Starting strong

In a game that was not without excitement, the Vikings beat the Lady Griz 49–47 after a nail-biting ending Saturday night to extend their conference record to 3–0.

For much of the first half and well into the second the ball was back and forth, but it was in the last minutes that the Vikings proved themselves.

With less than two minutes left on the clock, senior forward Erin Yankus put up two free throws to put the Vikings in the lead 48–47. Junior guard Kelly Marchant followed with another to put the Viks up by two, and an impressive steal by senior guard Claire Faucher with two seconds on the clock ensured victory.

 “It might have been the biggest steal of her career,” said head coach Sherri Murrell. “She’s a goalie—she played soccer, so she has the ability to get down and use her hands.”

The Vikings had a rough time shooting from the field at times, but made up for it with shots from the line. They only shot .362 in field goals, but boasted a .600 free-throw shooting average.

Despite the low shooting percentage, the Vikings still had some standout shooters: junior forward Kelli Valentine and sophomore guard Eryn Jones both posted 11 points. Jones also boasted the highest points off the bench.
With 4:18 left on the clock, Valentine fouled out, leaving the Vikings without a key offensive player.

Murrell credited Montana’s zone play for taking one of her star forwards out of the final minutes. “Kelli Valentine is a zone buster,” she said. “She sat on the bench too much with foul trouble.”

Even with Valentine out, the Viks demonstrated they have the depth to beat even a good defensive team.
Murrell said that after defeating Montana on Friday, winning against Montana in the same weekend is quite an accomplishment.

“I don’t know how many people are going to sweep against the Montanas,” Murrel said. “And that was our big key coming out of the gate—we have to be the one.”

Box score:
                      1st    2nd    Final
Montana          25    22    47
Portland St.     29    20    49