PSU's women's team makes history

By Associated Press, KATU Sports and KATU.com Staff Published: Mar 13, 2010 at 4:22 PM PST Last Updated: Mar 13, 2010 at 5:01 PM PST
PSU's women's team makes history
PSU's Claire Faucher, the women's basketball team's all-time assists and steals leader, is honored during a recent Senior Night.

CHENEY, Wash. – It's a magical day for Portland State University as its women's basketball team makes history.

The team headed to Cheney, Wash., as just the fifth seed in the Big Sky tournament. They're leaving with the championship and the team's first bid to the NCAA tournament.

Vikings Senior Claire Faucher came out and missed her first shot of the game, and Portland State's leading scorer worried that it might be a tough night. But she refused to lose to Montana State, eventually knocking down three pointers from everywhere on the court.

Faucher nailed PSU's first two baskets of the game from long range to start. Then it was on to six more baskets, with the Vikings leading by five points at the break. This was a Big Sky tournament record, at eight 3-pointers, en route to 26 points as Portland State beat Montana State 62 to 58 on Saturday to win the tournament and its first trip to the NCAA tournament.

"I'm thankful they were falling tonight," said Faucher, a 5-foot-9 senior guard who made 8-of-16 from 3-point range. Faucher's career high had been five 3-pointers twice.

The PSU all-time steals leader saved her only two pointer for a momentous spot in the game, getting a steal and scoring to clinch the win late in the game.

"I always think before a game that I'm not going to shoot the 3, tonight I'm going to attack," said Faucher, who averages 13 points per game. "Then I come out and start pulling up 3s."

The Vikings celebrated a 62 to 58 win over the Montana Bobcats, making their next game a bid for NCAA champion.

Portland State (18-14) has been living off 3-pointers all season. The Vikings shot a team record 622 of them during the regular season, and 49 more in the first two tournament games. They are making 32 percent of those on the season.

Saturday they made 11-of-30 to bury the Bobcats (18-14).

Portland State won its first Big Sky Conference championship and will be making its initial NCAA appearance since joining Division I in the 1996-97 season.

"It means a lot to this program," said coach Sherri Murrell, who has rebuilt the team in her third season. "That's all we are going to expect from here on out."