EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (10-17, 8-6) at
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (18-7, 12-2)

Saturday, February 21, 2026, 2 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Television: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.livestats.us
 

OPENING TIP

Saturday may be a very big day in the annals of Portland State Basketball as the Vikings host Eastern Washington in a 2 p.m. game at Viking Pavilion. PSU, owners of first place in the Big Sky Conference since day one of the league season, have a chance to clinch a share (and possibly win outright) the 2025-26 Big Sky title.
     
PSU (18-7, 12-2) comes off a 77-67 Thursday night win over Idaho, putting the team three games ahead of Montana State (9-5) with four games to play. Both Montana and Eastern Washington (8-6) hold out slim hopes of a share of a title as well. But it is the Vikings who control their destiny, and with another victory would have at least a share of their first regular season league crown since 2008.
     
It looks like this: If PSU can beat the Eagles, they will go to 13-2 and only Montana State would maintain a chance of tying the Vikings by the end of the season. A combination of a Viking win and an MSU loss on Saturday (they play at Idaho State) would give Portland State the championship outright.
     
If PSU loses on Saturday, Montana State, Montana and Eastern Washington would all remain in the picture with three games left.
     
Portland State is in its 30th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Viking program won regular season titles in 2005 and 2008, and won Big Sky Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Another title in 2026 is within their grasp.
     
Those are the facts of the matter. The most important fact is there are still games to be played - and won - to get the prize.
     
The Vikings looked good at home on Thursday in front of a Pavilion record crowd of 2,180 and a national TV audience on ESPNU. JR G Keyon Kensie Jr. tied his career-highs with 24 points and five steals, while SR G Jaylin Henderson added 20 points and 10 rebounds. SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott was his usual efficient self with 14 points (7-9 FG) and 10 rebounds.
     
Portland State won the game with defense though, holding Idaho to .290 first-half field goal shooting in building a 41-27 lead. PSU made 10 steals in the game, forced 13 turnovers and turned them into 22 points. Idaho finished at only .383 shooting.
     
The Vikings are now 10-2 at home. They will try to make a season sweep of Eastern Washington after beating them in Cheney on Jan. 22, 65-61.
     
Eastern Washington (10-17, 8-6) comes to the game as one of the hottest teams in the league. The Eagles have won five in a row after a 102-94 victory at Sacramento State on Thursday. Three of those wins have come on the road, including a sweep of Montana and Montana State two weeks ago. Eastern Washington has averaged nearly 86 points per game during its winning streak.
     
Saturday will also be the annual StrickCity game, honoring the late Deante Strickland, a Viking basketball letterwinner from 2017-19. His memory will be honored throughout the afternoon.
     
The Vikings and Eagles can be seen on ESPN+. A live statistics link can be found at GoViks.com.
 

COMING UP

Next week, the Vikings go on the road to play at Montana State (Feb. 26) and Montana (Feb. 28). The season finale takes place on Mar. 2 against Weber State in Viking Pavilion. All games air on ESPN+.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Eastern Washington leads the all-time series, 34-29, and the Big Sky Conference series, 33-26... the Vikings are 16-11 in Big Sky games played in Portland... the Vikings win at Eastern Washington in January was the first at Reese Court since 2014-15.
• EARLIER THIS SEASON: Jan. 22, 2026 at Cheney, PSU 65, EWU 61: Portland State held on in the closing moments to defeat Eastern Washington. PSU had a 10-point second-half lead but gave it all back over a scoreless span of seven minutes. Eastern Washington tied the game at 50-50 with 5:13 to play and it was a back and forth battle after that... Terri Miller Jr. came up big in the late-going. Despite having an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, Miller was clutch when it mattered most, scoring seven points, getting a blocked shot and an assist in the last 1:47... The senior forward finished with a game-high 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Tre-Vaughn Minott scored 13 points on 6-7 from the field. Keyon Kensie picked up his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds... Isaiah Moses had 22 points to lead the Eagles.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his fifth season as Head Coach. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach. Coburn's overall record is 80-71. He is 2-7 against Eastern Washington... Head Coach Dan Monson (Idaho, 1985) is in his second season at Eastern Washington and has a 20-39 record. Monson, has a 465-435 record in 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach at Gonzaga, Minnesota and Long Beach State. He is 1-2 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

• Eastern Washington is located in Cheney, WA. The Eagles have won four Big Sky regular season championships and three Big Sky tournament championships. They have made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Eastern was 10-22 last season, 6-12 and eighth place in the Big Sky.
• This season, the Eagles are 10-17 overall, 8-6 and tied for third in the Big Sky Conference... Eastern averages 78.0 points while allowing 80.6 points. The Eagles shoot .470 from the field, .365 from three-point range and .750 at the line.
• Senior guard Isaiah Moses is the team's top scorer at 17.7 points per game with 4.0 assists. He also leads the team with 59 three-point field goals and he shoots a league-leading .930 at the line... senior forward Kiree Huie averages 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds... junior forward Alton Hamilton IV averages 12.5 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds.

 

HOT SHOTS

• WINNING: PSU's six straight road wins (Jan. 1-Feb. 12) established a new school record. It broke a mark of five set between Jan. 21 and Feb. 15, 1954! (the Vikings longest Big Sky road winning streak is nine games and stretched over two seasons - 2008 and 2009)... this season Portland State reached 7-0 in league play for the first time in its Big Sky history (30th year). The Vikings had gotten to 4-0 twice previously (1997-98, 2004-05)... the Vikings' 12 Big Sky wins ties for second-most in school history (PSU was 14-2 in 2007-08)... the six Big Sky road wins ties for most in a season (6-2 in 2007-08).
• SWEEPING: Portland State has now swept season series' from Idaho State, Sacramento State, Northern Arizona and Idaho.
• KEYON KEEPS KEEPIN' ON WHEN TEAMMATES ARE KEYED ON: When Viking opponents focus all their attention on stars like SR F Terri Miller Jr. and SR G Jaylin Henderson, JR G Keyon Kensie Jr. takes notice. With Idaho doubling and tripling Miller every time he caught a pass on Thursday, Kensie excelled, tying his career high with 24 points, grabbing six rebounds and making five steals. It was Kensie's fifth 20-point game of the season.
• SOMETHING TO PONDER: And while SR F Terri Miller Jr. was limited to only six points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists against Idaho, it is worth noting his plus-minus was +27 - a huge number for any game, and far more than any other player in the game. That speaks to Miller's value in distracting defenses due to his all-around play, making his teammates better when he is on the court.
• WARMING UP: SR G Jaylin Henderson had another great night for a national TV audience, scoring 20 points with 10 assists and four rebounds against Idaho. It was his second double-double this season... he scored 29 points at Northern Colorado last Saturday, 24 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 12 and 30 against Idaho State on Feb. 2. Henderson has averaged 23.0 points over the past five games.
• WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE: Thursday's game against Idaho had an attendance of 2,180, which is a new record for the eight-year old Viking Pavilion. It marked the sixth time that a game had 2,000+ fans, and broke the old mark of 2,077, set in 2019 in a win over Montana State... it is worth noting that PSU has had larger home crowds when hosting games at Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Garden/Moda Center. This was the largest crowd since PSU drew 4,113 at the Rose Garden on Mar. 12, 2008 for the Big Sky Tournament Championship game win over Northern Arizona, 67-51.
• DEFENSIVE PRESENCE: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in four defensive categories: scoring defense (69.8), field goal percentage defense (.406), steals (7.6), and turnovers forced (12.6).
• BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Speaking of leaders, Portland State also leads the Big Sky Conference in scoring margin (+8.1) and winning percentage (.720)... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott leads in rebounding (8.8) and double-doubles (8).
• TRENDING: Portland State is undefeated when leading at halftime (13-0) and scoring 80 or more points (8-0)... the Vikings are 14-1 when out-rebounding opponents, 17-1 when out-shooting an opponent.
• STRANGE BUT TRUE: Although they are 18-7, the Vikings have led at halftime in only 13 games (13-0) while trailing 12 times (5-7)… Portland State Head Coach Jase Coburn is 5-4 on challenged calls this season.
• 2-0 ON ESPNU: Portland State's Feb. 19 game against Idaho was televised on ESPNU (a 77-67 win). PSU games have been live streamed on ESPN+ in past seasons, but this was the first nationally-televised basketball game at Viking Pavilion since it opened in 2018. PSU basketball had one previous home game televised on ESPNU – a Feb. 21, 2009 contest with Boise State (and 93-81 Viking win). That game aired from the old Stott Center gymnasium.