Sacramento, CA – A long layoff from games appears to have worked in Portland State's favor as the Vikings went into the Hornets' Nest and beat Sacramento State, 67-62, on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Vikings had lost five in a row, but got an inadvertent reset over the past two weeks as they and the Big Sky Conference have been sidelined with COVID issues. Playing its first game of 2022, PSU picked up its fourth win of the season and evened its Big Sky Conference record at 2-2.
 
"We went into this game looking at it like a brand, new season," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn of the 16-day break. "We wanted to hit the reset button. After coming off that pause I am proud of these guys. Those who were not sick kept working hard during the break and those who were sick came back and got themselves ready. I'm real proud of how they practiced and how they played today.
 
Junior forward Jacob Eyman scored a career-high 14 points, hitting 6-10 shots from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Vikings. It was his second straight career-scoring high in the absence of starting big man James Jean-Marie.
 
"One advantage we have is tremendous depth. We need to take advantage of that. We can attack from different angles and we need to find that on a given night," said Coburn.
 
Senior forward Khalid Thomas had his second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Zeke Alley came off the bench for 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
 
The Vikings led 7-2 early before Sacramento State went on a 13-2 run. The 15-9 advantage was the largest lead by either side in the first half. PSU chipped away at the deficit, then closed out the half on a 10-2 run for a 32-27 lead at the break.
 
PSU took the lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half and led the remainder of the game.
 
A big play for the Vikings came midway through the second half. Up against an expiring shot clock, Michael Carter III launched a fall-away three-point shot. The ball banked in off the glass, and Carter was fouled. He converted the four-point play to give PSU a 49-40 lead.
 
Zeke Alley's three-pointer with 6:46 to go completed a 12-3 Portland State run. It gave PSU the only double-digit lead of the game at 53-43.
 
The Hornets briefly cut the Viking lead to five, but Thomas got back-to-back baskets inside and the Viking edge was back to 59-50 with 2:18 to go.
 
The Hornets scrambled to get within 65-62 inside the final minute before Thomas iced the game with a pair of free throws with six seconds to play.
 
Equal parts offense and defense got the job done for Portland State.
 
Offensively, Portland State had one of its best outings of the year. The Vikings made 26-61 from the field, and though it was a modest .426 shooting percentage, it was the team's best shooting mark in nine games. PSU made 12-15 at the line (.800) and committed only eight turnovers.
 
Defensively, PSU maintained what it has done all season. A key for the Vikings was keeping Hornets' top scorer Bryce Fowler under wraps. After getting 30 points in his last outing and being named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, Fowler came into the contest averaging 17.5 points. He managed seven assists, but was held to a season-low six points by the Vikings on 2-9 shooting.
 
"We had a plan for what we wanted to do with him defensively," Coburn said. "The guys understood that and carried it out. I think we are coming together defensively and really making adjustments."
 
Sacramento State was led by 17 points and 10 rebounds from Cameron Wilbon. The Hornets shot 21-50 from the field (.420) and had 14 turnovers in the game. They are now 5-7 on the season, 1-4 in the Big Sky Conference.

GAME NOTES

• The Vikings were playing their first game in 16 days due to COVID issues in their three previously scheduled games. PSU started Mikal Starks, Michael Carter III, Ian Burke, Khalid Thomas and Jacob Eyman.
• PSU had lost four in a row in Sacramento. The Vikings are now 11-14 all-time in games at the Hornets' Nest. They lead the Big Sky series, 32-19, all-time.
• Junior guard Michael Carter III had eight points and a team-high four assists.
• Junior guard Damion Squire played in his first game as a Viking. He missed the first 11 games recovering from a hip injury. Squire had seven points on 3-3 shooting in 15 minutes of play.
• Portland State plays at Southern Utah on Monday in a 6 p.m. PT start. The game will be streamed live at ESPN+.