Boxscore - HTM | PDF

Edinburg, TX - Isaiah Pineiro brought the heat off the bench for the Vikings as Portland State picked up its first road win of the season, 79-61, over Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Pineiro hit eight of his first nine shots, scoring 17 points in his first 11 minutes on the court. The sophomore forward finished with game-highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds. Pineiro's hot start led the Vikings to a double-digit lead midway through the first half and UTRGV never got closer.

Portland State was able to get inside at will early in the game, racing out to a 16-7 lead. The Vikings scored 14 of the first 16 in the paint, including three baskets by Pineiro and three by senior forward Cameron Forte.

Pineiro had 17 points and six rebounds by halftime and the Vikings led 40-22. PSU was 18-36 from the field (.500), while the Vaqueros made only 9-32 (.281). PSU also had a 29-15 advantage on the backboards.

UTRGV cut the Viking lead to 11 points on three occasions in the second half before Portland State stretched it out again. 

PSU dominated the stat line, finishing at 33-67 from the field (.493), while holding the Vaqueros to 24-74 (.324). The Vikings won the rebound battle, 54-36.

Portland State is now 2-1 on the season. UTRGV, formerly Texas Pan American and a member of the Western Athletic Conference, dropped to 0-3 on the season.

Forte finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Senior center Collin Spickerman had a career-high 13 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots before fouling out. Junior guard Calaen Robinson scored eight points with five rebounds and five assists.

Shaquille Hines had 18 points to lead the Vaqueros. Dan Kimasa scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

GAME NOTES: UTRGV is the second Western Athletic Conference opponent the Vikings have faced. PSU lost at Grand Canyon to open the season. The Vikings will also play at CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 22… Pineiro's 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Forte's 18 and 10 marked the first double-doubles of the season for the Vikings… PSU moves on to face Nevada (3-1) on Wednesday evening. Tip time is 7 p.m. Live video, audio and stats are available at www.GoViks.com.