Boxscore

Cheney, WA - Tremayne Johnson scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead an Eastern Washington second-half rally as the Eagles defeated Portland State, 65-51.

For the second straight game, the Vikings were subpar offensively. PSU lost 71-59 to Northern Arizona last Saturday, then managed only 51 in the loss to the Eagles.

Hurting the cause, Portland State was playing without JR F Chehales Tapscott (knee) and JR C Nate Lozeau (ankle). The Vikings had only nine players available for the game for the 11th time in 20 starts this season.

PSU went into halftime with a 26-22 lead. The Vikings shot just .391 in the first half, but committed only four turnovers. Defensively, the Vikings were solid, holding the Eagles to just 8-28 field goals for a .286 mark. Eastern had only six points from its starters on 3-16 shooting.

PSU was up 29-24 early in the second half before it all fell apart.

Eastern Washington began hitting shots, making 17-30 in the second half. The Eagles took the lead at 33-31 and never looked back. The advantage grew to as many as 20 points as Eastern Washington ended a six-game losing streak to the Vikings.

The Vikings finished at just .372 from the field, but had their chances at the line. PSU made only 15-24 free throws (.625).

Charles Odum led the Vikings with 14 points and five rebounds. Paul Guede had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Portland State drops to 10-10 on the season, 3-5 in Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings have lost four of their last five games.

The Eagles improved to 6-14, 3-5.

GAME NOTES: The Vikings defeated Eastern Washington, 74-58, in Portland on Jan. 8. EWU shot only .308 from the field in that game... injuries continue to plague the Vikings. PSU has now lost 28 player games to injury this year. Tapscott had surgery on his knee on Wednesday. It is hoped he can return in three weeks. Lozeau may return next week… Portland State comes home for a Saturday night game against Sacramento State. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m. at the Stott Center. The Vikings have won seven straight in the series with the Hornets.