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Portland, OR – For Willamette University, playing Portland State in basketball was something like a high-pressure track meet. First the pressure, then the sprinting.
 
The Vikings won the race 111-60 on Tuesday night at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center. They forced 30 Bearcat turnovers with their relentless full-court pressure, and turned them into 40 points. PSU had 33 points on the fast break.
 
Portland State had seven players score in double figures in a balanced attack, improving its record to 2-0 on the young season.
 
The Vikings jumped on Willamette early with back-to-back three-pointers by Bryce Canda and Deante Strickland and never looked back. The Bearcats had eight turnovers in the first four minutes. That led to 13 points and an 18-2 PSU lead. It grew to 24-2 before Willamette would score again.
 
With a 31-5 lead at the 12:11 mark of the first half, it was all but over.
 
"I definitely think the guys did a good job of setting the tone and the game was over quickly," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "That 31-5 lead early was great. The guys did a good job of getting that run early, and then getting another one in the second half."
 
The Bearcats slowed their turnover rate, but never got back into the game. By halftime it was 58-30 Vikings. PSU shot .571 in the first half, scoring 26 points off 18 Willamette turnovers. The Vikings had 19 fast break points.
 
The second half was much like the first as Portland State ran away with a 51-point win.
 
Portland State's starters shot 31-48 from the field, a .645 mark. The entire team shot 47-82, a .573 mark. The Vikings made 22 steals, a new school record, breaking the old mark of 20 set in 1997.
 
Deonte North had 19 points, seven assists and four steals to lead the Vikings. Strickland added 15 points and six assists. Canda scored 15 points, with nine rebounds and six steals.
 
Brandon Hollins led the Vikings with a career-high 14 rebounds and 12 points. Holland Woods came off the bench for 11 points and seven assists. Brendan Rumel had career-highs of 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
"Our point guards getting 13 assists and just two turnovers, and a bunch of guys in double figures… Hollins gets 14 rebounds, so there were a lot of good things going on tonight," said Peery.
 
Jameson Willems led Willamette with 10 points in the game. The Bearcats shot 19-58 from the field, a .328 percentage.
 
GAME NOTES: The Vikings have won 30 straight games against lower division opponents. They are 42-1 against lower division schools in 22 seasons since reinstating basketball and joining Division I… Portland State did not play Traylin Farris and Jamie Orme in the game due to minor injuries. "It was good we could rest some guys who were a little banged up from Saturday (in the win over Portland)," said Peery… Portland State is playing its home games this season at Pamplin Sports Center on the Lewis and Clark campus as construction on the new Viking Pavilion at PSU is being completed… The Vikings go on the road to face UC Riverside on Saturday. Tip-off is 4 p.m. Live links can be found at GoViks.com.