Portland State Basketball's non-conference thrill ride continued on Monday night when KJ Allen hit a three-point field goal at the end of overtime to give the Vikings another buzzer-beating victory, 75-72. Allen's three capped a 10-point run to end the game for the Vikings, eight of which came from the senior forward.
     
Monday's win once again allowed PSU to match a "best-ever" record. 9-3 is the best mark by a PSU team after 12 games in program history, and has been accomplished four times previously. PSU also matched best-ever marks for five games (5-0), six games (5-1), seven games (6-1), nine games (7-2) and 10 games (8-2). The five- and six-game marks were the best ever at the Division I level.
 

KJ SAID, LETS GO HOME. BALL GAME. #GoViks | #DefendTheShip | @Kjallen32 pic.twitter.com/P6R8SeV12q

— Portland State Men's Basketball (@psuviksMBB) December 19, 2023

 
PSU'S BEST NON-CONFERENCE RECORDS - BIG SKY ERA: Season-to-season, the quality, competition and number of games in the non-conference schedule varies, but here is a look at PSU's best non-conference records since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97 prior to league play.
 
Year         W-L    Pct.    Finish
2017-18    10-3   .769    20-14
2023-24    9-3    .750       ?
2008-09    10-4   .714    23-10
1998-99    7-3    .700    17-11
1999-00    8-4    .667    15-14
2006-07     9-5    .643    19-13
2010-11     9-5    .643    14-16
2016-17     7-4    .636    15-16
2004-05    8-5    .615     19-9
     
      So, how have they done it?
     
THEY HAVE DONE IT MOSTLY ON THE ROAD: The Viking victory was just another in an impressive opening two months of the season. Portland State is now 9-3 as it takes a week off before the start of Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings are 4-0 at home, 4-2 on the road, and 1-1 in neutral site games. Eight of the 12 games have been decided by seven points or less. PSU is 6-2 in those games.
 
THEY HAVE DONE IT AGAINST A VARIETY OF OPPONENTS: Portland State can boast wins over teams from the West Coast (Portland), Mountain West (Air Force, Fresno State), Big West (Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara) and Western Athletic Conferences (California Baptist). One more conference is a possibility when the Vikings play Kansas City of the Summit League on Jan. 6.
     
THEY HAVE DONE IT WITH BUZZER BEATERS: Highlights of the first 12 games have unquestionably been the three game-winning shots by the Vikings. Sophomore guard Ismail Habib had the first two in the span of 11 days. First, he hit a half-court, three-point shot at the buzzer to take down California Baptist, 66-63, on Nov. 17. Then, he made a driving hoop with 0.6 seconds remaining to beat Portland, 75-74, on Nov. 28 in Viking Pavilion. Finally, last night Allen buried a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining in overtime for a 75-72 Viking win at Fresno State.
 

Just in case you didn't believe me.... #SCTop10 | #GoViks | #DefendTheShip https://t.co/uM2eBK226P pic.twitter.com/jDKwvVIVSw

— Mike Lund (@mikelund65) November 18, 2023

 

VIKS WIN!!!!!!

FIRE US UP, @Mamba_ismail ??#GoViks | #DefendTheShip pic.twitter.com/drmngXJ04X

— Portland State Men's Basketball (@psuviksMBB) November 29, 2023

 
THEY HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT STARS: The Vikings are loaded with talent and depth, but have no "stars" or one player they rely on night after night. Allen leads the team in scoring (10.6) and rebounding (6.1) with modest numbers. However, five Vikings average between 9.3 points and 10.6 points. Another five Vikings average between 4.0 and 6.1 rebounds. Three different Vikings have between 27 and 35 assists. No Viking scored as many as 20 points until the 10^th game of the season.
     
THEY HAVE DONE IT IN THE DIRT: Most of all, it has been PSU's grit that has gotten the job done. The Vikings have a +3.2 turnover margin, a +1.3 rebound margin, average 12 offensive boards a game, have 20 more steals than their opponents and allow just 66.3 points per game. Said Jase Coburn after the team's win at Fresno State on Monday, "We have to win in the margins - play good defense, rebound, win all the 50-50 balls. I give our guys credit, every time there was a loose ball tonight, we had guys diving on it," said Coburn. "These guys are great people and they never give up. I have got a good team."
 
Portland State will open Big Sky Conference play on the road on Dec. 28 against Big Sky Conference defending regular season champion Eastern Washington. The Vikings play two more on the road after that, then finally return to Viking Pavilion. PSU will host Idaho State on Thursday, Jan. 11. You better be there. You never know what you might miss…