The Portland State women’s basketball team narrowly lost to Montana State 66-63 on Thursday at Viking Pavilion. The result was a significant improvement for the Vikings, who had previously suffered a 91-43 defeat against the Bobcats less than a month earlier.
Head coach Karlie Burris expressed pride in her team’s performance. “I feel like that was the most complete game we had played all year. We wanted to be the aggressor, which I thought we were. We were switching and really physical. I wish we could have back a few of those plays late, but really proud of the group overall,” Burris said.
During the game, Sophie Buzzard and Kyleigh Brown helped give Portland State a brief lead with just under five minutes left in regulation. Brown later tied the score at 62 with another three-pointer in the final minute. However, Montana State regained the lead after Isobel Bunyan scored a layup with less than 45 seconds remaining.
Portland State had two opportunities to tie the game in its final possession but missed both three-point attempts as time expired.
“I thought we had a look, but they junked it up. They’re long across the board. Again, we’re going to be hardest on us as a staff to get a cleaner look,” Burris said about the last play.
Statistically, Portland State outshot Montana State with a .411 field goal percentage compared to .375 for their opponent—the lowest allowed by PSU since holding Sacramento State to .370 shooting earlier in January. Both teams finished even in rebounds at 39 each, marking only the second time since mid-January that Portland State matched or exceeded an opponent on the boards.
Montana State managed eight more field goal attempts than Portland State due partly to their advantage in offensive rebounds (16-9), including several key rebounds late in the game that contributed to their win.
Turnovers also favored Montana State, though not as heavily as in their previous meeting when they held a +15 margin; this time it was reduced to +7 for Montana State—below their season average as one of the top teams nationally in turnover margin. The Bobcats converted these turnovers into a 24-15 edge in points off turnovers.
“We had them on the ropes. You could tell they were a little tense at times,” Burris said.
“This is where we’re still learning and are going to continue to. But this was the first time where I felt like we had a really solid effort through all four quarters, and if just one or two plays go differently, then I think it’s a different result.”
Five Vikings players scored in double figures for the first time during Big Sky Conference play this season. Ellington led with 14 points and nine rebounds; Brown followed with 12 points; Buzzard, Hannah Chicken, and Taylor Moffat each added 10 points. Buzzard’s performance marked her first double-digit scoring output since December.
“I thought Sophie was big tonight. This was a game that just lent itself to how she plays. We adjusted some things on the offensive end, which I think kind of fit her style a little bit more. She also had the assignment of guarding [Montana State’s Taylee] Chirrick, which is no small task, so I thought she stepped up,” Burris said regarding Buzzard’s contribution.
Moffat reached double figures for only the third time this season while contributing from beyond the arc along with Buzzard and Brown; collectively they made six three-pointers compared to four by Montana State—only the fourth such advantage for Portland State during conference play.
Looking ahead, Portland State will conclude its home schedule against Montana before traveling to Weber State for its regular-season finale next week.
“I’m excited,” Burris said. “I hope it gives our team confidence that we’re still playing this hard regardless of our record. I still feel like we can compete with anyone.”
Additional notes include that Thursday’s loss dropped Portland State’s all-time record against Montana State to 32-47 and highlighted statistical improvements despite being outshot from free throw range by 16 attempts—the largest deficit faced by PSU this season.
