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Cheney, WA - Portland State accomplished something no team has this season, going into powerhouse Eastern Washington and beating them on their home court, 68-66.

The Vikings came from behind in the second half, then made several clutch plays down the stretch to deny Eastern Washington its 20th victory of the season and hand the Eagles their first home loss (12-1).

In what has been an up-and-down season for the Vikings, Saturday afternoon became one of the biggest "ups". Portland State went into the game against the league's top team having lost two in a row. Then, another slow start offensively did not bode well for the Vikings. But PSU got it together over the last 25 minutes of the game to win for the fifth time in the last seven trips to Cheney. It was also the first time all season that PSU has won a game when trailing at halftime.

Portland State had a lot of heroes in the second half. Zach Gengler scored a career-high 11 points, and his biggest shot was a three-pointer with 1:48 to play, giving PSU a 64-59 lead. Tim Douglas and Tiegbe Bamba each hit a pair of free throws in the final minute to hold the Eagles off, and none of it would have been possible if Braxton Tucker had not gone 6-6 from the field in the second half for all 12 of his points. 

DaShaun Wiggins led the Vikings with 14 points and six assists. Tucker had 12 and Bamba had another big game off the bench with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Gengler scored 11 points and provided solid defense against the nation's leading scorer, Tyler Harvey. Douglas had a steady hand at the point, playing 26 minutes off the bench, handing off six assists and not committing a turnover.

Portland State's win improves its record to 12-11 on the season. The Vikings are now 6-7 in the Big Sky Conference as they come home for three games in a row.

Neither the Vikings nor the Eagles were sharp offensively in the first half. PSU was 11-28 from the field (.393), while Eastern was 10-26 (.385). The difference came at the free throw line where the Eagles made 8-8 and the Vikings had just 2-3. PSU trailed at the break, 32-26.

Eastern Washington's largest lead was 12 points in the first half, but the Vikings battled back to tie the game at 38-38. A Gengler drive with 15 minutes remaining evened the score. Wiggins then made a pair of free throws with 12:38 left and PSU was ahead for the first time since the opening moments, 40-38.

Tucker hit two inside baskets to complete a 12-0 run and PSU was ahead 44-38. The Vikings had held Eastern Washington, the Big Sky's top scoring team, 5:45 without a point.

Portland State was able to push its lead to seven on three occasions. Then hung on as the Eagles tried in vain to make a run in the closing minutes.

The Vikings had one of their best shooting performances of the season in the second half, making 16-23 shots (.696), 4-5 from three-point range and 6-7 at the line. PSU shot .529 overall, making 6-11 threes and 8-10 free throws.

The Eagles shot 21-55 from the field (.382), 7-25 from distance (.280) and made 17-18 free throws.

Harvey, the nation's leader in scoring and three-point field goals, was back after missing three games with a quad injury. He scored 22 points but looked rusty, making only 5-15 from the field and 2-12 from three-point range. He did net 10-10 at the free throw line.

Parker Kelly scored 12 points and Garrett Moon had 10 rebounds for the Eagles. 

Eastern Washington is now 19-6 on the season, 10-2 in the Big Sky. The loss ended a six-game winning streak.

GAME NOTES: All nine Vikings that played in the game scored… Collin Spickerman continued to be a defensive presence for the Vikings with four blocked shots in the game… the Vikings played into a little luck, scoring 19 points on 11 Eastern Washington turnovers. They gave up only three points on their 16 turnovers… PSU's bench outscored EWU's bench 22-7… PSU has won in Cheney the last two years and five of the last seven… the Vikings are 5-8 on the road this season… Portland State comes home for its next three games. The Vikings host North Dakota next Thursday night at the Stott Center in a 7:05 p.m. game. Live video, audio and stats are available at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.