Boxscore – PDF
 
Portland, OR – Portland State started a rally with its defense in the second half, and behind a season-high 18 points from Markus Golder, the Vikings held on to beat Idaho State, 82-76, in a Big Sky Conference game at Viking Pavilion.
 
It was a welcome return home for the Portland State, who hadn't played in Viking Pavilion in nearly three weeks. PSU used its trademark defensive pressure to create an 18-6 run out of halftime and build a 14-point lead. The Vikings made that stand up despite a late rally by the Bengals.
 
PSU's win moves it to 3-4 in the Big Sky Conference and a jammed up five-way tie for fifth place in the 11-team conference. The Vikings are now 9-10 on the season.
 
Golder, a senior from Clackamas, scored 15 of his 18 in the second half. For the game, he hit 7-13 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range, adding three rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
The Vikings had balanced scoring with six other players scoring between eight and 12 points. Holland Woods scored 12 with seven assists and two steals. Rashaad Goolsby led another great effort off the bench with 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
 
Goolsby's tip dunk put the Vikings up 18-10 early in the game. The Bengals came back to tie at 18 and from there it was close the remainder of the half. The Vikings shot .515 from the field to lead 40-38 at the break.
 
Portland State opened the second half by turning up the pace with its full-court defensive trap. The result was six Bengal turnovers in a span of four minutes. That sent the Vikings on a 18-6 run. Golder had a dunk and a pair of three-pointers, and Sal Nuhu threw down two alley-oop dunks from Woods to send the Viking crowd into a frenzy. PSU led 58-44.
 
Idaho State did not get closer than seven points until the final minutes.
 
Portland State led 79-70 with 1:41 to play, but had three empty possessions in a row. On the other end, the Bengals scored three times in a row; a pair of free throws from Jared Stutzman, a layin from Chier Maker and a driving basket from Tarik Cool. That cut PSU's lead to 79-76 with 24.3 seconds to go.
 
Idaho State fouled Woods with 15.9 seconds left. He made one of two and it was 80-76. The Bengals raced up the court but couldn't convert a shot. Woods then tacked on two free throws at the end for the final score.
 
Maker and Stutzman kept Idaho State close, combining for five three-pointers in the second half. Maker scored 17 of his team-high 22 in the second half. Stutzman scored 16 with five assists.
 
Portland State shot .485 from the field, while Idaho State was at .452. In the end, PSU's pressure was the difference. The Vikings forced the Bengals into 18 turnovers and converted them to 27 points. PSU had 10 turnovers for 13 ISU points.
 
GAME NOTES: The Vikings led for 38 minutes in the game and never trailed… Lamar Hamrick had nine points and Kyle Greeley scored eight off the bench for the Vikings… PSU is 5-2 at home this season… PSU was without starting guard Matt Hauser for a third straight game due to an ankle sprain… the Vikings host Weber State on Monday at Viking Pavilion in a 7:05 p.m. game.