Although the path to get there was certainly different and the scene looked a bit different, Portland State was unable to successfully play the role of giant-killer and fell to Xavier 77-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The loss was the second consecutive first-round exit for the Vikings.
The Portland State Vikings dance in the NCAA Tournament ended in the first round for the second consecutive season in a 77-59 defeat to a physical, oversized and experienced Xavier team Friday in Boise.
Four Musketeer players scored in double digits, led by senior forward C.J. Anderson who scored ten of his 14 points in the second half.
“Xavier set the tone immediately,” said Portland State head coach Ken Bone. “They were very difficult to stop on one end and hard to get good shots off against on the other.”
The Musketeers of Xavier enter the big dance as regular season conference champion of the Atlantic 10 conference and are ranked 22nd in the coaches polls. Their last game was a two-point loss to Temple in the A10 conference tournament semifinal. Temple went on to win the tournament securing an NCAA tournament berth.
The Portland State Vikings are headed to the NCAA tournament again after defeating Montana State in a wire to wire 79-77 victory over Montana State in front of 1546 at the Dee Event Center in Ogden, Utah.
OGDEN, UTAH–For the second consecutive season, the Portland State Vikings have reached the Big Sky conference tournament championship game. And for the second consecutive year they reached the conference championship by defeating Idaho State.
Throughout the Vikings’ current four-game winning streak, the team has played with a tough-to-defend offensive rhythm. One key piece to the Vikings’ success has been the return of junior center Jamie Jones to the starting lineup after he missed time with a plethora of injuries earlier in the season.
This past weekend, the Vikings took care of their own business and caught a break from a conference foe.
With an opportunity to exact a little revenge against Montana State, the Vikings did not disappoint and defeated the Bobcats 64-58 in front of 1,262 at the Stott Center. The victory assures the squad of no worse than a third-place finish in the Big Sky Conference regular season and was a nice memento for the three seniors that were honored before the tipoff
In a nationally broadcasted game on Saturday afternoon, the Vikings men’s basketball team put on an exhilarating performance against visiting Boise State in a 93-81 victory.
For the Vikings it was perhaps the most fantastic finish in a season that has already had plenty of memorable moments. Team captain Jeremiah Dominguez hit a floating three at the buzzer to propel the Vikings over Northern Colorado.
For Portland State, the road less traveled just hit two more bumps. Despite the two losses, head coach Ken Bone’s squad still managed to qualify for the Big Sky Tournament as one of the six best teams in the conference.