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Portland, OR - Portland State's Big Sky Conference opener against North Dakota Thursday night looked a lot like its non-conference schedule; high-scoring, turnover-forcing, run-and-gun basketball. The result was a 99-62 laugher for the Vikings over the Fighting Hawks at the Stott Center.

PSU put on a 26-2 first-half blitz of North Dakota on their way to a huge early lead. And when it looked like the Fighting Hawks might get back into it in the second half, the Vikings launched another 22-1 outburst to put things on ice. 

Both rallies were ignited by a PSU defense that forced 26 turnovers and made 19 steals. In all, the Vikings scored 51 points off UND turnovers.

"Defense set the tone for us and we got a lot of transition baskets," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "The steal deal was crazy for us… 19! That was pretty impressive. We just have to bottle it up and keep it going."

With the win Portland State gets to 8-4 on the season - the best overall record in the Big Sky - and is 1-0 in league play. The Vikings also stretched their winning streak to five games, the longest since a six-gamer in 2009. PSU has had eight four-game winning streaks since that time.

Portland State jumped on the Fighting Hawks so quickly they never got out of their nest. PSU made seven of its first 10 field goal attempts and led 17-6 after six minutes. But the Vikings weren't done. Great defensive pressure created numerous turnovers and transition opportunities. Soon PSU's lead was in the 20s and grew to 45-17 just before half. A 10-point run by UND closed the margin to 47-27 at the break.

PSU forced 14 turnovers in the half, coming up with 23 points off those mistakes. Zach Gengler and Calaen Robinson combined for seven steals and the Vikings had 11 by halftime. Nearly as important was holding UND guard Quinton Hooker scoreless for the first 18 minutes. The Fighting Hawks' senior scored 38 in a game against PSU last season and came into this one averaging 17.2.

North Dakota got off to a 16-9 start in the second half. That cut PSU's lead to 56-43 and Viking fans may have showed concern, but not on this night. Another 22-1 run gave Portland State a 78-44 advantage with under nine minutes left in the game. It was smooth sailing from there as PSU led by as many as 40.

A Viking offense that showed so much in the preseason by averaging nearly 90 points went a few better. Portland State entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the nation in scoring, shooting percentage and steals and improved on all of those marks. PSU shot .565 from the field and made 13-28 three-point field goals on the way to 99 points.

Robinson had another big night for the Vikings. The senior guard led seven Vikings in double figures with 18 points. He added seven assists and a career-high six steals. Gengler was nearly as good with 14 points, five assists and four steals. 

"You can't teach it, but those guys have such a knack for getting their hands in the passing lanes and making deflections. Ten steals between them, that's pretty good," said Geving.

De'Sean Parsons (16), Deontae North (14), Traylin Farris (10), Brandon Hollins (10) and Bryce Canda (10) were also in double digits for the Vikings.

North Dakota had a poor shooting night, hitting .441 from the field, .222 from distance and just 6-19 at the free throw line (.316). Conner Avants led the Fighting Hawks with 16 points and eight rebounds. Hooker finished with 12. 

UND dropped to 5-6 on the season.

GAME NOTES: This marked the largest win ever by PSU over North Dakota (37 points)… Vikings are 5-0 at home this season and have won eight straight at home dating to last year… Bryce Canda led the Vikings with nine rebounds… Portland State will be home again on Saturday, hosting Northern Colorado in a 2:05 p.m. game. Live video and audio can be found at GoViks.com and live stats will be available at ViksLive.com.