Zero for Montana

At the start of Big Sky Conference play the Vikings men’s basketball team had two different streaks that they did not want to relinquish.

One was a 15-game conference winning-streak, which was ended earlier this season by a home loss to Weber State.

The other streak was an impressive nine consecutive road victories within the conference, which Montana ended last Thursday night with a 72-65 victory in Missoula. The loss to the Grizzlies was followed by an 85-82 loss to Montana State in Bozeman on Sunday.

The consecutive Big Sky Conference losses for the Vikings were the first since the 2006–07 season and have now dropped the Vikings into third place behind Montana and Weber State.

Head coach Ken Bone knew that the conference would be much more difficult this year and that his team would always have a target on their backs after rolling through the conference and postseason tournament last year.

“It’s a huge game when teams see Portland State next on the schedule,” Bone said. “Last season we dominated the conference and teams haven’t forgotten.”

In the game against Montana on Thursday the Vikings got a taste of their own medicine when the Grizzlies came out and dominated the second half after PSU led at the break 34-29. Montana outscored the Vikings by 12 in the second half and finished the game with an 11-2 run. Jamie Jones led the Vikings offensively with 16 points.

Against Montana State on Sunday, Portland State struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm and was outscored in the paint, 46-28.

After a curfew violation following the Montana game, guards Jeremiah Dominguez and Dominic Waters saw limited playing time in the first half as senior Mickey Polis started in place of Dominguez, the returning Big Sky Most Valuable Player.

A possible result of playing without two of their stars, Portland State had to battle from behind for most of the second half.

The Vikings had to overcome different deficits of 10 and 11 points, but were answered both times by easy Montana State scoring opportunities. 

After Waters nailed a three-pointer to cut the Bobcat lead to two with 9:05 remaining, the Bobcats responded with consecutive layups by senior center Divaldo Mbunga and Will Bynum.

A three-pointer by junior forward Tyrell Mara with 2:01 cut the deficit to 76-76, but another easy layup by Montana State all but sealed the victory for the Bobcats.

“Montana State did a great job responding,” Bone said. “They made some unbelievable shots to maintain their lead.”

Bynum led the way for the Bobcats, scoring 24 points while Waters led the Vikings with 19 points in just 18 minutes, and junior forward Julius Thomas had a solid inside game scoring 17.

With the difficult Montana trip behind them, the Vikings have faced every team in the Big Sky Conference and will play four of the remaining seven conference games at home leading up to the Big Sky Tournament.

“We are 6-3 in the conference right now, we lost a game at home and now two on the road, so it is going to be tough, but we’re a tough team,” Bone said. “It’s time to move forward.”