Portland, OR – Something unusual was happening at Viking Pavilion on Thursday night. Portland State was losing a Big Sky home game - something they have not done since 2024.
 
That's when a fire-and-brimstone timeout late in the first half changed the Vikings fortunes. Down 30-21 - the largest deficit at home all season - PSU battled back to beat Northern Colorado, 76-73, at Viking Pavilion.
 
Coach Jase Coburn called the timeout with 3:39 left in the half and let's just say he was "heated" about PSU's poor shooting (.400 at that point) and 11 turnovers (at that point). The exchange of ideas in the huddle seemed to have some effect. The Vikings didn't get it all back before halftime, but the tenor of the game changed. 
 
The Vikings closed the gap to 33-28 before intermission then continued a 13-2 run over into the second half. Portland State took its first lead at 36-35 with 15:54 left on an Alex Dupre jump shot. 
 
Northern Colorado tied the game five times over the next few minutes, but PSU never trailed again.
 
The Vikings also never pulled away in the game, with the largest lead being seven points, and eked out the win in the final two minutes.
 
Terri Miller Jr. hit a jump shot with 2:28 to play that had PSU ahead 72-65. But the Bears' star guard Quinn Denker scored on a pair of drives to the basket over the next minute. After PSU's Jaylin Henderson made a jump shot with 31 seconds left, Denker added two free throws to make the score 74-71. The Vikings got away with a costly turnover, but still needed two free throws from Brycen Long to ice the game with 1.5 seconds left.
 
Portland State maintained its spot in first place in the Big Sky Conference with the win. PSU is now 4-0 in league play, 10-5 overall. The last time Portland State was 4-0 in league play was the 2004-05 season, and this is only the third time it has occurred. The Vikings have never started 5-0.
 
Northern Colorado, the defending Big Sky Conference Champion, and top scoring team in the league is 11-7 overall, but inexplicably, 1-4 in league play.
 
Henderson led the Vikings once again with 19 points and seven assists. Miller scored 18 points with eight rebounds. Tre-Vaughn Minott had 17 points and seven rebounds.
 
Denker scored 18 points with six assists for the Bears.
 
It was not a good first half for Portland State's offense. Not only did the Vikings shoot just .417 from the field, they also committed 13 turnovers - more than their season average.  The Bears scored 20 of their 33 points off Portland State turnovers.
 
The second half was much different, with PSU shooting .552 from the field and making 13-17 free throws, while making only four turnovers.
 
PSU's 17 total turnovers were costly, allowing the Bears to score 26 points. But, the Vikings more than made up for it with inside play. They won the glass with a 38-23 edge, and scored 38 points in the paint to 24 for UNC.
 
Portland State finished at .491 from the field while Northern Colorado shot .453.
 

GAME NOTES

• Keyon Kensie Jr. scored 12 points with eight rebounds and three steals. He had 11 points and six rebounds in the second half alone to help spark the comeback.
• Jaylin Henderson played the entire game for the sixth game in a row. He has played 250 straight minutes.
• Portland State is 6-1 at home this season, 30-4 over the past three seasons.
• PSU has now won 14 straight Big Sky Conference home games, dating back to Feb. 15, 2024. They can tie the school record for consecutive Big Sky home wins (15, set over two seasons in 1998-99) on Saturday against Northern Arizona. The Vikings and the Lumberjacks meet at 2 p.m. at Viking Pavilion. It can be seen on ESPN+.