Boxscore – PDF
 
Missoula, MT – Montana broke open a close game late and came away with an 85-70 win over Portland State at Dahlberg Arena.
 
Kendal Manuel scored 27 points to lead a hot-shooting Grizzlies team. The Vikings were led by 18 points from Holland Woods.
 
Portland State had a lot to overcome in this game. The Vikings were already down one starter on the road trip as guard Matt Hauser was out with an ankle sprain for the second game in a row. Center Sal Nuhu was also unable to play after coming down with an illness prior to the game. Coupled with facing the defending Big Sky Conference Champion, PSU would have to be at its absolute best.
 
Even that might not have been enough as Montana came out hot and never cooled off. The Grizzlies shot 32-53 for the game (.604) – the best by a Viking opponent all season.
 
PSU started well and had a 12-8 lead before missing seven shots in a row and giving the lead to the Grizzlies. The Vikings' last lead was at 15-14 following a Lamar Hamrick dunk. From there, the Grizzlies went on a 14-2 run, highlighted by Derrick Carter-Hollinger who scored the last seven points in a row on three jump shots. That gave Montana the largest lead of the first half at 27-17 with 8:56 to go.
 
The Vikings created a rally of their own with defense, forcing three turnovers in the next four minutes. They all led to runouts and the Vikings came back to tie at 31-31. Hamrick had two scores and an assist in the rally.
 
By halftime Montana had hit 17-28 shots (.607) and was 8-8 at the line for a 46-42 lead.
 
Portland State kept it a single-digit game into the final 10 minutes. The Vikings trailed 58-56 with 12 minutes to go, but a 13-2 run got the Griz into a comfortable lead down the stretch.
 
Woods finished with 18 points, three assists and three steals for the Vikings. Rashaad Goolsby started in place of Nuhu and turned in a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Alonzo Walker scored 12 points and Hamrick added 11 for the Vikings.
 
Portland State couldn't match Montana's shooting. The Vikings were 26-64 from the field (.406) and were unable to hit a three-pointer (0-11). However, they stayed close most of the game with quality free throw shooting (18-22, .818) and a 37-28 rebounding advantage.
 
Manuel made 7-11 shots from the field, 5-7 three-pointers and 8-9 free throws for the Griz. Sayeed Pridgett added 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
 
Portland State is now 8-10 on the season, 2-4 in the Big Sky Conference. Montana improves to 9-8, 5-1.
 
GAME NOTES: The Vikings are 3-8 on the road this season… Portland State will return to the Viking Pavilion this Saturday for its first home game in nearly three weeks. The Vikings will host Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game at 7:05 p.m. A live stream is available at Pluto TV Channel 532, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats can be found at www.ViksLive.com.