Portland, OR – Portland State won its fifth consecutive game on Saturday afternoon and in so doing accomplished something no Viking team has done before in Big Sky Conference play - start the season 5-0. The Vikings defeated Northern Arizona, 63-52, at Viking Pavilion.
 
In addition, the Vikings picked up their 15th consecutive Big Sky home win which matches the longest streak ever by a PSU team (1998-99 seasons). The current streak dates back to Feb. 15, 2024.
 
Portland State is now 11-5 on the season. It marks the first time PSU has ever started 5-0 in league in 30 seasons as a member of the Big Sky as they maintain their position in first place.
 
"We are definitely honored to put oursleves in position to do something that hasn't been done before," said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn. "All credit to the players, they are very coachable, play hard every day and I enjoy working with them. It's quite an accomplishment to get to 5-0."
 
It was Keyon Kensie Jr.'s day for the Vikings. The junior guard was electric when the rest of his teammates were sluggish, and his 20 points and eight rebounds were vital to the win. 
 
"A lot of times he is our spark to get things going. He is a great player, a great athlete and has a great motor," said Coburn. "Those other three guys get a lot of attention, but to this point I think Keyon is an All-Conference player too."
 
Like Thursday night's game, the Vikings had a forgettable first half on offense. While the Vikings struggled, Kensie gave them a lift with a pair of dunks, 12 points and four rebounds in the half.
 
PSU's defense was good though, as Northern Arizona was held without a point for nearly five minutes in the middle of the first half. The Vikings forced 11 turnovers with six steals and held NAU to 6-19 from the field (.316) as they muddled their way to a 28-21 halftime lead. 
 
PSU's offense finally got rolling as Kensie had eight points in a 23-9 run early in the second half, giving the Vikings a comfortable lead. Terri Miller Jr. had a big second half, scoring 15 of his 19 points after intermission. He added five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
Portland State was up by as many as 18 points before settling for the 11-point win. 
 
The Vikings were leading the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense (.411) going into the game, and they bettered that by allowing NAU to make only 18-46 shots (.391). A 39-28 rebounding edge was also better than PSU's league-leading +9.5 rebound margin through the first four league games.
 
In the end, the win was probably harder to come by for the Vikings than it should have been. PSU shot an uncharacteristically low .407 from the field, .304 from three-point range and .632 at the free throw line.
 
Jaylin Henderson was the only other Viking in double figures with 10 points and six assists. Tre-Vaughn Minott grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Northern Arizona got 11 points each from Brennan Peterson and Karl Poom. The Lumberjacks dropped to 6-13, 0-6 in the Big Sky, with the loss.
 

GAME NOTES

• Portland State is now 7-1 at home this season… the Vikings are 31-4 at home over the last three seasons.
• The Vikings have won five games in a row for the first time since the start of the 2023-24 season.
• PSU has won eight of the last nine meetings with Northern Arizona.
• Portland State goes on the road next week, playing at Eastern Washington on Thursday, then Idaho on Saturday.