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Portland, OR - The Portland State Vikings appear to have their mojo back. After snapping a losing streak with a big second half against Eastern Washington on Thursday, the Vikings carried that momentum into a dominating 69-53 win against Idaho at the Viking Pavilion.
 
A 22-5 run to end the first half and a stellar defensive performance led to the easy win for the Vikings. The 53 points by the Vandals were the fewest allowed against a D-I opponent since a 63-49 win against Idaho State on Dec. 20, 2012.
 
"I'm proud of that effort," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "To win in league, you are going to win in a lot of different ways. There is going to be a night where it is 100-95, then there will be nights when it is 55-50. Our guys found a way, did what they were supposed to do and it was fun."
 
Portland State held Idaho to just 38 percent from the floor and forced 19 turnovers, which they converted into 23 points on the other end. The Vikings also blocked five shots, with Robert McCoy swatting three shots on his own. PSU also had 11 steals in the game.
 
The Portland State bench also played a huge role in the game, pitching in 35 points to nearly double the output of Idaho's reserves. Michael Mayhew had 11 points on 3-6 shooting and Deante Strickland had 10 points while going 3-4 from beyond the arc to help get the win.
 
Idaho came out of the gates well. The two sides were tied at 18-all before the Vikings caught fire. Mayhew hit a three and Brendan Rumel had a tip in on back-to-back possessions for the Vikings to take a 23-18 lead. Mayhew added a couple of free throws moments later as the bench scored 18 of the first 25 points for PSU.
 
While Portland State shot well during the run, the lockdown defense on the other end is what allowed them to gain separation. They held the Vandals scoreless for nearly seven minutes, going on a 14-0 run during that time.
 
"We just turned it up a notch and settled into what we were supposed to be doing defensively. We went through a stretch where we got 10 or 11 stops in a row. Our preparation was good, so our guys knew what was coming," said Peery.
 
A well-designed play just before the half gave Mayhew an easy bucket to put the Vikings up by 17 points at the break, 40-23.
 
Idaho would get the lead no closer than 14 points in the second half as the Vikings coasted to the win.
 
Portland State upped its record to 8-11 on the season, 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
It was a balanced night for the Vikings, who had three different players score in double figures and 10 players find the bottom of the net. Holland Woods was under 30 minutes for just the second time this season as the Vikings had nine different players get double-digit minutes.
 
Jamie Orme had 11 points, four rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes. McCoy finished with nine points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Sal Nuhu had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Vikings.
 
The Vikings picked up their second consecutive win after a breakout offensive performance against Eastern Washington. They had their best shooting performance of the season in that game, the best defensive performance on Saturday night and now have momentum rolling headed into a difficult road trip to Weber State and Idaho State next week.
 
Scott Blakney and Trevon Allen each scored 12 points to lead Idaho. The Vandals dropped to 4-15 on the season, 1-7 in the Big Sky.
 
GAME NOTES: Portland State has won two in a row and is now 6-4 at home this season… Holland Woods had seven assists in the game and 18 total in PSU's two wins this week… the Vikings out-rebounded Idaho, 38-31, and shot .434 from the field… the Vikings go back on the road for the next two weeks. On Thursday they play at Weber State in a 6 p.m. PT game. It will be live streamed on Pluto TV and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.