Home-court momentum

The Vikings were able to carry the efficiency and energy from last Thursday’s drumming of Northern Colorado into Saturday’s matchup with Northern Arizona, and knocked off the Lumberjacks 83-78 at the Stott Center.

What a difference a week can make.

Seven days ago, after a crushing defeat on their home floor to a seemingly inferior Eastern Washington team, the Vikings sensed their season could be in danger of slipping away. But when push came to shove, the men’s team discovered the heart and fight they had been missing.

“I think we’re on the right path,” said head coach Ken Bone. “We needed to prove that we could play better basketball for 40 minutes. Tonight we played good basketball for the majority of the game.”

Led by senior guard Juma Kamara, the Vikings came out firing. Having been mired in a prolonged shooting slump, he broke out in stunning fashion by hitting five of his seven three-point attempts. Kamara scored the Vikings’ first 8 points on his way to a new career-high of 25.

“Seeing [Juma] come out like that gave us confidence,” said junior guard Dupree Lucas. “It felt like we had all of our guns firing.”

Lucas finished with 19, and his assessment was right on the money-the Vikings shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the three-point arc.

The game took on added importance as the Vikings suffered a difficult defeat to the Lumberjacks earlier this month.

“We were still upset because we should have beaten them [in Arizona],” Kamara said. Indeed, Saturday’s matchup was one of the most tense, tight, and exciting games of the season. There were 10 ties and 27 lead changes.

“As a team, a win like this can only give you confidence,” coach Bone said.

The victory is an important one, not only because it gives the team a .500 record (4-4) in conference play for the first time this season, but because the Vikings were able to hold off one of the Big Sky’s best teams.

“They have so many weapons. They’ve got arguably the best shooter in the nation,” Bone said, speaking of Northern Arizona’s senior guard, Stephen Sir, who led the Lumberjacks with 21. Senior forward Ruben Boykin Jr. added 17.

As many offensive options as the Lumberjacks have, Portland State got solid performances across the board as well.

Senior center Anthony Washington energized the crowd with three crushing blocks and 11 points. Junior center Scott Morrison added 12, and junior point guard Ryan Sommer dished out nine assists with no turnovers.

Coach Bone was especially pleased with the performance of Washington, who rejoined the team late after the birth of his son. “His attitude and effort are off the charts,” Bone said.

“I’m back in shape now,” Washington said. “I feel back-part of the team fully.”

“Everybody’s got their confidence up,” Lucas said after the win. “Our offensive confidence is through the roof.”

Kamara, however, said that the team has yet to reach the ceiling of their potential. “We’ll have confidence when we get to the NCAA Tournament,” he said.

To complement the win was the presence of former Portland State star, and current Trail Blazer, Ime Udoka. During halftime Udoka presented interim Athletic Director Teri Mariani with a ceremonial check, establishing the Vitalis S. Udoka scholarship funds.