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Bozeman, MT - Montana State had no answer for Viking forward Cameron Forte on Saturday afternoon as the Vikings picked up a road win at Worthington Arena for the first time in six years, 77-70.

Forte scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Forte made 12-18 shots from the field, including 8-10 in the second half. He got some help from Bryce White who hit a key three-pointer and two free throws late in game as the Bobcats were threatening. White had 20 points overall.

PSU had lost four straight games in Bozeman and did not play there last season due to the Big Sky's unbalanced schedule. The Vikings had to withstand a big second-half rally by the Bobcats to get the win, but they pulled it off. 

The win gives PSU a split on the Montana road trip and has the Vikings at 2-1 in the Big Sky Conference, 6-8 overall.

The Vikings got off to a strong start and had a 21-6 lead after eight minutes. They led 38-25 by halftime. Forte came off the bench to get 10 points and six rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

A driving three-point play by White with 9:23 left in the game had the Vikings on top by 15 at 59-44. And that is when Montana State started its comeback. 

The Bobcats ran off 13 straight points over the next four minutes with six coming from Sarp Gobeloglu. A three-pointer by Tyler Hall at the 4:37 mark gave Montana State its first lead at 62-61.

The lead changed hands four times before White hit a big three-pointer for the Vikings with 2:08 to play. That gave PSU a 68-64 lead. He added a pair of free throws with 1:17 left to make it 70-66.

A moment later, point guard Donivine Stewart made a basket in the lane and the Vikings held a 72-66 lead. A steal and two free throws by Zach Gengler with 23.5 seconds left iced it for the Vikings.

White matched his season high with 20 points. Isaiah Pineiro had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Calaen Robinson made a team-high seven assists.

The Vikings were 31-64 from the field (48%) as they out-shot the Bobcats (23-62, 37%). PSU had 42 points in the paint behind the inside game of Forte. MSU had only 22 points in the paint.

The Bobcats got 24 points and eight rebounds from Hall. Gobeloglu scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Montana State goes to 7-9 on the season, 2-2 in the Big Sky.

GAME NOTES: Portland State won its first road game since Nov. 22, ending a streak of five losses away from home… Zach Gengler had made 18 straight free throws before missing one late in the game… Portland State returns to the Stott Center next Thursday to host Weber State in a 7:05 p.m. game. Live video, audio and stats are available at GoViks.com.