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Portland, OR - Portland State's struggles at home continued as the Vikings dropped a Big Sky Conference game to Idaho, 97-88, at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center.

It was the Vikings third straight home loss and dropped them to 13-9 on the season, 3-6 in the Big Sky.

Picked to win the Big Sky in this year's preseason polls, Idaho came in as a formidable opponent. The senior-laden squad improved to 15-7, 7-3 in the Big Sky. The Vandals also have a 7-3 road record.

Victor Sanders and Brayon Blake did most of the damage for the Vandals. Sanders scored 22 points with seven assists and five rebounds. Blake went for 28 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Michael Mayhew put up a career-high 20 points for the Vikings, hitting 7-12 from the field and 5-10 three-pointers. Bryce Canda had 17 points and Brandon Hollins added 15.

The game itself came down to Idaho's shooting though, which was superb. The Vandals shot .614 for the night, hitting 35-57 from the field. They also made 11-23 from three-point range.

 "Everytime we tried to make a run on them, they made big shots. You could feel that momentum change for us a few times, but when we needed a big stop we couldn't find one," said Viking Coach Barret Peery.

The Vandals came out of the blocks well. They hit 19-30 in the first half for a .633 percentage, as well as 6-12 three-point field goals. Idaho led 48-34 before a late three-pointer by Mayhew cut the advantage to 11 at halftime.

Blake was the star of the first half, scoring 14 points with six rebounds by intermission. The Vikings had 11 points apiece from Mayhew and Canda. PSU shot 15-37 for a .405 mark in the half.

Sanders scored five points in a 10-3 Idaho run to open the second half. That gave the Vandals their largest lead of the night at 58-40. PSU responded with a 9-0 rally to cut the lead back to single digits.

In fact, the Vikings were within nine points on eight occasions, but could get no closer. Idaho's hot shooting continued throughout the game as the Vandals put up a season-high point total against a Division I opponent.

"They got a gap on us and we had to scratch and claw the rest of the game," said Peery. "That 10-point cushion - give or take a few points - we couldn't get rid of it."

Portland State shot .429 for the game on 30-70. The Vikings made 12-32 (.375) from three-point distance.

Idaho, the league's top rebounding team, won the battle on the glass, 35-32.

GAME NOTES: Holland Woods dished out a game-high eight assists for the Vikings… Brandon Hollins led the team with seven rebounds… PSU is now 5-3 at home this season while playing off campus due to construction of the new Viking Pavilion… the Vikings beat Idaho, 73-72, in Moscow on Jan. 6… Portland State hosts Eastern Washington on Saturday in a 1 p.m.game at Lewis and Clark. It will be available via live stream at www.WatchBigSky.com and www.Pluto.tv.