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Bozeman, MT – Bryce Canda's clutch three-pointer with 18.9 seconds left to play provided the difference as Portland State pulled off another come-from-behind win on the road, beating Montana State, 80-77, at Worthington Arena.
 

Canda Can! The senior @brycecanda nets the game-winner to send the Viks back to Portland on a winning-streak. #GoViks pic.twitter.com/RALFN9Nr53

— Portland State Men's Basketball (@psuviksMBB) February 10, 2018

 
The Vikings trailed by 10 points with 12 minutes to play, but put on a 22-6 run to get back into the game, and eventually – after trailing again in the final two minutes – pull out the win.

"Our guys have been very resilient, never given up or quit at home or on the road," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "They were really grinding it out in a very tough road environment today. I am really proud of this team. It has been a heck of a month handling a lot of adversity. This was a great team win."
 
The winning basket couldn't have come for a better player as Canda had been battling a shooting slump throughout Big Sky Conference play. Shooting just 30% in league play going into the game, he turned in a solid effort against the Bobcats. Canda scored a team-high 18 points on 6-10 from the field, 4-7 three-pointers and 2-2 free throws.

"I'm proud of Byrce because he has really hung in there despite some shooting woes. And I also thought he did an unbelievable job on (Montana State star) Tyler Hall, holding him to eight points."
 
Portland State had other heroes as well. Senior forward Brandon Hollins played perhaps his best game as a Viking with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three steals.  "Brandon Hollins was all over the glass again, and providing energy any way he can," said Peery.

Senior center Ryan Edwards had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. His jump hook with 1:18 remaining to be played tied the game at 77-77.
 
Viking guard Derek Brown made a steal on Montana State's ensuing possession, setting up Canda's opportunity. After a timeout, the senior guard from Grant High School drained a right-wing three with 18.9 seconds left for the go-ahead basket. But the Vikings still had to get two defensive stops.
 
A three-point miss by MSU's Tyler Hall was rebounded by Edwards, who was fouled with four seconds left. He missed the front end of the one-and-one, Brown rebounded and PSU appeared to run out the clock. But Brown was called for a backcourt violation giving the Bobcats one last chance with 1.4 seconds left. Another three-point miss by Hall and the Vikings had the win.
 
It marked the seventh come-from-behind win after facing a second-half deficit this season for the Vikings. Five of those wins have come on the road and three have overcome double-digit deficits.
 
Portland State is now 15-10 on the season, 5-7 in the Big Sky Conference. Montana State drops to 13-13, 6-7.
 
Most of the game was a back-and-forth affair that included 17 lead changes and 12 ties.
 
Montana State's Harald Frey hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Bobcats a 39-35 advantage.
 
Frey's triple was part of a 15-3 run that the Bobcats wrapped around the end of the first half into the start of the second half. PSU was up 35-32 with two minutes to go in the half, but found itself down 47-38 four minutes into the second period.
 
That deficit eventually grew to 10. Trailing 59-49, Traylin Farris became another Viking hero, sparking a 13-2 run. PSU took the lead at 62-61 with 8:56 to play on a Farris jumper. The senior forward scored seven points in the rally.
 
The run soon extended to a 22-6 burst and PSU had its largest lead at 71-65 with 5:44 remaining in the game.
 
The Bobcats answered with a 12-4 run down the stretch to grab the lead back at 77-75 with just over two minutes to go. Portland State's defense stood up to the test after that, getting four straight stops to close out the game and pick up the win.
 
Portland State shot .548 in the second half to lead the comeback. The Vikings had shot  a poor .382 in the first half. For the game, they were 30-65 (.462), 7-25 from three-point range (.280) and 13-17 at the line (.765).
 
The Vikings, led by Hollins' career-high 14 caroms, had a 44-35 rebounding edge over MSU.
 
Montana State was led by 22 points from Harald Frey. The Bobcats shot .491 from the field, .222 from three-point range and .548 at the free throw line.
 
GAME NOTES: Holland Woods, saddled with foul trouble in the first half, played all 20 minutes of the second half and handed out 10 assists – his fourth double-digit assist game of the season… PSU has split all three two-game Big Sky road trips so far this season… the Vikings are 8-5 on the road, and have swept the season series from Montana State… the Vikings return home next week to host Weber State (Thursday) and Idaho State (Saturday). Both games are at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center.