Women win in overtime

An exciting 69-66 victory over UC Santa Barbara in overtime gave the Portland State women’s basketball team its first win of the season Thursday.

Portland State (1-1) went into Thursday’s basketball game in Santa Barbara with a much-needed sense of self-confidence after suffering a heartbreaking one-point loss to Washington four days before.

The Viks came out strong and scored the first five points of the game, but it was a short-lived lead, as UC Santa Barbara (0-3) slowly took over and did not let up. Turnovers were the Vikings’ Achilles’ heel, as seven PSU turnovers translated into a 28-16 lead for the Gauchos with just over six minutes left in the first half.

The game calmed down for the Vikings just before halftime and they went on a 15-5 run to close out the first and go into the locker rooms down by just two points, 33-31.

The second half seemed to be a tug-o-war as the lead was changing and each team made short runs. The Viks looked good at first, but UCSB regained the lead and did not give it up for the next 10 minutes of the second half. Junior guard Eryn Jones shot a jumper with just over three minutes left to give the Viks a 58-56 advantage, but it was not enough to close out the win without going into overtime.

Regulation ended with a 58-58 tie after UC Santa Barbara’s Mekia Valentine scored the game-tying layup.

Overtime gave different players on the Vikings a chance to step up and seal the win. Boise State transfer Courtney VanBrocklin scored what ended up being the game-winner and has proven herself early with impressive stats in PSU’s first two games. It has not taken long for VanBrocklin to get into a rhythm—she finished the night with 13 points, six rebounds and five steals.

In the past there have been typical players for the Viks that step up and finish games for the team, and it is a good sign to see others getting their chance to prove their worth. Junior forward Shauneice Samms led the Viks in scoring, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Samms ended her night shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field.

Head coach Sherri Murrell has taken pride this season in the team’s overall ability and sense of confidence in her bench players and starters alike. It is believed that on any given night there could be a different set of starters on the court, and the win last Thursday in Santa Barbara helped reinforce that belief.

“Both Shauneice and Courtney have stepped up the intensity on the defensive end,” Murrell said. “They are quick and have brought instant offense to our team this season.”

The win was hard-fought and by no means a perfect night for either team, but when it came down to basic fundamentals Portland State edged out UCSB. The Viks recovered 54 rebounds to UC Santa Barbara’s 52, and in a close game that may be all it takes to come out on top.

Another key component that helped the Viks lock up the win was that 27 of their 54 rebounds were offensive, which led to 23 second-chance points. The offensive boards helped the Viks regain the lead and get them into overtime. Keeping composure was another important aspect to the win, as coach Murrell emphasized.

“The most important thing was that we did not back down in overtime and we kept our composure,” Murrell said. “We did not execute exactly as we had hoped to, but we made important stops on defense and put the ball in the right hands to get the win.”

UC Santa Barbara forward Mekia Valentine grabbed 14 rebounds and led all scorers with 18 points as well as four blocks. Valentine was one of two on the UCSB squad that put up impressive numbers. Sophomore forward Sweets Underwood added a career-high 15 points and nine rebounds for the Gauchos.

The balance that coach Murrell has put into the Viks team is showing, as no player is working too hard to try and be the one to score all of the points or get all of the rebounds. In the win over UC Santa Barbara, there were three players that scored in double-figures and five that posted five or more rebounds.

Senior forward Kelli Valentine ended her night with 12 points and five rebounds and proved to be one of the many leaders on the night to help lift the Vikings.

The win over UCSB makes two straight years of the Viks coming out victorious, and now they have a short stint at home before going back on the road for the Colliers International Classic in Berkeley.

The Viks will be tested in the upcoming weeks, as five of eight of their next games are on the road. The win over UC Santa Barbara is huge for helping the confidence of the team going into tonight’s game with Lewis & Clark at the Stott Center.

“Just knowing you can win on the road builds confidence in the team,” said Murrell. “I have told the players that we are going to be road warriors and do our best to grind out the always-important road wins.”

Murrell stands by the idea of trying to win one game at a time and simply “win the day.” Avoiding thinking about hard losses, and doing the same even when coming out victorious, will be a large component in staying competitive as the Viks chase their first-ever regular season title in the Big Sky Conference.?