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     Portland State concludes regular season play Friday afternoon against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in Grand Forks, N.D. Tip-off at the Betty Engelstad Center is slated for 1 p.m. PT. 
     The two teams met on the final day of the regular season a year ago with the Vikings playing the role of spoiler. Portland State knocked off then-first-place North Dakota when a win would have clinched the Big Sky Conference regular season title outright for the Fighting Hawks. This season, the roles are reversed. Portland State comes into Friday's game with a lot still left on the line. A win keeps the Vikings' hopes alive for a top four seed and a first round bye in next week's 2018 Big Sky Championship in Reno, Nev. A loss knocks them out of bye contention. 
     With one game remaining in the regular season, there is still much to be decided before teams make the trek to Reno. Northern Colorado has clinched the top seed in the tournament after its win Wednesday over Portland State. The only other spot that has been set is Southern Utah as the No. 12 seed. Seeds 2-11 are yet to be determined. The Vikings can finish as high as third in the league and as low as seventh.  
      Both teams are coming off a pair of tough losses and are looking for some momentum as they enter the Big Sky Tournament. North Dakota dropped its third-straight game to the Sacramento State Hornets, 72-66, at home Wednesday night. Portland State is coming off a disappointing loss at first place Northern Colorado. The Bears clinched the regular season championship with the 63-60 win. 
     Portland State trailed by as much as 16 points late in the third quarter to the Bears but fought all the way back to make it a one-possession game at the end. For the second-straight game the Vikings struggled from the floor in the first half shooting 30.0 percent on 9-of-30 shooting. They trailed by three at the end of the first but were outscored 19-9 in the second to trail by 13 heading to the second half. 
     Portland State shot 48.1 percent from the floor and went 5-for-10 from distance over the final two periods but it was not enough to come back on the road. Ashley Bolston led the Vikings with 13 points and seven steals but had a rough shooting night, going 3-for-13. Courtney West scored 10 points and was one of three players with a team-high eight rebounds, while Kiana Brown came off the bench for 11 points, going 4-for-7 with a trio from three-point range. The Vikings turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 20 points for the Bears. 

STORY LINES

• A win Friday would give the Vikings their third-straight win over North Dakota. 
• A win Friday would keep the Vikings in contention for a top four finish and a first round bye in the Big Sky Tournament. They will still need help as they do not control their own destiny. 
• A win Friday would give the Vikings 11 league wins, their most since the 2010-11 season.

UP NEXT: The Vikings head to Reno, Nev. next week for the 2018 Big Sky Women's Basketball Tournament opens Monday, March 5 at the Reno Events Center. The top four teams in the league will earn a first round bye. 

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NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS

• North Dakota went 20-11 overall a year ago and finished with a share of the regular season title with Montana State after finishing with a 15-3 conference mark. The Fighting Hawks were the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Portland State ousted North Dakota in the second round of the Big Sky Tournament with a 65-62 win. 
• North Dakota made the WNIT but lost in the first round on the road at South Dakota, 78-55. 
• North Dakota returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last year's team. 
• North Dakota is 12-16 overall and 5-12 in Big Sky play this season but has lost its last three. The Fighting Hawks are 9-4 at home on the year but 4-4 at home in league play. 
• North Dakota is averaging 66.0 points per game on the year, while allowing 67.6 ppg. The Fighting Hawks are shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 31.5 percent from distance. 
• North Dakota's plus-6.7 rebounding margin is best in the Big Sky. 
• North Dakota and Portland State are tied atop the league with 117 blocks apiece over 28 games. 
• North Dakota is last in the league with a 0.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. 
• Lexi Klabo is averaging 18.5 points per game, fourth in the Big Sky, and is coming off a career-high 31 points in a loss to Sacramento State Wednesday night. She went 11-for-19 from the floor and 9-for-13 at the line with a game-high 11 rebounds against the Hornets. 
• The other four starters combined to go 9-for-19 for 22 points against the Hornets. 
• Fallyn Freije missed four-straight games with an injury before coming back to score four points in eight minutes against the Hornets. She was averaging 14.0 ppg before suffering an ankle injury against Weber State on Feb. 8. 
• Jill Morton is the only other Fighting Hawk averaging in double-digits. She is scoring 10.8 ppg. 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTH DAKOTA
ALL-TIME SERIES: North Dakota is 8-5 all-time against Portland State. The Fighting Hawks are 5-0 all-time at home in the series. Portland State took 2-of-3 from North Dakota a year ago with each team winning on it home court and the Vikings taking the second round match up in the Big Sky Tournament. 
LAST YEAR: December 29, 2016 in Grand Forks ND, UND 65, PSU 61: North Dakota took the first meeting of the year to open Big Sky Conference play. Portland State out-shot, and out-rebounded North Dakota but turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 19 points for the Fighting Hawks. UND had three players score in double-figures led by Makailah Dyer's 18 points. Sidney Rielly scored a game-high 27 points, going 12-for-21 from the floor. Courtney West added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks in 33 minutes of action. March 3, 2017 in Portland, OR, PSU 81, UND 67: North Dakota came into the game in first place in the Big Sky Conference. The loss knocked the Fighting Hawks out of first place and into the No. 2 seed at the Big Sky Tournament. Portland State shot 52.7 percent from the floor and held North Dakota to 36.4 percent shooting. The Vikings out-rebounded the Fighting Hawks and out-scored them in the paint, 40-to-18. PSU had four players score in double-figures led by Ashely Bolston's game-high 24 points. Courtney West scored 15 points and matched her own single-game record with eight blocks. Cici West came off the bench for 11 points and 15 rebounds. March 8, 2017 in Reno, NV, PSU 65, UND 62: Portland State defeated North Dakota for the second time in five days in the second round of the Big Sky Tournament. Portland State shot 40.0 percent from the floor and 80.0 percent at the free-throw line to advance to the semifinals. The Vikings got big contributions off the bench by Kian McNair and Ashley Torres Negron as the Viking outscored the Fighting Hawks 31-18 in bench scoring. Ashley Bolston scored a team-high 20 points and tallied eight steals to match the Big Sky Tournament single-game record.