Boxscore - HTM | PDF
 

Portland, OR - Apparently coaches are right. They always preach that you can't shoot great every night, but you can always play great defense. Portland State did enough of the latter on Saturday to win its Big Sky Conference opener over Sacramento State, 76-68.

"That was definitely tonight's case," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving in reference to his brethren's axiom. "We held them to 40% shooting and our goal is always 42%. We battled through our own poor shooting and I think that's what defense does. The kids kept saying in the huddle, 'just keep defending, and don't worry about shots, they will come.'"

Portland State also forced 16 Sacramento State turnovers, turning them into 21 points, including eight on the fast break on a night when PSU's outside shots would not fall.

The Vikings got their conference season off to a good start at 1-0 and won their second game in a row. PSU is 5-7 on the season. Sacramento State's loss puts it at 7-5, 0-1 on the season.

It was a sluggish start for both teams but the Vikings broke away from a 6-5 lead with a 14-2 run. Cameron Forte had five points, an assist and a key offensive rebound that set up a three-pointer by Calaen Robinson. A moment later, a Forte steal and breakaway dunk capped the Viking rally.

PSU's largest lead was 20-7 and that Viking flurry was the bulk of the offense for either team in the first half. The Vikings led 33-25 by halftime, but had shot only .353 from the field. They held the Hornets to only 9-28 shots (.321) and forced eight turnovers.

A Dreon Barlett four-point play in the final seconds of the first half turned Sacramento State's deficit from 12 to just eight. The Hornets continued the comeback in the second half with an 8-3 run, closing the score to 36-33.

Meanwhile, Portland State's shooting continued to sour as they missed 12 of their first 16 shots of the second half. The Hornets were finally able to tie the game at 45-45 on a pair of Eric Stuteville free throws with 8:02 left.

With the game tied at 51, Bryce White made a nice feed inside to Forte for a lay-in, then stole a pass on the Hornets' next possession and returned it for a dunk. PSU was up by four with less than five minutes remaining and hung on from there.

The Vikings didn't shoot particularly well from anywhere on the court until the the last 1:13 of the game when they made 9-10 free throws to hold off the Hornets.

Portland State was 25-64 from the field (.392), 6-22 from three-point range (.273) and 20-28 at the line (.714), but committed only 10 turnovers. The Vikings blocked seven Sacramento State shots and held the Hornets to 24-60 shooting (.400).

White led four Vikings in double figures with 19 points and five rebounds. Robinson scored 17 points, hitting 4-9 from three-point range. Forte came off the bench for 14 points and nine rebounds. Isaiah Pineiro added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Justin Strings led the Hornets with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Stuteville had 17 points and 12 boards.

GAME NOTES: Donivine Stewart had five assists to lead the Vikings… the Hornets were averaging over 76 points and shooting over 46% entering the game... PSU is 4-2 at home this season… the win ended a four-game losing streak to the Hornets… Portland State travels to Montana and Montana State next weekend.