Moscow, ID – Portland State came from behind with a big second half to upend the Idaho Vandals, 77-72, at ICCU Arena for its first Big Sky Conference win of the season.
 
The Vikings trailed by 11 late in the first half and by eight at intermission. PSU then turned on the offense after halftime, outscoring the Vandals 44-31.
 
"Idaho is a good team and they got on us early. I was proud of our team coming back, especially coming off our last game," said Coach Jase Coburn. "I credit our team for their resilience. Our players are tough guys. They are smart and know how to play. We were down eight at halftime, but we knew the game wasn't over."
 
Portland State got its 10^th win of the season (10-4) heading into the new year. The Vikings bounced back from a disappointing performance at Eastern Washington and are now 1-1 in league play.
 
It also marked the second year in a row that the Vikings have trailed at halftime at Idaho and come back for the win. The Vikings have won four in a row, seven of the last eight and nine of the last 11 games in the series with the Vandals. PSU has also won four straight in Moscow.
 
KJ Allen led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for the Vikings. It was his second double-double of the season as he made 4-7 from the field and 8-9 at the line.
 
Jorell Saterfield was a big part of the comeback, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second half. Isaiah Johnson had 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals off the bench. Kendall Munson added his Portland State career-best with 12 points on 4-6 from the field and 4-5 at the line.
 
A slow start was not too much to overcome for the Vikings. Idaho led almost the entire first half and went into halftime up 41-33. The secret of the Vandals' success was simple: they hit shots, near and far. Idaho was 14-27 from the field, including 6-12 from three-point range, while also making 7-9 at the line. Quinn Denker tallied 13 to lead all scorers.
 
Meanwhile, Portland State struggled to get going offensively. The Vikings faced a zone defense for much of the half and couldn't shoot out of it. They were 10-30 from the field and 2-9 from distance. PSU's saving grace was an ability to get to the free throw line, where they made 11-13 to stay in touch with the Vandals. Allen had nine points and four rebounds at the break.
 
The Vikings fought their way back into the game early in the second half. Back-to-back three-pointers by Ismail Habib, as part of a 9-2 run, drew PSU within 47-46.
 
A few moments later, Saterfield hit back-to-back threes to give PSU the lead – its first since the opening moments of the game – at 60-59. That seemed to ignite the Vikings.
 
Allen and Johnson scored inside on back-to-back possessions, Saterfield hit another jump shot, then a Bobby Harvey three-pointer pushed PSU's edge to 69-62 with just over six minutes to play.
 
In all PSU went on a 20-6 run, at one point holding the Vandals scoreless for more than five minutes. Attesting to PSU's depth, seven different players scored in the run, with Saterfield getting eight of the 20.
 
Remarkably, PSU made only one field goal in the last five minutes of the game. But the Vikings made just enough free throws – and 22-29 in the game (.759) – to keep the Vandals at bay.
 
Portland State shot 24-59 for the game (.407) and 7-22 from three-point range (.318). The Vikings out-rebounded the Vandals, 41-35, and forced them into 14 turnovers.
 
Tyler Linhardt scored 18 points with six rebounds for Idaho. Decker added 17 points and five assists.
 
Idaho dropped to 7-7 on the season, 1-1 in the Big Sky. The loss ended the Vandals' three-game home win streak.
 

GAME NOTES

• Ismail Habib led the Vikings with four assists without committing a turnover. He scored nine points, all in the second half.
• Among Portland State's 14 games this season, nine have been decided by seven points or less. The Vikings are 7-2 in those games.
• Portland State is 5-3 on the road this season, 6-4 including neutral site games. The Vikings have one more road game – a non-conference matchup at Kansas City next Saturday – before coming home for six of the next eight Big Sky games.
• In the trivia department, Portland State won its 400^th game since re-instating the men's basketball program in 1996 and joining the Big Sky Conference. PSU is 400-413 in its 28^th season.