Portland, OR - Jaylin Henderson and Terri Miller Jr., a pair of Louisiana Tech transfers in the off-season, must be happy they came to Portland State together. How else could they turn into the dynamic duo that swamped Idaho State in a 76-59 win on Saturday afternoon at Viking Pavilion?
 
Henderson was simply spectacular scoring 31 points, the most by a Viking in the last 58 games. The 6-3 senior guard hit 12-18 from the field, 3-6 from three-point range, all four free throws, grabbed four rebounds, handed out two assists, blocked a shot, and threw in one of his patented high-flying dunks for good measure. He did NOT sell popcorn at halftime.
 
"He's been great for us defensively and we knew it was only a matter of time before he broke out and had a game like this. That's the great thing about our team. It can be anybody on a given night," said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn of his team's leading scorer. "Jaylin let his defense carry into his offense."
 
Miller Jr. was a great complement inside, scoring 14 points with a career-high 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal. Miller Jr. hit 6-9 field goals, including both three-point attempts.
 
"Terri has really stepped up in conference play," said Coburn. "He is letting his defense and rebounding carry him. He is really productive on the offensive end because he is so skilled and he's having a lot of success."
 
Those two, combined with another brilliant team defensive effort, led the Vikings to a ninth win in 11 games. 
 
PSU improved to 13-7 on the season, 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have won three in a row overall and six in a row at home.
 
Portland State has been making a habit of fast starts in home games and Saturday's clash was no different. The Vikings jumped to a 19-5 lead after nine minutes. Defense was the impetus once again as ISU started 2-14 from the field with four turnovers.
 
A six-minute cold spell followed for the Vikings. ISU was able to trim the margin back to 19-18. The Bengals finally led on a pair of Blake Daberkow free throws, 23-21, and it was the first time in three games that PSU trailed at home.
 
Idaho State's largest lead was 32-28 with a 1:43 left in the half. That's when the Vikings reignited their spark, scoring nine in a row. When Henderson hit a driving layin at the halftime buzzer the Vikings led 37-32.
 
Henderson starred for the Vikings with 14 points on 6-8 field goals in the half. PSU shot .538 from the field to only .333 for the Bengals. But Idaho State had nine second chance points and made four more free throws to stay close.
 
Portland State's defense stepped up again midway through the second half, holding the Bengals to two field goals over a 10-minute span. The Vikings lead shot up from eight points to 18 points and PSU coasted to victory.
 
Idaho State became the seventh opponent in the Vikings' 11-game run to fail to score as many as 60 points. PSU has allowed only 59.5 points and scored 76.1 during the hot streak.
 
The Bengals finished at 21-67 from the field (.313) and 3-20 from three-point range (.150). Meanwhile, the Vikings shot 50% from the field on 27-54, making 7-18 threes (.389).

The big number, led by Miller's 11, was PSU's 43-38 rebounding advantage. Idaho State came into the game as the league's top rebounding team with a +11.2 margin this season.
 
"We know that Idaho State goes to the glass really well. It was battle and our guys really focused on it, hit bodies and pursued the ball," said Coburn.
 
Also rebounding well for the Vikings was Tre-Vaughn Minott, who had 10 to go with three blocked shots. Qiant Myers added 11 points, eight assists and two blocks.
 
Idaho State had a chance to tie the Vikings in the league standings with a win. Instead they dropped to 3-4, 8-10 overall. 
 
Point guard Dylan Darling scored 11 points with four assists for the Bengals.
 

GAME NOTES

• Portland State has won six straight Big Sky Conference home games dating to last season… the Vikings are 8-1 at home this year, and 19-3 at home the past two seasons.
• The Vikings have held opponents to 59.5 points, .369 field goal shooting and .221 three-point shooting over the last 11 games. PSU has averaged 9.3 steals and 5.2 blocked shots in those games.
• The last time a Viking scored over 30 points was Cameron Parker with 32 at Northern Colorado on Feb. 9, 2023.
• Portland State goes on the road next week, playing at Montana on Thursday, then Montana State on Saturday. Both games will air on ESPN+.