The Portland State Vikings men’s basketball team suffered an away loss to the Stanford Cardinal, 79-67, on Nov. 28 in Palo Alto, California.
Stanford found ways throughout the game to pull past the Vikings with scoring runs, but PSU would answer, keeping it close and finishing the first half with a one-point lead over the Cardinal, 35-34. Junior guard Michael Nuga had a strong performance in the first half, coming off the bench to score 17 of the Vikings’ 35 points in just 13 minutes of play.
The second half of the match began slow for the Vikings. The Cardinal went on an eight-point streak coming out of halftime while PSU missed their first six shots. The Vikings responded, thanks to the help of Nuga and sophomore guard Holland Woods, who finished the game with a game-high 20 points and five assists. Junior center Sal Nuhu recorded a double-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots.
The Vikings were able to beat Stanford on the boards, ending the night with 51 rebounds to the Cardinal’s 36, but the Vikings’ shooting woes were their downfall. When Portland State managed to tie the game 46-46 in the second half, the Cardinal went on a 10-0 run and the Vikings never closed the gap.
The Vikings come back home on Saturday, Dec. 1 to play Portland Bible College at the Viking Pavilion.