Portland, OR – One step closer for the Portland State Vikings. 
 
That was the result of a 77-67 Big Sky Conference win over Idaho at Viking Pavilion. One step closer to what they hope will be a Big Sky Conference title.
 
PSU took the lead early, grew it to 20 points in the second half, then held off Idaho's talented three-point shooters to earn the win. With it, the Vikings advanced their Big Sky record to 12-2 and now hold a three-game lead over second-place Montana State (9-5) with four games remaining in the regular season. 
 
If Portland State can win at home on Saturday against Eastern Washington, it will grab a share of the Big Sky title. Then the Vikings would have to wait on the outcome of MSU's evening game at Idaho State to know if they have won the title outright. All that said, with four games remaining a potential title could also come in later games.
 
Portland State rode the hot hands of Keyon Kensie Jr. and Jaylin Henderson, and some timely defense, to outlast Idaho. Kensie tied his career-highs with 24 points and five steals, and also hauled down six rebounds. Remarkably, he scored 18 consecutive points for the Vikings in the first half, staking them to a double-digit lead.
 
"In the first half, Keyon really stepped up and took the game over," said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn. "He is capable of that. He is a really talented player and when there was so much attention on our other guys, he really stepped up."
 
Henderson turned in another gem with 20 points and 10 assists for his second double-double of the season. 
 
Tre-Vaughn Minott added 14 points on 7-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for his league-leading eighth double-double this season.
 
Idaho came out hot, hitting its first three three-pointers, then the Vikings forced them into six consecutive misses. That flipped a 12-9 deficit into an 18-12 PSU lead. 
 
When the Vandals closed the Viking lead to three points, Kensie took over. He went on a personal 10-point run scoring on a pair of drives, then back-to-back three-pointers and PSU was up 32-19. Although Idaho finally scored, Kensie wasn't finished. He scored eight more for 18 straight Viking points. The Vikings led 41-27 at halftime.
 
Portland State's defensive presence was a factor throughout the first half. The Vikings had seven steals, and after the early shooting flurry by Idaho, held the Vandals to 9-31 from the field (.290).
 
The Viking lead went as high as 20 points at 53-33. But Idaho got hot again from outside, scoring 16 points in a row and cutting PSU's edge to 58-55. The Vandals, who lead the Big Sky in threes made, hit six threes in a span of six minutes.  
 
Portland State's defense answered again, though. The Vikings forced three more turnovers in the final three minutes while converting scores on five straight possessions.  
 
For the night, the Vikings forced 13 Idaho turnovers and turned them into 22 points. PSU had 10 total steals. Idaho shot only 23-60 from the field (.383) compared to 27-59 for the Vikings (.458).
 
"I think we are a defensive team first. That is our best thing," said Coburn. "We can score it, and we have talented players, but at the same time we are going to play hard on defense. We did a really good job guarding them, because they are a really good team. They have some great shooters on offense."
 
Portland State improved to 18-7 on the season. The Vikings are now 10-2 at home.
 
Game attendance was 2,180, a record for the Viking Pavilion in the eight years it has been open and the sixth crowd over 2,000. The previous record was 2,077.
 
"I can't say enough and thank you to the city of Portland, Portland State University and the athletic department," said Coburn. "I felt like everyone really stepped up when we needed them the most. It makes me emotional when I think about where we were five years ago in my first year as a head coach to now. The support is awesome to see."
 
Idaho is now 14-13 on the season, 6-8 in the Big Sky. Isaiah Brickner led the Vandals with 22 points.
 

GAME NOTES

• PSU is 34-5 at home over the last three seasons.
• The Vikings have beaten the Vandals in nine straight regular season games. The Vikings beat Idaho in Moscow on Jan. 24, 69-66.
• Portland State has now swept the season series from Idaho State, Idaho, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.
• This game was the first nationally-televised game from Viking Pavilion since it opened in 2018. PSU played a game on ESPNU on Feb. 21, 2009 in the old Stott Center gymnasium (a 93-81 win over Boise State).
• Portland State will host Eastern Washington on Saturday at Viking Pavilion in the annual StrickCity Game honoring former player Deante Strickland. Tip-off for the contest is 2 p.m. It can be seen on ESPN+.