Portland, OR – In an unusual year that has produced an unusual college basketball season, the Portland State Vikings delivered an unusual performance at home. The Vikings dropped their Big Sky Conference opener by a surprisingly large margin to an efficient Weber State team, 94-66, at Viking Pavilion.
 
Weber State was on the Vikings from the jump, racing to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes, then 20-7 after eight minutes. The Vikings just didn't have answer.
 
The Wildcats hit 16-30 shots in the first half (.533) to only 11-35 for the Vikings (.314). They led 48-31 at intermission. The closest PSU came after that was an 11-point margin with 15 minutes to play.
 
Portland State was out-shot (.484/.526/.786 to .328/.241/.708) and out-rebounded (46-34) handily by the Wildcats. And even though PSU was able to force 17 turnovers with its trademark full-court pressure, the Wildcats turned the Vikings over 19 times.
 
"Give Weber State a lot of credit, they took advantage of every opportunity and really made us pay," said Viking Coach Barret Peery.
 
Weber State's backcourt play was strong as their three starting guards combined for 53 points. Zahir Porter led the way for the Wildcats with 24 points. Isiah Brown added 18 points and four assists, and Seikou Sisoho Jawara went for 11 points and four assists.
 
James Scott had 16 points to pace the Vikings, hitting 7-13 from the field. He added five rebounds and two steals. Khalid Thomas scored 12 points on 5-6 from the field and 2-2 from three-point range.
 
"I was disappointed with our performance tonight. I need to do a better job getting our team prepared," Peery said. "We were really sloppy on both ends of the floor. We need to dig deep over the next 36 hours, get our minds right and be ready for another hard-fought game."
 
Another unusual aspect of this 2020-21 season is the back-to-backs that Big Sky teams will play. PSU faces the same Wildcat team on Sunday at Viking Pavilion.
 
Portland State drops to 1-3 on the season, 0-1 in the Big Sky. Weber State is now 3-1, 1-0.
 
GAME NOTES: Forward John Hall came off the bench for eight points, six rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes of action… PSU swept the season series with Weber State last year, and had won three of four against the Wildcats prior to Friday night... the Vikings' five-game home court winning streak came to an end… these two teams will meet again on Sunday at Viking Pavilion. Tip-off for the game is 12:05 p.m. The game can be seen on Pluto TV Channel 1051, www.Pluto.tv, www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.