Boxscore – HTM | PDF
 
Pocatello, ID – Portland State was down 16 early in the second half and loaded with bad mojo. Turnovers, fouls, poor three-point shooting, you name it… But suddenly the Vikings came to life, making a 20-point turnaround during the last 18:30 of the game to pick up an 87-83 road win over Idaho State in Reed Gym.
 
PSU was down 57-41, but slowly chipped away at the deficit. Nobody made as a larger contribution in the rally as big man Ryan Edwards, who had career highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds with three blocked shots. He scored 13 points, had nine boards and all three blocks after intermission.
 
A 13-5 run in the middle of the half, with five points from Edwards, pulled the Vikings within one at 73-72.
 
Portland State trailed in the game for over 36 minutes. Finally, a Bryce Canda three-pointer with 3:53 left tied it at 80-80. Deontae North made a driving layin for PSU's first lead at 82-81 with 3:21 left.
 
The teams traded scores after that. Holland Woods hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:50 remaining making it 84-83. Each side had a pair of empty possessions after that. But an offensive rebound by Edwards inside the final 10 seconds gave PSU the edge. Deante Strickland was fouled and made both shots with 4.6 seconds left. Edwards added a late free throw and the Vikings had a win.
 
Deontae North was his usual steady self, scoring 24 points and pulling down a career-high nine rebounds. Deante Strickland came off the bench to score 14 points to lead the effort as well.
 
The win moves the Vikings northward in the Big Sky Conference standings at 3-3. PSU is 13-6 overall this season. They also picked up their seventh road win against three losses.
 
The Bengals dropped to 8-9 overall, 3-3 in conference play.
 
Idaho State made its first nine shots in the game and led 23-10 six minutes in. When the Bengals finally missed, the Vikings still had trouble gaining traction. They could get no closer than six in the first half.
 
Turnovers were costly for PSU. The Vikings had an uncharacteristic 12 turnovers in the first half. ISU converted them into 13 points.
 
The Bengals, averaging just 71 points per game, had 51 by halftime and led by 14. They made 19-31 shots (.631) from the field and 7-14 three-pointers. Portland State was buoyed by 13 points and five rebounds from North.
 
The deficit grew to 16 early in the second half before the Vikings began their comeback.
 
Portland State made 33-65 shots for the game (.508) and 14-18 at the line (.778). The Bengals finished at 31-56 for a .554 mark. A 37-27 rebounding advantage, including 23-14 in the second half, made a difference for the Vikings.
 
Balint Mocsan and Brandon Boyd each scored 17 points for Idaho State. Boyd had nine rebounds.
 
GAME NOTES: Holland Woods scored 13 points for the Vikings…  Brandon Hollins did not play for the Vikings, missing his third straight game due to illness… the Vikings were playing for 13^th time away from home this season compared to only six home games… Portland State travels to Weber State for a Saturday night game. The Vikings and Wildcats meet at 6:05 p.m. PT and the game can be seen via live stream at www.WatchBigSky.com or www.Pluto.tv.