San Diego, CA – Portland State played a brilliant first half, then held off a charging San Diego Toreros team in the second half to pick up its second win of the season, 85-76, at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
PSU got quality play all around, but none better than from their two Louisiana Tech transfers, Jaylin Henderson and Terri Miller Jr. The pair combined for 38 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
 
Henderson scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. In fact, the 6-3 guard scored 10 points in a row for the Vikings down the stretch to keep them ahead of the Toreros, including a deep contested three-pointer followed by an emphatic driving dunk.
 
San Diego cut PSU's lead from 16 with just over 10 minutes to play all the way down to four at 74-70 with 1:55 to go. But the Vikings made 9-10 free throws, including four in a row from Miller, and got another Henderson driving score to close out the win.
 
The offensive wheels kept on churning for PSU in the first half. The Vikings went into the game averaging 111.5 points and shooting 59% from the field after two games. Admittedly, a small college opponent helped fatten those stats, but it appears the offensive acuity of the 2024-25 Vikings is valid.
 
PSU shot 60% in the half while building a 51-33 lead at the break. Bench play continued to be a strength as well. Hayden Curtiss scored a team-high 11 in the half (5-6 FG, 1-2 3-PT) in 11 minutes of action off the bench. PSU's pace also benefited the defense, as the Vikings forced 13 first-half turnovers for 18 points in building the big lead. A Qiant Myers three-pointer at the halftime horn gave PSU and 18-point advantage.
 
"It was an unbelievable first half, I felt like we had a lot of spirit, making the right plays, getting stops, forcing turnovers. It was how we wanted to play," said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn.
 
The second half was a bit different. The Vikings made only four of their first 16 shots in the half. That gave the home standing Toreros some momentum as they worked their way back into the contest. Down the stretch, the Vikings made 6-9 shots from the field but were troubled with turnovers (16 in the second half) helping keep San Diego afloat. When the Toreros had to resort to fouls, the Vikings were able to close out the game.
 
Henderson finished with a game-high 23 points and six rebounds. Miller added 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
 
"They really stepped up and made some big plays for us," said Coburn. "We needed to make some free throws too and we did. The best thing is we came out with a hard road win against a good team. Good teams find a way to win it."
 
 
In the end, the Vikings shot 31-60 from the field (.517), making 8-17 from distance (.471). PSU out-rebounded San Diego 37-35.
 
Keyon Kensie Jr. led the Toreros with 20 points. The Vikings held Kjay Bradley Jr. to seven points after he entered the game averaging 26.0.
 
Portland State improved to 2-1 on the season with the victory. San Diego dropped to 1-2.
 

GAME NOTES

• Isaiah Johnson finished with a team-high seven rebounds and two blocked shots to go with six points (3-3 FG)… Qiant Myers handed off a team-high five assists… Curtiss and Shane Nowell each scored 11 points.
• The Vikings lost to San Diego last year, 69-65… it was a first-ever win for PSU at San Diego (1-5).
• Portland State is off until next week when it travels to the Cream City Challenge, hosted by Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Vikings will play Milwaukee, St. Thomas and Wofford on successive days, Nov. 22-24.