San Francisco, CA – A painfully slow start for the Portland State Vikings was too much to overcome as the University of San Francisco took care of business in a non-conference game at War Memorial Gym, winning 80-70.
 
What made the first half painful for the Vikings was how well they played in the second half. Portland State had a rousing comeback, trimming an 18-point deficit down to six in the space of three minutes. For the half, the Vikings shot 50%, hit seven three-pointers, out-rebounded and outscored the Dons, 50-44. But the hill was just too steep to climb against a quality opponent on the road.
 
A 25-win team last season, San Francisco figures to be a player at the top of the West Coast Conference standings again this year. The win moves the Dons to 2-1 on the season, while the Vikings, picked to place second in the Big Sky this year after a 19-win season, are 1-2.
 
Senior center Tre-Vaughn Minott had a big game for PSU, tying his career scoring high with 16 points on 7-10 shots. That included five dunks, while Minott also grabbed a game-high 13 boards. Senior guard Jaylin Henderson had high-scoring honors with 18 points and six assists.
 
In the first half, the Vikings went through a frigid spell, missing 10 shots in a row and making only 1-16 stretch over an 11-minute stretch. PSU didn't reach double figures in scoring until under five minutes to play in the half. At that point, the Vikings were down by 21.
 
PSU finished the half at only 6-26 from the field, trailing 36-20 at the break. San Francisco shot just 41% in the half, but had a big edge on the boards (27-15) while forcing nine Vikings turnovers.
 
As poor as the Vikings were on offense in the first half, they were efficient in the second half.
 
Forward Terri Miller Jr. moved to a point guard role and was effective directing the offense and distributing the ball. He found Minott and Henderson often, as they combined for 34 points. Miller scored only four points, but finished with six assists. Junior guard Sebastian Tidor came off the bench to score all 11 of his points in the half and help spark the Vikings as well.
 
San Francisco's lead was single digits for much of the second half, but it never broke. The Dons shot well enough to hold the Vikings off, making 12-23 field goals and 13-17 free throws after intermission.
 
Guard Ryan Beasley led USF with 23 points, making 8-14 from the field, 3-8 from three-point range, and 4-6 at the line.
 
The Dons shot .456 from the field, .417 from three-point range and .720 at the line. PSU was at .394, .310 and .692.
 

GAME NOTES

• The Vikings committed 25 fouls in the game and are averaging 27.3 per game this season. The result has been a deficit of 45 free throw attempts through three games (95 to 50).
• Portland State had six more dunks and now has 21 slams through three games this season.
• Junior guard Keyon Kensie Jr. had nine points, six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
• The Vikings return home for two games next week. PSU hosts CSU Bakersfield of the Big West Conference on Monday, then Evergreen State on Wednesday. Both games tip at 7 p.m. at Viking Pavilion and can be seen on ESPN+.