Box Score
Portland, OR - Apparently, a moment to think about it was all Michael Harthun needed to have his best game.

After starting the first nine games of the season, the junior guard from South Medford High School came off the bench and the result was career-high 22 points in leading Portland State to a 91-87 victory over Cal State Bakersfield.

Harthun made 9-11 shots from the field and 3-5 at the line to lead all scorers. He added four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.

The Vikings stopped a two-game losing streak, improving to 6-4 overall. They needed some positive momentum as they head back out to play a Pac-12 opponent on the road. The Vikings are at Oregon State on Sunday night.

In reality, Harthun had a a lot of help. Portland State shot a remarkable .673 from the field on 33 of 49 shots. The Vikings also outrebounded the Roadrunners, 32-22.

"I'm surprised we didn't win by 20 with those kind of numbers," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "We took good shots and executed what we needed to do."

Seven Vikings scored eight or more points with five in double figures. Chehales Tapscott had his Big Sky-leading fifth double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Lateef McMullan scored 15, including 14 in the second half, and had a season-high six assists. Charles Odum added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Portland State shot well in the first half, hitting 18-26 shot for a .692 mark. The Roadrunners shot 15-28 (.536). PSU, which led by 10 at one point in the opening half, was up 44-40 at intermission.

Harthun hit 5-7 shots and had 12 first-half points in 11 minutes.

A Harthun layup at the 14:44 mark of the second half had PSU up 60-48, its largest advantage of the game. But five different players scored for Bakersfield in a 14-1 run over the next four minutes, as the Roadrunners took the lead at 62-61. The Vikings committed five turnovers during that stretch.

PSU pumped the lead back up to a dozen at 83-71 with 2:51 left. Harthun had six points in the rally.

Bakersfield wouldn't go away though. A full-court press that forced 10 second-half turnovers by the Vikings. When Rashad Savage made a layin with 42 seconds to play, the Roadrunners were within 86-85.

CSUB had the ball with 29 seconds left and the Vikings ahead 89-87. That's when Odum made one of the biggest plays of the game, stealing the ball from Stephon Carter with nine seconds to play. Odum made two free throws with 5.7 seconds left and the Vikings hung on for the win.

For all the good shooting from the field, PSU kept Bakersfield in the game by making just 21-33 at the line (.636) and making 17 turnovers.

"We made four sloppy turnovers in the last three minutes. When you get up on a team like that you need to put them away. We've got to learn from it. The good thing was we were up 12," said Geving.

Issiah Grayson and Robert Hayes each had 17 to lead Bakersfield. The Roadrunners dropped to 5-4 on the season.

GAME NOTES: It was the first time all season PSU had a different starting lineup, replacing Michael Harthun with Gary Winston. The move benefitted both players as Winston had nine points and three assists… Martin Whitmore played in his first game since suffering a preseason elbow injury… Portland State lost the only other meeting between the schools, 92-77, last December in Bakersfield… PSU is at Oregon State on Sunday night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on Root Sports and heard on Freedom 970 AM.