Viks Get Running in Boise
After sluggish start, men's hoops buries Idaho State in tourney's opening round
Idaho State ran the playbook to perfection for the first 25 minutes against the Portland State men on Wednesday: Slowing down the pace of play, limiting the Viks’ transition opportunities and pushing the ball in the post, where they could potentially bully PSU’s smaller lineup.
Then the Viks found their stride.
Portland State went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half, holding the Bengals without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes as they pulled away to a 66-42 win in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
The Viks forced 20 turnovers and had 20 points in transition, remaining disruptive throughout the game despite a slow start on offense.
“I loved how we defended,” Jase Coburn said. “We can play a lot of different styles. We can get into games and grind them out, be tough, be physical and stop people. Then we can also play fast paced. That’s the great thing about our team.”
With the jitters out of the way and a game to break in the court at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, the tough assignments are on deck, beginning with Southern Utah.
“We’re ready,” Khalid Thomas said after the game. “We’re going to come in, ready to go. We just gotta want it more. For 40 minutes. I think that’s what it’s going to come down to, who wants it more?”
The Thunderbirds will be without preseason Big Sky player of the year Tevian Jones, who reportedly is out for the season.
Jones scored 36 points against PSU in the T-Birds’ overtime escape at the Viking Pavilion and 18 points in SUU’s gutty 86-76 win in Cedar City.
Even without Jones, Southern Utah has plenty of talent, led by first-team All-Big Sky selection John Knight III and third teamer Maizen Faucett.
Thomas was the lone Portland State representative on the All-Big Sky teams, earning honorable mention.
SEASON FALLS SHORT FOR WOMEN’S HOOPS
The late season glimmer of hope the women’s basketball team showed dimmed out on Monday as the Viks lost to Idaho for the third time in eight days, 75-52, at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise.
PSU nearly upset the Vandals last weekend and had other near wins against Weber State and defending Big Sky champion Idaho State, offering a chance for a surprise on the big stage.
The Viks led early, digging out of a hole to take an 11-9 lead. It looked at that point that they may be able to hang around again and take another last-minute swing at Idaho.
But, the Vandals pulled away. The senior-laden squad closed the first quarter on an 18-4 run and the lead wasn’t challenged for the rest of the game.
In a bright spot, freshman post Rhema Ogele had her best game of the season, finishing with a career-high 23 points. Esmerelda Morales finished with 11 points despite an off shooting night. Along with four points from Mia ‘Uhila, freshmen accounted for 73% of the Viks scoring in the final game, part of a season-long reboot that had fits and starts and very little practice time.
“Obviously not the ending we were looking for,” Viks coach Chelsey Gregg said after the game.
“We don’t want to make excuses, but the reality is we had a long year. (We had) several challenges and our team faced them head on.”
MORE TURNOVER FOR VIKINGS FOOTBALL
As Portland State prepares to kick off its spring game on Thursday night, it will be a doing so without a full coaching staff.
After hiring six new coaches in 2021, the Vikings will be shorthanded this offseason after the announcement of at least four coaches moving on to other ventures.
Quarterbacks coach Jon Eagle, who joined the staff in 2021 after a long career as a prep coach in Portland’s Washington suburbs, is heading back to the high school ranks, taking the job at Portland area powerhouse West Linn.
Eagle’s announcement, which came a day before the spring game, comes a few weeks following the exit of offensive quality control coach Colby Davies, also a 2021 addition to the staff. Davies left to coach Patrick Henry High School in San Diego in February.
Perhaps related, Portland State signed two athletes from PHHS this recruiting cycle.
Special teams coach Jason Diffee and wide receivers coach Derek Hagan also seem to have left the program.
With no athletic director currently in place and funding for the athletic department in flux, there’s no telling if the vacated positions will be filled or if the Vikings will return to working with a skeleton crew this fall.
Portland State’s biggest question mark this offseason is at the quarterback position, where it will have to replace longtime starting signal caller Davis Alexander in an otherwise stacked offensive depth chart. Eagle’s exit, at least for the near future, means the Viks will have to evaluate the position without a quarterbacks coach.
NATIONAL TREASURE
Not to be overshadowed by football and men’s basketball, Portland State’s biggest star will also be on the big stage this weekend.
Katie Camarena, holder of seven school records and two Big Sky conference records, will compete this weekend at the NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Camarena runs in the mile prelims on Friday and the finals in the mile and 3,000-meter run on Saturday at the Birmingham (Ala.) CrossPlex.
Camarena currently holds the third-fastest time in all of Division I this season in the mile (4:32.27), and the ninth fastest time in the 3k (8:57.08).
BATTER UP
Portland State softball took two of three from Robert Morris in their home opening series and moved to 10-2 when Olivia Grey pitches this season, including 8-1 in her starts.
The Vikings ace hurler is averaging roughly 10 strikeouts in her last four starts, allowing just two earned runs in those outings.
That record will be tested this weekend at the Oregon/Oregon State Invite. The two host schools are both ranked in the national polls this week, beginning with No. 11 Oregon on Friday. The Viks sandwich Oregon's two larger Division I schools with games two games against North Dakota State. Games will be played in Corvallis and Eugene.
AROUND THE BLOCKS
Tennis hasn’t been doing so well of recent, the men getting swept in their last four outings and the women losing three straight duals 6-1 before sweeping NAIA College of Idaho this weekend.
Both have conference doubleheaders this weekend. The men will host Eastern Washington and Montana State while the women host Montana State and Montana, all in Beaverton.
Former Portland State basketball star Monty Scott has been selected in the Puerto Rican basketball league draft, picked 14th overall by the Carolina Giants.
In more tragic news, hearings fell through again in the Deante Strickland case.
Meanwhile, former head coach Barret Peery and Texas Tech earned the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and look to be secure in earning a selection in the Big Dance this weekend.
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