Boxscore

Portland, OR - On a less than stellar offensive night, the Vikings took advantage of their opportunities. In the end, Portland State wrapped up its preseason schedule with a 73-53 win over Utah Valley at the Stott Center.

Being the holiday season, Utah Valley was in the giving mood, turning the ball over 18 times. Portland State turned those mistakes into 31 points. That made up for a shooting performance by the Vikings that was only .369 from the field, .296 from three-point range and .680 at the free throw line.

The win improved the Viking record to 7-5 heading into Big Sky Conference play next week. It also ended a brief three-game losing streak.

Utah Valley, members of the Great West Conference, dropped to 5-7 on the season.

The Wolverines packed it in on defense and challenged the Vikings to shoot from outside. It appeared to be a good plan as PSU was just 7-32 from three-point range in its last two games.

But the Vikings built a 21-12 lead in the first nine minutes with solid defense. PSU converted six turnovers into 13 points during that span. A 13-1 run later in the half pushed the Viking lead to 35-19 with 3:55 left.

PSU went into the half with a 37-23 lead. The Vikings committed just two turnovers in the half while forcing eight for 18 points. Utah Valley shot only 9-31 from the field (.310) as PSU also blocked five Wolverine shots.

Utah Valley only got as close as nine on two occasions in the second half. But again, PSU forced 10 more turnovers for 13 points.

Isiah Williams made a layin for Utah Valley at the 9:27 mark, closing the gap to 53-44. However, the Vikings went on a 20-9 run down the stretch to close it out.

"We did a good job defensively on them, limited their second-chance points and stopped them in transition. I was pleased with our defensive effort," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "I told the team that was an above-average Big Sky team (if they were in our league). For us to take care of them the way we did, I am really proud of our guys."

The 53 points allowed by the Vikings were the fewest by a Viking opponent in 36 games.

Charles Odum, making his first start of the season, scored a team-high 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made three steals. Chris Harriel added 14 points and five rebounds.

Chehales Tapscott had his Big Sky-leading fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He added two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Williams scored 26 points to lead Utah Valley. Geddes Robinson had 15 rebounds for the Wolverines.

GAME NOTES: Portland State had season-highs of 12 steals and eight blocked shots…  Head Coach Tyler Geving went with a different starting lineup for the first time all season. He replaced JR G Dane Johnson with JR G Charles Odum. The move seemed to help both players as Odum went for 17 points in 30 minutes, while Johnson had five points and four assists in 21 minutes… the Vikings are now 3-0 all-time against Utah Valley… PSU is 5-1 at home this year… Portland State opens Big Sky Conference play after Christmas. The Vikings will host Northern Colorado on Wednesday at the Stott Center at 7:05 p.m. The game airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am. A live video stream is also available at www.b2tv.com.