Portland, OR – A solid defensive effort was overshadowed by poor shooting once again as the Portland State Vikings dropped a Big Sky Conference game to the Idaho State Bengals, 64-57.
 
It was the first of six straight home games at Viking Pavilion for PSU and was hoped to be the start of turnaround. However, the Vikings dropped their fifth straight contest and are now 2-8 on the season, 1-4 in the Big Sky. Idaho State improved to 8-6, including 5-2 in the Big Sky.
 
The Vikings forced Idaho State into 17 turnovers and held the Bengals to 64 points. They led briefly in the first half and never trailed by more than eight in the game. But once again, poor shooting prevented them from making a big offensive move. 
 
Portland State shot 19-56 from the field for a .339 mark. Idaho State shot 21-43, getting several fewer attempts because of the turnovers. But some strong three-point shooting - at one point, the Bengals were 10-15 from three-point range - allowed them to overcome their miscues. 
 
Amari McCray scored 14 points with six rebounds to lead the Vikings. He made 4-10 from the field and 6-7 at the free throw line. Khalid Thomas added 11 points and five boards for the Vikings. 
 
Tarik Cool had 17 points and four assists to pace Idaho State. Austin Smellie added 13 points, hitting 3-6 three-pointers.
 
Neither side found a good offensive footing early on. Finally, ISU's Emmit Taylor III hit a flurry of three straight three-pointers, putting the Bengals ahead 19-15 with 8:10 left in the first half. At that point, it was the largest margin of the game. Most important, Idaho State would never trail again.
 
Despite shooting only .259 from the field in the first half, the Vikings kept it close with defense. PSU managed seven steals and scored eight points off turnovers. Idaho State led 30-25, the largest lead for either team, at intermission.
 
Portland State was a chilly 3-21 on two-point shots, but made 4-6 from three-point range and 7-8 at the line to stay in the game. Idaho State was 11-24 overall (.458), but had eight turnovers.
 
Another three-pointer by Taylor with 15:07 left in the game gave the Bengals their largest lead at 43-35. At that point, he was 4-4 for 12 points in 12 minutes of play.
 
Both teams suffered a four-minute scoring drought before the Vikings drew close. Paris Dawson's three-pointer at the 4:47 mark trimmed the Viking deficit to 53-49. A moment later, Dawson scored on a drive to make it 53-51 ISU. 
 
Cool answered for Idaho State, hitting back-to-back driving jumpers to push the ISU lead back up 57-51. The Bengals then did a good job of draining the clock on their remaining possessions to shorten the game.
 
Down the stretch the Vikings struggled. In their final seven possessions, they had three missed shots, a turnover and made four of six free throws. 
 
GAME NOTES: This is the first of a six-game home stand for the Vikings. It is the longest home stand by a Viking team since Dec. 16, 2004-Jan. 8, 2005… bright spots for the Vikings included 11 steals in the game and only eight turnovers… PSU is now 2-3 at home this season… for the fourth straight contest PSU has not led or trailed by more than 10 points in a game… Idaho State is 4-1 in Big Sky road games… these two teams will meet again on Saturday in Viking Pavilion. Tip-off 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.