The Portland State Women’s Basketball team was unaffected by the weather as it took down the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 81–74 Saturday, Jan. 14 in the Peter Stott Center. The Vikings had a great performance and were not affected by the snow, which has caused PSU students and faculty to make adjustments to their schedules and postpone some athletic events due to traveling issues.
“[The snow] didn’t affect our week,” PSU Women’s Basketball head coach Lynn Kennedy said.
The first quarter went back and forth as both teams traded buckets. Each team struggled to edge out its opposition in the battle for momentum as the first quarter ended with the score tied at 17.
Southern Utah had the edge in the next quarter due to its mid-range attack. Thunderbird forward Jessica Richardson had a good second quarter, putting points up on the board and getting rebounds. PSU guard Ashley Bolston was hard to stop as she showed dominance on offense; nevertheless, Southern Utah went into halftime leading 36–33.
The Lady Viks didn’t back down as they began the third quarter with intensity. PSU’s offensive players looked alive as they put their foot on the gas, taking advantage of every fast break opportunity they saw. PSU gained momentum against the Thunderbirds by taking the lead and extending it to 12 points.
“We played like we could,” Kennedy said. “We were aggressive in the third and that helped establish our lead going into the fourth quarter.”
Southern Utah didn’t go away easily and implemented a full-court press defense, attempting to panic the Vikings offense. PSU kept its composure, however, creating shots and finding ways to score. The Vikings defeated the Thunderbirds 81–74.
PSU guard Sidney Rielly finished with 28 points, hitting 11 of 16 field goal attempts, 4 boards and 1 assist. Guard Ashley Bolston finished with 28 points, scoring 9 of 17 field goal attempts, 4 boards and 8 assists.
For Southern Utah, Jessica Richardson finished with 16 points, 6 of 14 field goal attempts, 7 boards and 1 assist.
The next home game is high noon, Jan. 28 at Peter Stott Center when the Viks take on the Sacramento State Hornets.