Vikings fall to Montana 57-77

Portland State’s 57-77 blowout to the Montana powerhouse on Thursday was a carbon copy of their first meeting with the Lady Grizz this season.

With the loss, the Vikings drop to 4-5 in the Big Sky Conference, 8-14 overall. Montana improves to 7-1 in conference play and an incredible 19-2 record on the season. The Lady Grizz have now won eight straight against Portland State.

In the conference opener back on Jan. 4, the Vikings dropped an 85-67 decision in Missoula. Playing on the home court last night, their luck did not change. Even Montana’s formula was similar to the first meeting: build a comfortable lead by halftime then take care of the ball the rest of the way.

Montana took a 20-point lead into the half, stretching it to as much as 32 early in the second. Portland State trailed the entire way, never threatening to make a game out of it.

“We need to somehow get over this one, and we’ve got to be able to play from the tip. We waited until we were down by 20 to start playing,” said head coach Charity Elliott. “We played, honestly, with fear.”

Also like their first match-up against Montana, ice-cold shooting from the field plagued the Vikings. Portland State shot a mere 30.2 percent, hitting on just 19 of 63 attempts.

The performance was a sharp contrast to the Vikings recent play. In their last five games, the Vikings shot 46.9 percent from the field.

After winning Big Sky player of the week for the third time this season, Kahle led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Grizzlies. However it was the five-time player of the week Mandy Morales that dominated Thursday’s game.

The Lady Grizz’s sophomore guard put up a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists to lead Montana. Sophomore forward Britney Lohman also posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Next, the Vikings take on Montana State at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Despite Thursday’s defeat, Portland State has still played well at home this season, posting a 7-4 record at the Stott Center.

“It’s over. Let’s move ahead, and let’s get ready for Montana State,” said Elliott.