Pullman, WA – Washington State weathered the storm of a fast-starting Portland State Vikings team then held on to win the season-opener, 100-92, at Beasley Coliseum.
 
PSU had an early 17-point lead, but eventually the Cougars started hitting shots from all over the court and were able to come back for the home victory. Washington State hit 15-32 three-point field goals and finished at .526 from the field overall.
 
Portland State took the loss but showed a lot of positives against the Pac-12/West Coast Conference program. PSU shot .485 from the field, 12-27 from three-point range and forced the Huskies into 21 turnovers.
 
Newcomers played major roles for the Vikings as well. Senior forward Terri Miller Jr., a transfer from Louisiana Tech, scored a team-high 20 points in 25 minutes. Senior guard Qiant Myers, a transfer from Western Oregon, had 14 points and 10 assists in a team-high 33 minutes at point guard.
 
Returner Isaiah Johnson, a senior forward, added 14 points on 6-8 from the field and led the Vikings with seven rebounds.
 
It was an electric start for the Vikings as they forced eight Washington State turnovers in the first six minutes of the game. That led to transition and good shots as PSU jumped to a 21-4 lead. At that point the Vikings were 5-7 from three-point range with five different players hitting a three.
 
The Cougars came back with a 17-2 run, highlighted by four three-pointers. They finally tied the game at 27-27 on a drive by LeJuan Watts with 6:39 to play in the half. Watts then got WSU the lead on another drive a moment later. The Cougars would then lead for the remainder of the game.
 
After the slow start, WSU hit 13 of 21 shots from the field for the remainder of the half, including seven three-pointers, to lead 46-38 at the break.
 
The Cougars finally got the lead to double digits in the final 10 minutes, going up by as many as 17 points. PSU kept fighting though, outscoring Washington State 18-9 down the stretch. PSU had the ball, trailing by eight inside the final minute, but could get no closer.
 
Portland State scored a remarkable 37 points off WSU's turnovers. But the Cougars used their strong shooting, which included 25-32 at the free throw line, and a 39-28 rebounding advantage to hold off the Vikings.
 
Cedric Coward had game-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds for Washington State. Six Cougars were in double figures with another 20 points coming from Isaiah Watts.
 

GAME NOTES

• Senior forward Hayden Curtiss came off the bench to score 13 points on 5-8 shooting which included 3-3 from three-point range… senior center Tre-Vaughn Minott had seven points and five rebounds – both career-bests at PSU… senior guard Jaylin Henderson scored 10 points as five Vikings were in double figures.
• Portland State has eight new players and six returners on its roster for 2024-25. The Vikings started five seniors, guards Qiant Myers, Shane Nowell, Jaylin Henderson and forwards Isaiah Johnson and Tre-Vaughn Minott. Myers, Nowell and Henderson are new to the Vikings. Only Johnson, a third-year letterwinner, had previously started a game for the Vikings.
• The Vikings have never beaten the Cougars in 11 all-time meetings.
• Portland State is 12-17 in season openers since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.
• PSU has its home opener on Thursday when the Vikings host Evergreen State at Viking Pavilion. Tip-off is 7 p.m. and the game is televised on ESPN+.