Game Recap

MSU women’s hoops loses at Portland State

on

PORTLAND, Ore. – In a game that featured ten lead changes and nine ties it was Portland State that made the plays down the stretch to post a 72-70 victory over Montana State on Saturday afternoon in Viking Pavilion.

Trailing 65-63 with two minutes, 39 seconds remaining Montana State (5-5, 2-2) had possession. Portland State’s (4-4, 3-3) Nakia Boston intercepted the pass on the in-bounds and converted an uncontested layup to the give the Vikings a four-point advantage. It proved to give PSU just enough wiggle room to hold the lead in the waning moments as the Vikings connected on five-of-six from the line in the final 13-seconds to secure the victory.

“We had a hard time getting stops,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “I’m happy we scored 70 points, but we can’t afford to give up 72. I think consistency is our biggest weakness right now. If you want to go from good to great you have to repeatedly do the things it takes to win.”

The Bobcats struggled with transition defense as the Vikings outscored MSU 15-2 in fastbreak points.

Offensively, MSU had another balanced attack as Tori Martell posted a team-high 20 points, including a six-of-eight effort from three-point range. Gabby Mocchi and Lexi Deden did the job down low notching 18 and 15 points, respectively. Both were career-highs. In addition, Mocchi and Deden combined to shot 58.3% from the field.

“Gabby’s been our most consistent post player,” Binford said. “And we got Lexi to slow down and square-up and she had a nice weekend.”

After shooting just 30% in the opening quarter, PSU went 51.3% from the field in the final three periods. The Vikings finished shooting 46.2%, while MSU hit at a 43.3% clip.

MSU won the boards outrebounding PSU for the second straight game 34-30. The Bobcats were paced under the glass by Darian White with seven rebounds, while Martell added six. White also recorded a game-high eight assists and added two steals.

Desirae Hansen led the Vikings with 20 points.

Montana State will host Northern Arizona, Thursday, Jan 21 at 7:05 p.m. in Worthington Arena. 

About Press Release

Recommended for you