Viks sweep another weekend

This weekend in women’s basketball was all about getting the defense to run smoothly so that the offense would follow. Viking women’s basketball swept the weekend at home with victories over Sac State on Thursday and top-ranked Northern Colorado on Saturday.

The Vikings are now on a five-game winning streak that puts them at 13-9, (6-3 Big Sky). They still remain in the third-place slot, but the win against Northern Colorado 13-10 (8-2 Big Sky) bumped the Bears out of the first-place position, with Montana State now claiming the top spot.

The Viks had to play two very different games over the weekend against two very different teams. Sac State played a fast-paced running game but senior guard Lexi Bishop said the team knew how to tackle it.

“Coming into the game we knew they were going to put the ball in the court, and we had to get back on defense and our defense would start our offense,” Bishop said. “If we could stop them on defense, we could get our offense flowing.”

The Hornets’ signature full-court press kept the visiting team in the game, but their high turnovers on offense gave the Vikings fast-court breaks that turned into points in the home team’s favor.

The Vikings opened their scoring with a seven-point run off a three-pointer by senior forward Kelli Valentine. The Hornets, 3-19 (0-9 Big Sky), tried to answer back with the long shots the team is known for, but unfortunately for the green and gold those shots weren’t falling, and neither were the close ones. The visitors shot just 37.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from above the arc. The Viks went into the locker room ahead, 55-37.

In the second half, a layup by Sac State senior guard Jasmine Cannady put the Hornets within five, prompting a PSU timeout. Bishop responded for the Viks with two back-to-back baskets. Junior forward Shauniece Samms followed the senior with a basket of her own to get PSU up by double digits again, 78-67.

Despite a break by Sac State’s senior guard Tika Koshiyama-Diaz, the Vikings had found their rhythm and finished the game 92-74 after going on an 11-point run.

Bishop led the team offensively with a career-high 18 points. Beside Bishop, fellow senior teammate Kelli Valentine posted her second double-double against the Hornets, with 13 points and 14 rebounds—a career-high for Valentine.

Head coach Sherri Murrell noted Valentine’s increasingly steady performances on the court: “She’s playing like this is her last year…she’s doing a lot of great things and really, the four wins we have, she contributed a lot to.”

With their spirits high, the Viks continued the weekend against the Bears on Saturday. The Vikings fought to gain control of the inside lane, from which the Bears gained nearly all their points in the first matchup this season. Portland State’s tight defense forced the Bears to shoot last-minute shots as the shot clock ticked down.

The Viks held the Bears’ key inside shooter, sophomore forward Lauren Oosdyke, to just 5-of-13 by the end of the night. With defense under control, the Viks turned their focus to the offense. The team opened the game with a rough 36.7 percent for field goals, but still saw a one-point lead, 19-18, in the first half after a basket by Samms spurred a nine-point run.

From there, the teams switched the lead, but senior center Courtney Cremer shot a pair of back-to-back buckets to send the Vikings into the locker room up 30-27.

The first time the Bears and Viks matched up, the Viks were playing without tough defensive player Samms. This time she was back in full, grabbing a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Despite the back-and-forth first half, Murrell said that Samms’ four key blocks in the second half slowed the opposing team down under the basket.

Midway through the second half, a three-pointer by Jones put the Viks ahead, 41-31, but the Bears weren’t through yet. A fouled jumper for the Bears pushed the team behind by just two with under five minutes to go in the game.

The home team pushed ahead, and with less than a minute left on the clock, it sealed the game with a steal and fast break by sophomore guard Courtney VanBrocklin. The play put the Viks ahead 65-56, and the visiting Bears were unable to make up the difference. A good free throw for Northern Colorado ended the game 67-60 Viks.

Murrell said that it was composure on the court that kept the team together through it all.

“The key to tonight was staying composed—we came out, didn’t hit our shots, but we stayed composed enough to get out of that hole,” Murrell said. “And I think that was our biggest thing, just staying composed.”

The Viking win ended a seven-game winning streak by Northern Colorado. Samms said that it was team defense that made the difference from their first performance against the blue and gold.

“We played team defense, we’re a team that hits people unexpectedly—they don’t expect us to play defense like that,” she said.

The Viks take the five-game streak to on the road on Thursday against Idaho State. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m., and can be followed live through Big Sky TV.  ?