CHENEY, Wash. – Senior Claire Faucher carried the Portland State women's basketball program to its first NCAA Tournament berth Saturday afternoon, as the Vikings claimed the Big Sky Championship with a 62-58 win over Montana State.

Faucher finished with 26 points, six assists and five steals. She set both Big Sky and PSU postseason single-game records for three-point shots made and attempted, going 8-for-16. She started off the game hot, sinking two her first two 3-pointers to give the Vikings a 6-3 lead at the 15:27 mark.

“I always think before a game that I'm not going to shoot the three, tonight I'm going to attack," said the point guard from Yakima, Wash. "Then I come out and start pulling up threes. I don't know why it was all threes, but that's what it ended up tonight. I'm thankful they were falling. I've had some games where they weren't.”

The Vikings continued their weekend trend of high-pressure man and zone defenses as they caused seven Bobcat turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the contest. PSU scored eight points off turnovers in that period of time as well.

Montana State had a one-woman show offensively, as Sarah Strand contributed 13 of the Bobcats 24 points in the first half. Although Strand silently controlled the floor, Portland State still held the advantage at the break, 29-24.

The perimeter game was the Vikings main mode of attack in the first stanza as they were 7-of-20 from behind the arc. They finished 11-of-30 in the game. In fact, the Vikings passed the 700 mark in three-point shots attempted this season, easily a new school record.

The halftime break was the perfect spell for Portland State as they switched attack plans. The Vikings guards drove the inside lanes and dished to Erin Yankus, Katy Wade and Kate DePaepe in the post to ease the outside pressure and convert baskets. The Vikings built an eight-point lead with 17:24 left in the contest.

"We went outside, then inside, then back outside today," said Head Coach Sherri Murrell. "We had a couple of nice dumps. They collapsed on us and Claire dumped it down low. We did a great job."

The Vikings continued to cause havoc in the Montana State passing lanes in the second half and ended up forcing the Bobcats into 20 turnovers on the day.

Faucher claimed Big Sky Tournament MVP honors after averaging 15.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals over three tournament contests. She was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Vikings Eryn Jones and Kelli Valentine.

Murrell was obviously elated after the game after leading the Vikings to their second straight postseason appearance and first berth in the NCAA tourney.

“I'm extremely proud. Both teams are well-coached and worked extremely hard. Kudos to (Montana State Head Coach) Trish (Binford) and her squad for battling. Obviously we wanted to win and we did it. It means a lot to our program. What it means is that we are going to expect this from here on out.

“To be a part of history is something very special. It means a lot to the players who have battled hard. It took me 20 years of my career to do it, so I'm pretty happy. I'm in a town (the Spokane area) where I've had a lot of losses with Washington State. This means a lot.”

Jones was the only other Viking to reach double-figures, scoring 11 and making all six of her free throws. Valentine had six points and six rebounds, and Katy Wade chipped in five boards, two blocked shots and two steals.

The Vikings (18-14) will await the NCAA selection show Monday afternoon at 4 p.m., on ESPN. The Portland State Athletic Department will host a viewing party at Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown on Monday. The party will begin at 3:15.

NOTES: As the No. 5 seed, Portland State became the lowest seeded team to win the conference tournament ... This was PSU's third title game appearance and second in a row ... The Vikings went to the WNIT last season ... Faucher also tied PSU single-game marks of three-pointers made and attempted. Michele Hughes set both marks in the early 90s ... Strand led Montana State with 19 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field. Erica Perry chipped in 18 points. Katie Bussey and Janette Jackson both pulled down 10 boards for the Bobcats ... The Viks averaged 14 steals over the three-day tourney ... Over the three games, Jones and Valentine both averaged 10.7 points ... Montana State, the sixth seed, finished the year with an 18-14 record.