Portland, OR – Portland State had another good shooting night, riding a 45-point second half to a 79-70 Big Sky Conference win over Idaho State at Viking Pavilion.
 
PSU shot 57% for its second game in a row and, not surprisingly, its second win in a row. That included a 59% second-half shooting effort. 
 
"We got the pace how we wanted it," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn. "We were able to get easier opportunities. We got enough stops, created enough turnovers and got enough rebounds to get loose in transition. That's our game. It was fun to play like that.
 
"It was definitely a team win. A lot of guys stepped up and we had a few guys out. We needed bigger contributions from other people and we let the game come to us."
 
Most important for the Vikings in their last two games, both wins, they have moved from seventh place to a tie for fifth place in the conference standings. There are four games to play in the regular season. Sixth place or higher will get them a first-round bye in next month's Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
PSU is now 12-15 on the season, 6-8 in the Big Sky and pulled into a tie with the Bengals, who are also 6-8. The Vikings swept the season series over Idaho State, giving them a tie-breaker advantage.
 
Once again, senior point guard Cameron Parker led the Vikings in scoring with 18 points. It was the 12th straight game he has led the team in scoring, and he added a season-high 12 assists. 
 
As Coburn said, contribution came from all over for the Vikings. Junior forward Hunter Woods had 14 points, a team-high six rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Jorell Saterfield scored 12 points with six rebounds, and Isaiah Johnson tallied 12 points off the bench. 
 
Idaho State led early before PSU's defense held the Bengals without a point for a stretch of five minutes. The Vikings forced five missed shots and four turnovers along the way, turning a 7-4 deficit into a 14-7 lead over that span. 
 
However, the inside play of Brayden Parker brought the Bengals back. The 6-8 post scored 14 points on 7-10 first half field goals. His basket inside just before the halftime buzzer gave ISU a 36-34 lead. 
 
Both teams shot well in the half. The Bengals just got up a few more shots. ISU was 16-31 from the field (.516) while the Vikings were 13-24 (.542).
 
Portland State finally got the pace turned up more to its liking in the second half. The Vikings got the lead for good on a Woods' three-pointer with 13:49 to play. PSU could not extend the advantage to more than four points for another six minutes as Brayden Parker continued to work inside for Idaho State.
 
Leading by just two points, a Saterfield triple followed by a Johnson breakaway layin-and-one gave the Vikings their largest lead of the night at 71-63 with 5:04 to play. A minute later Parker scored on a drive and the lead was double-digits.
 
PSU finished at 30-53 from the field (.566) and 8-17 from three-point range (.471). 
 
Brayden Parker scored 26 points on 12-17 shooting for the Bengals. Brock Mackenzie scored 12 points with six assists.
 

GAME NOTES

• Portland State won its sixth game in a row against Idaho State, ninth in the last 10, and 12 in the last 14 outings. The Vikings are 22-6 all-time against the Bengals in Big Sky games played in Portland. The Vikings beat Idaho State, 72-65, on Jan. 12 in Pocatello.
• Cameron Parker had his fourth points/assists double-double of the season.
• Bobby Harvey extended his streak of consecutive games with a three-point field goal made to 23. Harvey made two three-pointers and finished the game with eight points.
• Keshaun Saunders got the start as Mikal Starks (back) and Isiah Kirby (finger) were both unable to play. Saunders scored nine points with three rebounds and three assists.
• Portland State will host Weber State on Saturday night at Viking Pavilion. Game time is 7 p.m. It will be StrickCity Night, honoring the legacy of the late Deante Strickland.