Prior to leaving Portland, head coach Ken Bone said that if the Vikings could win both of their games this weekend, he would feel good about the team’s chances of repeating as Big Sky Conference champions.
But after the Vikings (17-8, 8-4 BSC) stumbled on the road to a 78-69 defeat at Idaho State (8-17, 5-6) last night, Bone may be wondering if his team can even compete in the Big Sky.
Senior guard Andre Murray had 24 points on nine of 14 shooting from the field but the Vikings shot just 33 percent from the three-point arc and hit just 11 of their 19 free-throw attempts.
Meanwhile, a balanced Bengal offense featured five players that scored in double-digits, led by senior guard Matt Stucki, who had 25 points.
After leading by 10 at halftime, the Vikings faded in the second half, falling behind by as much as 12 points with 11 minutes to play. Bone picked up two technical fouls and was ejected from the game before Portland State cut the lead to five at 52-47.
But Portland State wilted down the stretch, missing six consecutive three-pointers. Idaho State earned the victory at the free-throw line, hitting 12 of its 13 attempts in the waning moments.
The loss was the Vikings fourth this season and drops Bone’s squad to third place in the conference. Just two weeks ago, Portland State was tied for first-place in the Big Sky.
The Vikings take on Weber State in a crucial matchup this Saturday.