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Portland, OR – An electric first-half was followed by a short-circuited second half for the Portland State Vikings as they lost at home to Eastern Washington, 89-81.
 
The Vikings led by 14 points early and for the first 26 minutes of the game. However, the Eagles followed the lead of guard Jacob Davison, who had 23 of his game-high 30 points after halftime.
 
Eastern made all the right plays down the stretch and came away with the victory to stay within one game of first place (17-8, 10-4) in the Big Sky Conference. The Eagles are the top road team in the Big Sky with an 8-6 road record, 6-2 in Big Sky games.
 
Portland State saw its three-game home winning streak come to an end. The Vikings dropped to 12-14 on the season, 6-8 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
The Eagles outscored the Vikings 51-36 in the second half for the comeback win. They outrebounded the Vikings 23-10 after halftime and shot .533 from the field.
 
Portland State made a remarkable 18 steals, but most came in the first half when the Vikings exploded out of the starting gate.
 
The opening moments featured vintage Viking defense. PSU's full-court pressure made Eastern Washington cough up the ball six times in the first three minutes and PSU jumped to a 16-2 lead. Eleven of those points came off turnovers.
 
Portland State held a double digit lead most of the half and was up 45-38 at halftime. The Vikings had 13 steals and had forced 16 Eagle turnovers. Guards Matt Hauser and Holland Woods combined for 25 points and nine steals in the half.
 
Davison sparked Eastern Washington after intermission, scoring 10 points in the first five minutes. The Eagles went on a 16-3 run midway through the half, turning a five-point deficit into a 69-61 lead with 8:03 left in the game. Kim Aiken Jr. hit back-to-back three-pointers in the middle of the rally to give Eastern Washington its first lead of the game.
 
The Eagles built on that lead, going up 77-65 with 4:20 to play. The Vikings were able to cut the deficit to four points twice in the final minute, but Eastern made its last seven free throws in a row to hold on.
 
Hauser had a big game for the Vikings, scoring 24 points. He made 8-13 from the field, 5-7 from three-point range and 3-4 at the line. The senior added five assists and four steals.
 
Woods scored 18 points with four assists and six steals.
 
Portland State shot 28-57 from the field (.491) and 8-16 from three-point range for the game. The Eagles were 29-59 (.492) and 10-22 (.455).
 
Once Eastern Washington stopped turning the ball over, it was able to take advantage of a strong effort on the glass. The Eagles had 18 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points. They outrebounded the Vikings 43-24 overall.
 
Davison's 30 points came on 9-12 from the field, 2-3 from distance and 10-12 at the line. Mason Peatling added 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Eagles
 
GAME NOTES: Portland State scored 27 points on 22 Eagle turnovers. Twenty-one of those points came in the first half… PSU is now 7-3 at home this season… Eastern Washington won the previous meeting between the teams on Jan. 4, 71-69, in Cheney... the Vikings return to action on Monday night at home, hosting Idaho at Viking Pavilion. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. and the game is available on Pluto TV Channel 532, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live statistics can be found at www.ViksLive.com.