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PORTLAND – Emily Easom scored a game-high 19 points but the Portland State Vikings fell to the Idaho State Bengals, 65-53, Saturday night at the Peter W. Stott Center.
 
Easom went 5-for-14 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. She also went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line for her 19 points and added two assists and three steals. Easom also played all 40 minutes for the 11th time this season. She has played 40 minutes in seven of the last night games.
 
The Vikings, who came into the game with just eight players healthy and eligible to play, lost their starting point guard, Lariel Powll, to an ankle injury just over 10 minutes into the game. Freshman Nele Aha came off the bench and played 32 minutes scoring five points with three assists.
 
Mikaela Rivard scored 16 points with six rebounds and played with four fouls for the final 13:21. She went 6-for-14 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers.
 
Portland State opened the game on a 13-2 run, including 10 straight, before an Idaho State layup ended the run. The Bengals countered with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to four points at 17-14.
 
A pair of three-pointers from Easom and Rivard maintained the Vikings' lead at 24-16. Easom hit a runner in the lane but missed the and-one free throw to put the Vikings up 26-18. Five straight points by Idaho State cut the lead to three at 26-23.
 
The teams traded points late in the half before Idaho State cut the lead to one at 29-28 at the break. Easom and Rivard each had 10 points at intermission.
 
The Bengals opened the second on a 7-2 run to take the lead at 35-31. ISU extended its lead to 51-40 on a 10-0 run as PSU hit a cold stretch going 1-for-6.
 
Easom ended the scoring drought with a pair of free throws and then got the ball out on the run and hit the layup and drew the foul on the play. She hit the and-one this time to cut the lead to six at 51-45.
 
The teams traded points before Aha, playing for the injured Powell, turned the corner and drove to the hoop to cut the lead to four at 55-51.
 
A three-pointer with 2:41 remaining put the Bengals up seven at 60-53. The Vikings fouled twice to put the Idaho State in the bonus with 1:35 remaining. ISU's Apiphany Woods hit a pair of free throws to go up 62-53. The Bengals hit three more free throws to win by the final score of 65-53.
 
Woods scored 12 points with 10 assists for a double-double. Anna Policicchio led Idaho State with 18 points going 7-for-10 from the floor. Idaho State outshot Portland State .522-to-.375 for the game and held a plus-14 rebounding advantage.
 
Idaho State improved to 9-10 overall and 4-4 in Big Sky Conference play while Portland State fell to 3-16, 1-7.
 
The Vikings hit the road next week for a pair of conference road games. They play at Montana on Thursday, Jan. 29 before heading to Bozeman, Mont. to take on Montana State Saturday, Jan. 31.
 
NOTES: Portland State starting lineup was Ani Avanessian, Lauren Holt, Lariel Powell, Emily Easom, and Mikaela Rivard … PSU is 1-4 with that starting lineup … Lariel Powell left the game with 9:41 left in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return … Nele Aha matched her career high with five points.