The Portland State women’s basketball team lost to Eastern Washington 87-78 on Saturday at Reese Court in Cheney, Washington. Despite shooting over 40 percent in every quarter and matching their season highs for three-pointers made (eight) and points scored in regulation (78), the Vikings could not overcome a strong second-half performance by the Eagles.
Eastern Washington, now 13-15 overall and 6-9 in conference play, broke open a close game after halftime with hot shooting from beyond the arc. The Eagles hit seven of their first ten three-point attempts in the second half, extending their lead to 70-55 early in the fourth quarter.
Portland State head coach Karlie Burris addressed her team’s defensive struggles against the Eagles’ perimeter shooting. “Giving up six three-pointers in the third is just way too many,” Burris said afterwards. “They hit them versus our zone as well as our man and so it’s attention to detail, attention to scout, and trusting the defense and what we’re trying to do.”
The Vikings (6-21, 2-13) closed within single digits late in the fourth quarter. Cici Ellington led Portland State with 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting and sparked a run that cut an 80-66 deficit down to seven with just over two minutes left. However, Eastern Washington responded with another three-pointer to restore a double-digit lead and secured the win.
Earlier in the game, Portland State narrowed an early ten-point deficit by hitting four three-pointers during the second quarter. By halftime, they trailed by four points before Eastern Washington started strong after intermission.
Saturday’s result was an improvement compared to their previous meeting on January 22 when Eastern Washington defeated Portland State by eighteen points and out-rebounded them by thirty-one. This time, Eastern Washington held only a nine-rebound advantage but managed twelve offensive rebounds that led to twelve second-chance points.
“Only losing by nine [today] was certainly an improvement. But the offensive rebounds that hurt us were the put backs. I felt like when they got them, they converted 50 percent of the time. So those 12 second-chance points just really, really hurt when you feel like they’ve defended their initial action well. It’s just a killer,” Burris said.
Four Vikings reached double figures for only the third time in six games; Hannah Chicken scored seventeen points along with nine rebounds while Kyleigh Brown added sixteen—fifteen of which came after halftime—extending her streak of double-digit scoring games to thirty-three straight contests. Laynee Torres-Kahapea finished with ten points including a late three-pointer that brought Portland State within six near game’s end.
Burris commented on her team’s offensive approach: “It’s great to have four in double figures. I still would like to have more production. I didn’t think we had a post presence early to go inside-out. In the second half, I thought we were much better at trying to be intentional about that. But again, we’re at our best when we’re playing with pace in transition. I think that’s been a point of emphasis of trying to share the ball and take the right shot. That’s been good for us lately.”
Ellington’s recent form has been notable; she has scored double figures five times across her last six games and shot seventy-two percent from the field over this past weekend’s two contests.
“Cici in the open court is hard to guard. She’s a tough matchup whether it’s a forward or a guard on her. She has size on the guards and she has quickness on the forwards, so whenever she gets that matchup, she’s really dynamic,” Burris said of Ellington.
“Shooting 11-for-15 from the field is really solid. She had a huge three [in the fourth quarter] for us, too. So, really proud of what she’s done for us the past few games.”
For Eastern Washington, Ella Gallatin recorded twenty-five points and ten assists while Kourtney Grossman posted twenty-four points along with sixteen rebounds.
The Vikings return home next weekend for their final homestand of this season against Montana State Thursday night followed by Montana Saturday afternoon before finishing regular season play at Weber State.
