Portland, OR – A chaotic return to the Viking Pavilion ended in disappointment for Portland State as Idaho State held off a late Viking charge for a 69-63 Big Sky Conference win.
 
The Bengals led by 14 points with six minutes to play before the Vikings rallied within two. But PSU couldn't come up with any magic in the final minute. 
 
Idaho State handed the Vikings their first home loss of the season, and third loss in four games. PSU drops to 10-6 overall, 1-2 in the Big Sky. The Bengals improved to 6-10, 1-2 in the Big Sky.
 
Jorell Saterfield led the Vikings with 16 points in the game, making 5-10 from the field 3-5 from three-point range and 3-5 at the line. Bobby Harvey added 13 points and five rebounds. 
 
The Vikings had to be concerned with the inside play of Idaho State's Brayden Parker and Kiree Huie, who were the Bengals top two scorers and rebounders. But it was guard play that really hurt the Vikings on this night. Bengal guards Maleek Arrington and Miguel Tomley did most of the damage for the opponents. They combined for 31 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals.
 
"We knew coming in they were going to be a handful." said Viking Coach Jase Coburn of the Idaho State guards. "Hats off to them. They had a great game, and we need to do better."
 
Portland State actually out-shot the Bengals in the game, .434 to .386. But Idaho State was tough on the glass, out-rebounding PSU, 42-25. That included 17 offensive rebounds, 11 of which came in the second half.
 
"We didn't finish how we needed to, missed some free throws at the end, but ultimately we got crushed on the glass," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn.
 
Tomley was hot early on with 13 points in leading ISU to a 22-17 lead midway through the first half. 
 
Portland State had a five-minute scoring drought, but then Saterfield got warmed up. He scored seven points over a 90-second stretch late in the half to keep the Vikings close. PSU trailed 30-27 at the break as Bromley had 15 points and Harvey led the Vikings with eight.
 
Portland State was never able to get a lead as the teams traded baskets for much of the second half. Idaho State went on a 12-5 run and when Huie scored inside with six minutes left, the Vikings faced their largest deficit at 61-47. 
 
All was not lost at that point though. PSU switched its defense to a zone and the Bengals made only one field goal over the next five minutes. The Vikings rallied with a 15-3 run of their own. 
 
"We needed to change some stuff up," said Coburn. "We switched to a zone and it worked. It threw their rhythm and timing off. They missed some shots, but we needed to come up with some rebounds."
 
Ismail Habib scored on a drive with 59.7 seconds to play, closing the gap to 64-62 and completing the run. Having to resort to fouls in the last 30 seconds, the Bengals made enough to hold the Vikings off.
 

GAME NOTES

• Idaho State ended a six-game losing streak to the Vikings. 
• PSU is now 4-1 at home this season. 
• Isaiah Johnson scored 12 points with five rebounds and two blocked shots in 22 minutes off the bench for Portland State. 
• Portland State was playing its first home game in 33 days… the Vikings play at home again on Saturday, hosting Weber State at 4 p.m.