Portland, OR – The Vikings proved it. 
 
Last week's 13-point win over Oregon State in Corvallis was a first, but it was no fluke. Portland State proved it with an 83-71 victory over the Beavers in the 7th place game of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament played at the Chiles Center.
 
PSU's win over the Beavers was the second in eight days and improved its season record to 3-4. Moreover, they are the first two wins in history against OSU after a series of close losses to the Beavers over the past several years.
 
"We really challenged our guys. We have said all week 'we didn't come here to participate, we came here to win.' And tonight was our night," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn. "Beating Oregon State twice is a big deal. No Portland State team had ever beaten Oregon State (once) until this team had done it."
 
Portland State entered the game with two straight losses, albeit to sixth-ranked Gonzaga and West Virginia, so the win puts the Vikings back on the right track as they return home for two games this week.
 
The Vikings had six players score in double figures, led by 15 points from Jorell Saterfield. Mikal Starks tied his career high with 13 points, adding five assists and three steals. Hunter Woods, Bobby Harvey and Cameron Parker each scored 11 and Keshaun Saunders contributed 10 points.
 
PSU never trailed in the contest, quickly building a double-digit lead and pushing it to more than 20 in the second half. 
 
Portland State went with a different starting lineup for the first time this season and it paid off. Forwards Woods and Isaiah Johnson each got the start for the first time as Vikings. PSU threw on a full court press and pushed the pace, jumping to an 11-1 lead and forcing an OSU timeout at the 17:28 mark of the first half. It was 14-1 before the Beavers finally got a field goal at the 15-minute mark.
 
"I thought we came out on fire defensively. I felt like the first play of the game when we got a five-second call (on OSU) it set the tone for the game," said Coburn. "I knew when we got that and heated the ball up we were going to get after it tonight."
 
Oregon State finally got going with a 10-point run. The Beavers scored four points on one possession with the aid of a technical foul on the Vikings. That closed PSU's lead down to 18-13. That was as close as it would ever be.
 
The Vikings, who struggled with turnovers on Friday night against West Virginia, turned the tables in this game. They forced Oregon State into 12 first-half turnovers and converted them to 14 points. 
 
PSU got a bench boost from Saunders (seven points) and Hayden Curtiss (six points) as they grew their lead back to 15 points on three occasions in the first half. Jorell Saterfield had 10 points at the break and the Vikings led 45-34.
 
Portland State shot 16-32 from the field in the first half. The Beavers were only 9-22, but were able to stay in the game by hitting 14-17 free throws.
 
PSU had a double-digit lead for 12 minutes on the game clock before the Beavers put on a mini-run of five points cutting it to 51-43 early in the second half.
 
A Bobby Harvey three-pointer finally stopped a three-minute field goal drought for the Vikings. A moment later, Harvey scored on a feed inside from Parker, then hit another three. When Starks scored on a frenzied drive to the rim, PSU's lead was back to 62-45 with 11:39 remaining in the game.
 
Isaiah Johnson dunked off a driving feed from Hunter Woods with 7:48 to go and the Vikings had their largest lead at 76-54.
 
Oregon State scored the next nine points but the deficit was too great to overcome. Even though the Vikings managed just two field goals the rest of the way they came away with a comfortable win.
 
PSU shot 30-64 for the game (.469) while Oregon State shot 21-49 (.429). The Vikings also out-rebounded the Beavers, 35-30. PSU forced 18 turnovers and converted them to 20 points.
 

GAME NOTES: 

• Hunter Woods led the Vikings with eight rebounds… Cameron Parker had six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
• The game marked the first time in history the teams have played twice in the same season. Portland State defeated OSU in Corvallis on Nov. 19, 79-66.
• There has been only one other time that PSU has won two games against the Pac-12 in the same season: 2017-18 when the Vikings beat Stanford and California… PSU is 9-58 all-time against Pac-12 teams.
• Portland State will be at home this week, hosting Portland Bible on Wednesday at 7 p.m., then Air Force on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games air on ESPN+.