Stockton, CA -  Cole Farrell scored eight of his career-high 18 points in the final five minutes as Portland State held off a second-half charge by Pacific. The Vikings, who led by 20 points in the first half, gave it all back, then finally prevailed, 81-75.
 
PSU earned a much-needed road win with good shooting in the first half, good rebounding and shot-blocking throughout, and perseverance in the end. The Vikings improved to 6-5 with the win. 
 
"It was a complete team win with a lot of guys contributing in different ways," said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn. "We scored in the paint, we created some turnovers and transition. Our defense was really good tonight especially in the first half. We've been working on it and tonight we really showed improvement in that area."
 
Farrell, a sophomore guard, led five Vikings in double figures as several players had big nights. Senior forward Isaiah Johnson posted 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots. Senior points guard Qiant Myers added his third scoring-assist double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 assists. 
 
"Outside of the stat line, Cole was great defensively for us. He played with a high motor. Defensively, he chased the ball all night," said Jase Coburn.
 
The contest featured 50 fouls and 60 free throws. Remarkably though, the Vikings didn't get to the line for the first 28 minutes of the game. Free throws have been a bugaboo this season, but PSU managed to hit 16-24 the rest of the way, including 9-13 in the final four minutes when the Tigers had to play the foul game to catch up.
 
Portland State was very active on offense early, jumping to a 23-13 lead less than halfway through the first half. Senior guard Shane Nowell sparked the Vikings with eight points and Myers had four assists as the team made 10-16 shots (.625).
 
It got better from there as PSU extended out a 21-4 run. A Farrell three-pointer pushed PSU's lead to 20 at 35-15 with just under six minutes to go in the first half.
 
The Vikings went into halftime leading 43-29 without shooting a single free throw. However, they shot .528 from the field and out-rebounded the Tigers, 22-14. Pacific shot only .308 from the field with the saving grace being a 10-12 mark at the line.
 
The Tigers opened the second half with a 12-2 run and suddenly it was a tight ball game. A Johnson drive and score at the 13:33 mark ended the run. The Tigers came back to tie the game at 47-47 on a four-point play by Petar Krivokapic.
 
Portland State got to the free throw line for the first time with 11:49 left in the second half when Pacific had already shot 18 free throws. Johnson made both charity throws and PSU had the lead back at 49-47. 
 
But it was short-lived. Pacific led for the first time with 10:08 left on a Jefferson Koulibaly three-pointer, 53-51.
 
That's when the Vikings really forced the action, getting inside and eventually getting to the line. PSU out-scored Pacific, 50-26, in the paint during the game, and got those 16 made free throws in the last 11:49.
 
Farrell's steal and breakaway layup with 5:06 left in the game put the Vikings back on top for good at 64-62. They never trailed again and won the free throw battle down the stretch.
 
Another key for PSU was its interior defense. The Vikings, who lead the Big Sky Conference in blocked shots, swatted back a season-high nine Tigers' attempts. That held Pacific to a .345 shooting mark (19-55). A 31-36 free throw shooting mark was the only thing keeping the Tigers in the game.
 
Farrell's 18 points were efficient. He made 6-10 from the field, 2-3 from three-point range and 4-5 at the line, adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals. 
 
Nowell added 15 points for the Vikings and Jaylin Henderson scored 11.
 
Three Pacific players scored 15 points; Koulibaly, Elias Ralph and Elijah Fisher.
 
With the loss, the Tigers drop to 5-8 on the season, 3-2 at home.
 

GAME NOTES

• This was the first meeting between the schools in 25 seasons. PSU leads the all-time series, 3-1, including both meetings in Stockton.
• The Vikings average a Big Sky-leading 6.1 blocked shots this season.
• Qiant Myers is averaging a Big Sky-best 7.2 assists this season.
• Portland State chalked up six more dunks and has 52 in 11 games this season.
• PSU is now 2-3 in true road games, 3-4 away from home overall.
• Portland State plays at Bakersfield on Saturday night. Game time is 6:30 p.m. and it can be seen on ESPN+.