Who? The Vikings of Portland State.
Where? Portland, OR, where nudity is protected speech.
When? Saturday the 13th, in Cheney, WA.
How? A 26-point, 6-assist, 6-steal effort by Claire Faucher propelled the Vikings to a 62-58 victory over Montana State.
Upset? And how. The Vikings were the sixth seed in the Big Sky tournament, knocking out #3 Idaho State and #2 Montana before defeating #5 Montana State, who pulled some upsets of their own, which resulted in a true neutral-site game... at regular season champ Eastern Washington.
RPI: 204
SOS: 243
Vikings and glass slippers don't seem to be a natural fit, but Portland State wore the role well in the conference tournament.
With their three top scorers each cranking 120 or more three-point attempts this season, Portland State relies heavily on the three-point shot. Big Sky first-teamer Claire Faucher averages 13.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game to lead her team. Senior forward Erin Yankus's 5.7 rebounds are tops for the Vikings, while sophomore Katy Wade pulls in 5.3 rebounds and swats more than two shots per game. Free throw shooting is a problem for this team, who as a group shoot 67.3%.
Their best win was to open the season, edging Washington. Losing to Gonzaga by seven is nothing to be ashamed of, either. A season sweep in conference by Northern Colorado doesn't help their resume.