Vikings take a bite out of Grizzlies

The Portland State men’s basketball team notched a key conference victory Thursday night, beating Montana 70-68 in Missoula.

Senior guard Paul Hafford nailed two free throws with 26 seconds left to break a 68-all tie and the Vikings’ defense held on for their sixth Big Sky win. PSU is now 15-9 (6-5 Big Sky) on the year.

The Vikings shot 54 percent in the first half on their way to a 41-31 lead going into the break. Portland State had their biggest lead at 56-41 six minutes into the second half, but Montana held on and gradually ate away at the Vikings’ lead.

The Grizzlies went ahead 67-66 to lead for the first time all night after Stuart Hayes hit a three-pointer with under three minutes remaining. Vikings senior Anthony Washington hit two free throws to give the Vikings the lead back.

Montana’s Jordan Hasquet hit a free throw to tie the game up at 68 apiece and set up Hafford’s game-winning free throws.

Senior forward Juma Kamara hit six of nine shots and scored 17 points to lead the Vikings. Forward Deonte Huff added 15 points and six boards in 29 minutes of action. The Hasquet lead all Grizzlies with 25 and was the only Montana player in double-figures.

The win was only Portland State’s second victory in Missoula, raising the Vikings’ all-time record in Montana to 2-9. At 15-9, the Vikings already have three more wins than last season with six regular season games left, including a trip to Cal Poly for an un-televised ESPN BracketBuster game Feb. 17.