This was the stretch that men’s basketball coach Tyler Geving dreaded most when the schedule was released before the season.
“The road trip from Greeley, [Colo.] to North Dakota is going to be a long one,” Geving said in September during a preseason interview. “I have a feeling North Dakota’s going to be pretty good at home.”
Two days after losing in Greeley, the Vikings found out just how good North Dakota can be at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. By the end of Saturday’s contest, the Vikings had suffered their 10th straight road loss dating back to March 2012 as the Bears prevailed 85-76.
In the first half, it appeared that Portland State might finally end their slump away from the Stott Center. Playing without leading scorer Renado Parker, who suffered an ankle sprain against Northern Colorado, the Vikings controlled the pace early and held the lead through most of the first 10 minutes.
North Dakota was able to slow the game down, however, and eventually began to find their range, going on a 15-3 run that allowed the home team to reclaim a narrow lead. North Dakota would close out the second half up 40-38, with both teams shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
PSU scored the first bucket after halftime to tie the game at 40-40, but it was the last time they would be level on the scoreboard. North Dakota pulled away at the beginning of the half with a 16-8 run that extended their lead to 10. The Vikings kept battling, pulling within two points several times, but they were unable to retake the lead after falling behind.
The team was undone by an efficient night for the home side despite having four of their five starters finish in double figures. Michael Harthun led the Vikings with 19 points (4-of-4 on three-point attempts) in the best performance of the season for the senior guard.
North Dakota finished the game shooting 53 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range. The hosts also set a new school record at the line, hitting all 21 free throw attempts as they extended PSU’s road woes.
The Vikings take on Southern Utah University on Thursday and Eastern Washington University next week before returning to the Stott Center to face the University of Montana on Jan. 31.