Portland, OR – With a full complement of big men back on the court, Portland State was able to assert its dominance inside once again. Big-man play stood out in what was an all-around, well-played 69-52 Vikings' win over Montana State at Viking Pavilion.
 
There was forward Isaiah Johnson scoring on an array of drives to the basket for a game-high 16 points. There was center Tre-Vaughn Minott, who missed the last game-and-a-half with a knee injury, hauling down a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 12 points and two blocked shots. There was forward Terri Miller Jr., who weathered a broken nose in the first half, but managed to still play 20 minutes, scoring 12 points on 6-9 field goals. And there was forward Hayden Curtiss, the tallest Viking at 6-11 who had missed 11 of the last 12 games with an ankle injury, but came back in this one to play 16 minutes, score nine points with three rebounds and make one of his patented roof-raising blocked shots. Those four combined to shoot 21-35 from the field (.600), lead a 43-25 rebounding edge over the Bobcats and block five shots.
 
Coach Norman Dale would have been proud of that group. Coach Jase Coburn sure was. Especially his previously injured big men.
 
"It was huge to have those guys back with TV's rebounding, his vibe, his energy," said Coburn. "And Hayden has always been a game-changer for us, whether it's free throws, a three, a block, whatever. It is great to have those two back."
 
That's right. For the first time in six weeks, the Vikings had 10 available players at tipoff and four bigs who are a tough handle for any team in the Big Sky. The result was another home win for Portland State - its ninth in a row. The Vikings are now 11-1 at home this season and 17-12 overall. PSU improved to 9-7 in the Big Sky Conference, maintaining a third-place tie with Idaho State, also winners on Thursday.
 
PSU's 17 wins matches last year's total (17-15) and guarantees the Vikings a second-straight winning season.
 
Having played six of their last eight games on the road, the Vikings were thrilled to be on their home court where they now have an 11-1 record and have only trailed in three of the 12 games.
 
"Playing at home in front of our crowd really ignites us," said Coburn. "We make a lot of splash defensive plays, like big blocks or steals, and that energizes the crowd and then energizes us. You can feel it in the building."
 
PSU took the lead from the jump. A key stretch was holding MSU to just two points over a six-minute span, building a 31-18 lead shortly before halftime.
 
Portland State closed out the half on an 18-9 run and led 37-25 at the break. PSU made 16-31 (.516) from the field while the Bobcats were 11-27 (.407).
 
The Vikings upped the lead to 43-27 two minutes into the second half. They maintained the double-digit margin and pushed it to 60-41 on a three-pointer by Curtiss with 9:38 to go. Two minutes later a Johnson drive increased the lead to 21 at 64-43. The Vikings coasted home from there.
 
For the night, Portland State was 28-61 from the field (.459) and 9-13 at the free throw line (.692). They committed only five turnovers. Most significant was a 48-28 edge in scoring in the paint, and 21 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds - a testament to the inside dominance.
 
The defensive presence at home that had held opponents to .365 shooting and 60.1 points in Viking Pavilion was evident against the Bobcats as well. MSU shot .420 for the game, .211 from three-point range and scored 20 points below its season average.
 
Montana State was led by 15 points and seven rebounds from forward Brandon Walker.
 
MSU dropped to 12-17 with the loss, 7-9 in Big Sky Conference play.
 

GAME NOTES  

• Cole Farrell scored 10 points with four rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
• Qiant Myers had a game-high six assists for the Vikings.
• PSU is 7-0 in Big Sky home games and has won 10 straight Big Sky home games dating to last season.
• With an 11-1 home record, Portland State has trailed in only three of 12 home games this season, winning wire-to-wire in nine games. In a total of 480 minutes played in Viking Pavilion, the Vikings have trailed for only 30 minutes and nine seconds. And the Vikings lone home loss came by a single point. 
• With 148 blocked shots on the season, the Vikings are just five short of the school record (153 in 2006-07 in 32 games).
• Montana State beat the Vikings, 74-73, in Bozeman on Feb. 1.
• Portland State closes out the regular season by hosting Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m., then Sacramento State on Monday at 7 p.m.. Tickets are available at www.GoViks.com. All games air on ESPN+.