points on her way to a 14-point, nine-rebound game. Faucher also had 14 points for the Vikings as well as a game-high seven assists.

Senior guard Katia Hadj-Hamou hit two three-pointers in the game and ended up with 10 points overall and senior Kelsey Kahle, who ended the game with 13 points, four rebounds and five steals, broke yet another record just one week after snapping the school record for most career points.

Kahle’s five free-throw attempts elevated the forward to the top of the charts in career free-throw attempts to go along with her conference record for career free throws made.

The Vikings get five of their next eight opponents at the Stott Center, a venue where they have looked nearly unbeatable since Murrell’s arrival.