Box Score

Portland, OR - Chehales Tapscott made his final basketball game at the Stott Center a memorable one, leading the Portland State Vikings to a 75-53 Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal win over Montana State.

Tapscott posted his Big Sky-leading 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading four Vikings in double figures. Tapscott went 7-11 from the field, including pair of three-pointers, and 4-4 at the line.

The win allows the Vikings to advance to a Big Sky Tournament semifinal against Weber State on Tuesday night in Missoula, MT. Tip-off is 4:30 p.m. PT as the 17-13 Vikings will take on the league's number-two seeded Wildcats, who are 23-5.

Tapscott got a lot of help from fellow senior Charles Odum, who scored 16 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Renado Parker scored 13 points with nine rebounds off the bench, and Lateef McMullan added 14 points and four assists.

Early on, the Bobcats tried to shorten the game by lengthening their possessions and sitting back in a zone against the Vikings. It worked with one exception. MSU had trouble hitting shots. The Vikings built a 23-15 lead in the first half as the Bobcats made only 7 of their first 21 from the field.

Portland State took a 31-23 lead into halftime. The Vikings shot .481 from the field and outrebounded the Bobcats, 24-10. But eight turnovers prevented a larger lead.

Odum sparked a 9-0 run early in the second half, scoring seven in the rally. That gave the Vikings a comfortable 45-29 lead. Another 10-0 run later in the half was capped off by a Tapscott put-back and three-pointer. That got the Vikings to a 57-37 advantage with just over eight minutes to play. From there the Vikings cruised to the victory.

Portland State shot .522 from the field, .571 from three-point range and .792 at the line. Montana State finished at .367/.181/.545.

Montana State, the sixth seed in the Big Sky Conference, finished its year at 12-17 overall. Mohammed Fall had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Bobcats. Christian Moon added 12 points and five assists.

GAME NOTES: Portland State has won seven games in a row against Big Sky Conference opponents… Montana State had beaten the Vikings twice during the regular season, 86-73, in Bozeman, and 70-65, in Portland… Portland State has won six of the last seven Big Sky Tournament games it has played in since 2008. PSU is 8-7 all-time in Big Sky Tournament games, including 4-0 against Montana State, and 4-1 in tournament games played in Portland… Viking Coach Tyler Geving is now 2-1 in Big Sky Tournament games… PSU finished its home season with a 10-3 record… the semifinal game will air on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. It will be televised on Altitude TV and Comcast SportsNet in the Portland area.