The Vikings competed Tuesday, Nov. 5, in a pre-season game against Multnomah University. PSU won 104-48 against Multnomah in which several freshmen played a key role.
Early in the first quarter the Vikings showed intent and discipline, racking up a 14-3 lead midway through the period. Multnomah remained committed, however, contesting the ball on every play.
Midway through the second quarter, junior guard Kylie Jimenez jumped into action for the Vikings. She scored two three-pointers, assisting another for Desirae Hansen and sinking both free throws earned by a fast break that she instigated with a stunning intercept, all in just a few short minutes. By halftime, the Vikings held a well-earned 55-24 lead.
Multnomah wasn’t quite done yet, however. They briefly rallied after halftime as head coach Tim Brieri prowled courtside directing the team. Jordan Stotler, a reliable presence on both offense and defense for the Vikings, was struggling to find her shot and for a brief moment it looked as though Multnomah might have a route back into the game.
PSU coach Lynn Kennedy showed faith in his bench to close out the game. Freshman guard Jada Lewis scored two threes in quick succession to halt Multnomah’s run, and by the time the fourth quarter began it was merely a question of whether or not PSU would reach 100 points.
From then on, there was little intervention from established players as up-and-coming Vikings were given significant minutes on the court. Syd Schultz, the freshman forward, greatly impressed as she scored three baskets in the fourth quarter for a total of ten points in the game. Guard Cassidy Gardner, another Freshman, was vital to maintaining the Vikings dominance whenever she was on the court, racking up 19 minutes and seven points.
Sometimes when a team is up by such a margin as the Vikings were at the end of the third quarter, they can take their foot off the gas. With a final score of 104-48, it was clear the Vikings did not do so here.
After the game Coach Lynn Kennedy praised the efforts of the younger players. “They played hard,” he said, commenting on the intensity of his team and noting that the Vikings tied the program record for most threes in a single game.
Freshman Syd Schultz, meanwhile, hailed the opportunity to join a team such as the Vikings, “everyone gets on so well, not to mention how good they are at basketball,” Schultz said.
On a night when last year’s heroes were honored, PSU’s new recruits showed that the best might be yet to come from this team.
PSU women’s basketball also had their ring ceremony following the game to commemorate last year’s Big Sky tournament championship.
Womens basketball, from high school through college, has more lopsided scores than any other sport. Mens’ teams that are far better than their opponents in a game will invariably sub in their bench sitters and the coach of the superior team will try to hold down the score when victory is a forgone conclusion. The thinking is that its mean, demeaning, and un-sportsman-like to show up an inferior team, who’s coaches and players will end the game in abject humiliation. Beat-down games will stay with them for a long time and make them wish they’d never played at all. I hope womens teams will consider their over-kill attitude and cease taking pleasure in humiliating their opponents in the future.