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Portland, OR - Montana State took advantage of a poor shooting performance by Portland State to come away with a 71-65 win over the Vikings at the Stott Center. It was only the third time all season the Vikings had failed to score at least 70 points.
The Vikings went into the game averaging 88 points and shooting .500 as a team. But they didn't have it on this night.
PSU made only 22-60 shots for the game, a .367 mark. The Vikings were 5-22 from three-point range (.227) and 16-28 at the free throw line (.571). Montana State wasn't much better, hitting 25-68 from the field (.368), but a decided advantage on the glass made a difference for those three extra field goals by MSU. The Vikings were out-rebounded 53-37, and Montana State scored 15 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds. The Vikings had seven offensive boards for five second chance points.
Tyler Hall led the Bobcats with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
Deontae North came off the bench for a game-high 23 points for Portland State.
De'Sean Parsons scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Vikings.
Portland State dropped to 11-7 on the season, 4-3 in the Big Sky Conference with the loss. It was only PSU's second home loss of the season (7-2).
Montana State is now 9-12 on the year, 4-4 in the Big Sky, and winners of their last three games.
The Vikings held the Bobcats scoreless for more than five minutes to open the game. PSU led the entire half until Tyler Hall nailed a three-pointer to tie it at 31 with 3:29 left. Hall scored inside to give the 'Cats a 35-33 lead inside the final minute, but PSU's
Zach Gengler hit a jump shot to send the game to halftime tied at 35-35.
Hall had 14 points and four rebounds in the half to bring the Bobcats back. North had nine at halftime to lead the Vikings.
The game remained close in the second half. Parsons made a coast-to-coast dash for a layin, then converted the ensuing free throw to put PSU on top at 51-49 at the 11:23 mark. But that would be the Vikings' final lead.
The Bobcats reeled off an 18-5 run, sparked by seven points from Devonte Klines. That had PSU down 67-56 with 4:25 to play.
North scored five points in a nine-point Viking rally. PSU was down 67-65 after he converted two free throws with 54 seconds left.
Harald Frey made a jump shot on the next possession for MSU and Klines added two late free throws to stop the Viking charge.
The Vikings shot 9-29 from the field in the second half (.310).
GAME NOTES: Calaen Robinson led the Vikings with seven assists…
De'Sean Parsons has four straight double-doubles… Montana State ended a three-game losing streak to the Vikings… Portland State is off until next Saturday when the Vikings go on the road to play at Sacramento State. Live video and audio can be found at GoViks.com and live stats will be available at ViksLive.com.
