No comfort at home for men’s basketball

The men’s basketball team returned to the Stott Center this week to face both Montana schools in the Big Sky conference, hoping that the familiarity of home might spark a Viking revival. Considering the Vikings are 0-10 on the road this season and haven’t won away from Portland in 12 months, this was the best chance for head coach Tyler Geving’s squad to turn their 2012–13 season around. After losing to the University of Montana Grizzlies 81-68 on Thursday, Portland State let a close game against the Montana State University Bobcats slip away on Saturday to extend their losing streak to six games.

Despite double-digit efforts from Renado Parker (18 points), Aaron Moore and Lateef McMullan (11 points each), the Vikings could not prevent a 22-point night from Flavien Davis as the Bobcats came away with a 70-64 victory. Montana State enjoyed a 37-27 rebounding edge and forced their way to the line for 20 free-throw opportunities, getting the victory despite being outscored 60-57 from the field.

The first five minutes were a defensive battle, with both teams warming up slowly on offense. By the first media timeout five minutes into the contest, Montana State held a slim 8-6 advantage. Six minutes later, when the Vikings called a 30-second timeout with 8:32 remaining in the first half, the Bobcats had gone on a 12-5 run to extend their lead to 20-11. With five minutes remaining before the intermission, Portland State was shooting just 5-of-21 from the field and found themselves down by 14.

Then the Vikings heated up, going on a 16-5 run in the final 4:50 of the first half to come within three points at the break, a comeback capped by a pair of three-pointers in the final minute from Michael Harthun and Gary Winston.

Consecutive baskets by Winston and Parker after halftime gave Portland State a 34-33 lead. The two Big Sky rivals traded proverbial punches like pugilists, with the lead changing hands four times in the first seven minutes of the second half. As the officials whistled for a media timeout with 7:43 remaining, the game was still up for grabs, with Montana State holding a slim 55-53 advantage.

Coming out of the timeout, the Bobcats slowed down the pace in order to grind down the clock. Patiently working the ball around, Montana State scored six straight to extend their lead to 61-53 with 3:22 left in the contest. The Vikings, forced to foul to stop the clock, would get no closer than six in the final minutes after expending so much energy chasing the lead for most of the second half.

The loss drops Portland State to 5-14 on the season and 3-9 in conference play, dealing a serious blow to their chances of claiming a top-seven spot in the conference standings for entry into the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings return to the road next week, with games at Northern Arizona University and California State University, Sacramento, two teams also fighting on the bubble of conference tournament eligibility.