Missoula, MT – A crazy closing rally by an undermanned Portland State team came up short as the Vikings lost to Montana, 74-68, at Dahlberg Arena.
 
PSU trailed by 21 points with 5:30 remaining in the game. But a furious rally, including a 16-3 run, pulled the Vikings within five points with just under two minutes to play. Portland State made 7-9 shots and forced four Montana turnovers during that stretch as the Vikings got the deficit to 68-63. But the Grizzlies pulled out the win and left PSU's post-season schedule still up in the air.
 
The loss was Portland State's third in a row as the Vikings dropped to 12-5 in Big Sky Conference play. Although they already have a share of the Big Sky title, they have still not clinched the number-one seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Mar. 7-11, in Boise.
 
Montana State and Eastern Washington both won their games on Saturday and are now 11-6. PSU needs a win on Monday against Weber State in the season finale and/or losses by MSU and EWU to be assured the top seed. As it stands, all three teams are in contention for the one-, two- and three-seeds. Being in the top two is particularly beneficial as it assures a quarterfinal round game against a team seeded somewhere between seven and 10. And, it allows a day off between the quarterfinal and semifinal game days.
 
All of that intrigue will be solved on Monday night.
 
Portland State's start at Montana looked just like the start two days earlier at Montana State. Early turnovers led to a 9-0 Griz lead. The difference in the two games was how well the Viking defense locked in after that. PSU limited open looks for the Grizzlies and clawed back into the game.
 
The Vikings finally got a lead on a Terri Miller Jr. drive to the hoop at the five-minute mark of the first half, 21-20. A moment later, Isaiah Williams knocked down a three-pointer and PSU led 28-22. But the Griz scored the final eight points of the half for a 30-28 lead. Money Williams had nearly half of Montana's points with 14 on 6-9 shooting.
 
Montana extended the run to 13 straight points early in the second half. Shortly after that, Miller was ejected from the game after being called for a flagrant elbowing foul. With the Big Sky's leading scorer now out of the game, Montana extended its run to 19-1. The Griz lead went to double digits and eventually was at 21 points with 5:30 left.
 
To their credit, the Vikings didn't quit. Keyon Kensie Jr. scored nine points down the stretch and Jaylin Henderson had eight in the Viking run.
 
Leading only 68-63, Montana got a key driving hoop from Williams with just under a minute to go to quell the PSU rally.
 
Williams finished with a game-high 27 points and seven assists to lead the Griz. Montana shot .491 for the game, while the Vikings managed only .391 on 25-64 shooting. PSU was 9-34 from three-point range while the Griz were 9-22.
 
Henderson led Portland State with 20 points and six assists. Kensie had his seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tre-Vaughn Minott added a game-high 11 boards.
 
Portland State is now 18-10 on the season, but has lost three in a row and four of its last five games.
 
Montana improved to 16-14 overall, 10-7 and fourth place in the Big Sky.
 

GAME NOTES

• Portland State completed its road schedule with an 8-7 record, including 6-3 in Big Sky road games.
• The Grizzlies swept the season series from the Vikings. Portland State lost to Montana, 64-60, in Portland on Jan. 29.
• Portland State wraps up the regular season on Monday night at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings host Weber State in a Senior Night game beginning at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.