Boxscore

Portland, OR - There was a lot to be excited about at the Stott Center on Saturday night. Senior forward Phil Nelson returned to the lineup after missing the last 26 games. NBC was in town to do a feature on the unique story of senior guard Melvin Jones. Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden was making one of his frequent appearances to watch the game. Ipads and Ipods were being given away to fans as Portland State and Eastern Washington were battling for Dam Cup supremacy… oh yeah, and the Vikings beat the Eagles in a Big Sky Conference basketball game, 74-58.

Everyone - except the Eagles - went home with a smile on their faces.

The Vikings improved to 9-6 overall, 2-1 in the Big Sky. PSU extended its winning streak over the Eagles to six games.

Eastern Washington dropped to 4-11 on the season, 1-2 in the Big Sky.

The Vikings jumped to a 20-7 lead midway through the first half. Chris Harriel sparked the run with eight points and seven rebounds. His emphatic dunk at the 9:21 mark gave PSU a 13-point advantage.

PSU's steady play led the team to a 38-27 halftime lead. The Vikings hit 16-31 in the first half (.516), while the Eagles made only 10-32 (.313). Melvin Jones had 11 points at the break, including 3-3 from three-point range.

Portland State's biggest lead in the second half was 53-38 on a three-pointer by Terry Coleman with 11:15 to play. A 13-4 Eagle run closed it to 57-51 at the 5:58 mark.

But, PSU made the plays it needed to down the stretch, including hitting 17-24 second half free throws and continuing to play solid defense. It was the fourth time this season the Vikings held an opponent in the 50s after doing so just once last season.

"We did a pretty good job of getting out and stopping them, and we got out and guarded the three-point line very well," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving.

Eastern Washington made just 20-65 shots, for a .308 percentage. That included just 8-29 from three-point range (.276).

While the rebounding was virtually even (EWU 41-40), the Vikings once again took great care of the ball, giving up just 10 turnovers. PSU finished the game shooting 24-54 (.444).

Harriel had another big night for the Vikings, scoring 16 points with a career-high 12 rebounds. He also had three assists and three steals.

Chehales Tapscott had his league-leading fifth double-double of the year with 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Charles Odum added 15 points, hitting 5-6 field goals, and handed out a team-leading five assists.

Jones, who will be featured on NBC's Today Show on a date to be announced, scored 14 points for the Vikings.

GAME NOTES: SR F Phil Nelson returned to the lineup after missing 26 straight games. Nelson broke his foot last January, missing the final 12 games of the season. He re-broke the foot in early November and had not played in the first 14 games of this season. Nelson resumed practice on Thursday and came off the bench to play 16 minutes, hitting one three-pointer and grabbing one rebound… Portland State now leads the Dam Cup competition - a multi-sport competition with Eastern Washington - 7-6. There are two basketball games yet to play later this month… Charles Odum is now 20-29 shooting (.690) in league play… PSU is 6-2 at home this year… the Vikings travel to Montana State for a Big Sky Conference game on Thursday night. Tip-off is 6:05 p.m. PT as the game airs on Freedom 970 AM. It can also be seen on a live video stream at www.b2tv.com.