Vikings win first conference meeting

A five-game losing streak was brought to an end on Tuesday as the Portland State men’s basketball team defeated Sacramento State at Peter Stott Center, 65-52. This was the first conference contest for the Vikings in the 2002-03 campaign. Senior guard Kevin Briggs led all scorers with 21 points, scoring 16 of them in the second half.

Both teams had a slow start on the offensive end. With seven minutes gone by in the game, the score was 9-6 in favor of Portland State. From there, the Vikings went on a 13-3 run, increasing the lead to 13 points, 22-9. The Hornets, however, fought back with a 10-0 run to close the half, leaving the score at 22-19 going into the locker room.

In the second half, the Hornets came out more aggressive. Six and a half minutes into the second half, they put themselves up by six points, their largest lead of the game. This turned out to be their last run of the game, and the Vikings were ready. Not letting down his guard, Briggs led the charge on the offensive end, hitting two of his three-pointers in the second half. Portland State regained the lead with about eight minutes left and didn’t let it slip away again.

Jeb Ivey and Seth Scott scored 16 points each to back up Briggs. Briggs shot 8-9 from the field and led the team with three steals. Ivey also handed out seven assists, creating opportunities for his teammates at the two-guard position. The Vikings won 30-26 on the boards, and shot 6-12 from the three-point line.

“Kevin did a great job of slashing and getting to the rim,” head coach Heath Schroyer said in a recent press release. “He took what they gave him whether it was a three or a drive.”

Next up for the Vikings is Montana State on Thursday in Bozeman, Mont. On Saturday, Portland State will finish up the road trip against the University of Montana in Missoula.