Busted

The last time the Vikings finished a game with less than 70 points was Jan. 10, which was also the last time Portland State (18-9, 11-2 BSC) had lost a game. Well, that was until Saturday night.

Portland State’s overall winning streak of nine games came to a crashing end at the hands of California State Fullerton 85-69. Part of the ESPN BracketBuster series, meant to give exposure to mid-major programs, like Portland State, with a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday’s match-up with the Titans was the first non-Big Sky game for the Vikings since Dec. 28, when Portland State suffered an overtime loss to San Jose State at home.

“It’s a series the conference really wants us to be in,” said head coach Ken Bone. “They try to pick teams that will represent the conference well.”

In Big Sky play, the Vikings have won nine straight after starting 2-2, currently needing only one more win or a Weber State (14-12, 9-5 BSC) loss to clinch sole possession of first place and the right to host the Big Sky Tournament.

Since the calendars flipped to a new year back at the beginning of January, Portland State has scored 70 points or more in 11 of the 13 games they have played. The two games they did not reach 70 include a 73-68 loss at Weber State on Jan. 10, and Saturday’s 85-69 loss to the Titans. For the season, the Vikings are an astounding 15-1 when they reach the 70-point mark and a dismal 3-8 when they come up short.

While Playing in the ESPN BracketBuster series can be good for a team’s national and regional exposure if the game is televised, it can become a distraction if it fails to make it to the small screen.

Unfortunately for the Vikings and Titans, ESPN opted not to televise the Portland State-Cal State Fullerton game despite both teams sitting at the top of their respective conferences. In turn, the defeat may prove to be more of a bump in the road than a boost for the program. Bone said it is unlikely that the possibility of the loss in the BracketBuster matchup becoming a distraction.

“Really, it’s not that big of a deal,” Bone said. “It didn’t make much of a difference last year, and I don’t foresee it happening this year.”

Pulling the Vikings’ focus away from the Big Sky title race, the Cal State Fullerton used a 21-5 run in the middle of the first half to build a 44-27 halftime lead. And the Titans never looked back from there, taking advantage of cold shooting that plagued Portland State for much of the night, as the Vikings shot 39 percent from the floor.

“That’s a credit to [the Titans],” said Bone. “They’re extremely quick and forced us to take quick shots.”

Senior forward Deonte Huff led the Vikings with 17 points and played a team-high 25 minutes. Playing from behind, Bone looked to his bench to provide a spark. Sophomore forward Tyrell Mara was one of the few bright spots for the Vikings, scoring 11 points in 15 minutes on 4 of 4 shooting.

“The plan wasn’t to rest people, but it was to get some other guys some more minutes,” Bone said. “And when they got in there they played hard and earned more minutes.”

After missing nine of the last 14 games with a foot injury, senior guard Dupree Lucas saw 22 minutes of action. It was the first time he played more than 20 minutes since Dec. 18. Sophomore forward Julius Thomas also played extended minutes for the first time since returning from a rib injury.

“We felt they needed to get some reps,” Bone said of the significant minutes for Lucas and Thomas.