Women clinch Big Sky title

PSU defeats Montana State in Big Sky Championship

The Portland State women’s basketball team is the newly crowned champion of the Big Sky Conference.

The Vikings defeated Montana State, 62–58, yesterday in Cheney, Wash., to win their first-ever Big Sky title, and with it the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Saturday saw several firsts. In addition to setting up PSU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, it was the first time in Big Sky history that two quarterfinalists met in the championship game, and as the No. 5 seed, the Vikings became the lowest seeded team to ever win the conference tournament.

Photo courtesy Portland State Athletics Department

 

“We did it the hard way, but we did it,” head coach Sherri Murrell said in a television interview after the game.

Not only will her team be competing in the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time, but this will also mark Murrell’s first time in the Big Dance.

“To be a part of history is something very special. It means a lot to the players who have battled hard,” she said. “It took me 20 years of my career to do it, so I’m pretty happy.”

Senior guard Claire Faucher, the Tournament MVP, broke the conference and school records in both three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made when she shot 8 for 16 from behind the arc.

“I always think before a game that I’m not going to shoot the three,” Faucher said in a statement released by the school. “Then I come out and start pulling up threes. I don’t know why it was all threes, but that’s the way it ended tonight.”

Faucher led all scorers with 26 points on the night, and she also recorded six assists, four rebounds and five steals. It wasn’t until there was only three minutes left in the game when Faucher finally hit a bucket that wasn’t for three points.

As the PSU players await the announcement of the final seeding for the NCAA Tournament at 4 p.m. on ESPN, the Athletics Department is set to hold a tournament selection party at the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday. 

The party is set to begin at 3:15 p.m. Buffalo Wild Wings is located as 327 S.W. Morrison Street in Portland.

2010 Big Sky Conference

Women’s Basketball Championship

Scoring		1st	2nd	Final
Montana St.		24	34	58
Portland St.		29	33	62
Team stats		MSU	PSU
Field goals		22-55	22-66
FG shooting		.400	.333
3pt field goals		7-19	11-30
3pt shooting		.368	.367
Rebounds		46	35
Turnovers		20	9

All-Tournament Team

MVP Claire Faucher, Portland State

Iaona Iacovita, Idaho State

Eryn Jones, Portland State

Kelli Valentine, Portland State

Sarah Strand, Montana State

Erica Perry, Montana State