Big Sky Conference

Viks’ athleticism leads PSU past NAU, into quarters

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RENO — Coaches across the Big Sky Conference have talked about Portland State’s length and athleticism for the duration of the season. The Vikings used both attributes to post a league-altering victory to deny North Dakota the Big Sky title with a win over UND in Portland in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Monday in the first game of the night session of the first day of the Big Sky Tournament, Portland State showed flashes of the challenges its length can provide on both ends. The seventh-seeded Vikings shot 66.7 percent after halftime, put six players in double figure scoring behind Sidney Rielly’s 24 points and used their size to fluster No. 10 Northern Arizona on the way to an 88-76 victory.

The win moves Portland State into Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Vikings will take on North Dakota, the co-Big Sky champions with Montana State and the No. 2 seed. Portland State posted an 81-67 win in Portland over UND last Friday, giving MSU a share of its second straight league title.

Portland State's Sidney Rielly

Portland State’s Sidney Rielly

“We’ve played well on Friday but we know North Dakota is really good,” PSU head coach Lynn Kennedy said. “Going into the tournament, any team if they are playing at a high level can win this tournament. We’ve seen that this year and last year. We know they are a good team but we are up for the challenge. We like our matchup, size against size, shooters against shooters, we will see who comes out on top.”

Although NAU shot 50 percent in a 24-point fourth quarter, including hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers, the Portland State zone at times gave the Lumberjacks problems. The 2-3 defense held NAU to 41.7 percent shooting overall. Northern Arizona hit 11 of its 30 3-pointers.

“Our rotations need to be better against North Dakota,” Kennedy said. “They are big and athletic. Their drives are really good. Against North Dakota, we have to be able to block out. If we don’t, they will dominate the boards.”

Portland State built a 38-34 halftime lead despite Ashley Bolston, PSU’s leading scorer and the Big Sky’s Newcomer of the Year, battling foul trouble and going scoreless. After halftime, Bolston scored 11 points as part of an efficient two quarters. The Vikings operated their offense through 6-foot-4 Courtney West in the high post and distributed the ball efficiently. PSU notched 13 of its 20 assists after halftime on 18 made field goals. West finished with six assists to go with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“Our offense changed, we started setting good screens, making back cuts and playing together as a team,” West said. “We were looking for the extra pass and we rotated the ball.”

Corey James (12), Cici West (11) and Ashley Torres (11) joined Rielly, West and Bolston in double figures.

“Our offensive sets, if we run them correctly and execute, we are usually pretty good,” Kennedy said. “Leading the league in field goal percentage says a lot about the players we have. We just played hard today. We played hard, we cut hard. I think their focus was more on our post play. You could see they were looking at our posts. We cut off of that and knocked down shots in the second and fourth quarters.”

Northern Arizona senior guard Renee Coggins

Northern Arizona senior guard Renee Coggins

Northern Arizona hung around mostly because of its shooting from both beyond the arc and in the mid-range. Playing in her first conference tournament, true freshman point guard Raina Perez scored 12 of her team-high 21 points after halftime. Her 3-pointer with 1:17 left cut the PSU lead to 83-73 and was her third of the night. But she also struggled with PSU’s pressure, committing seven of NAU’s 24 turnovers.

“As a freshman, this being my first time, I’m glad it was like this, gives me something to learn from,” Perez said. “I’m ready to come back next year.”

Brittani Lusain scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, hitting two 3-pointers to keep the lead in single digits. Catelyn Preston hit a few jumpers on the inside of PSU’s zone and finished with 13 points. NAU senior captain Renee Coggins finished her career with 12 points, including four 3-pointers.

“I think we needed to move a little more,” Coggins said. “I think we were a little bit stagnant. But we shot the ball a lot better this time playing them.

“They play to their strengths for sure. I think the zone gives them a lot, especially with two 6-foot guards (Bolston, Rielly) playing at the top. We wish them all the best. I hope they go all the way.”

Northern Arizona finishes its season 9-21. under interim head coach Robyne Bostick.

“I’m very proud of what the team accomplished this year with the adversity we’ve had all season long, not just with the coaching change but also with the injuries we had coming into conference play,” Bostick said. “Different people stepped up at different times.”

NAU freshman Raina Perez

NAU freshman Raina Perez

With the addition of Bolston, a transfer from Washington State, and Rielly, a transfer from Santa Clara, the Vikings have been competitive all season in earning eight league victories. PSU owns wins over UND and MSU, the league’s top two teams. Portland State has won five of seven entering Wednesday’s rubber match with UND.

“We carry some momentum in, especially with this win,” Rielly said. “We got what we wanted on the offensive end. We really focused on what we want to do on the defensive end. We played UND just a couple of nights ago and they are a No. 1 seed for a reason. If we execute our game plan, we can beat them, be right there with them.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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