Portland State University’s men’s basketball team is set to play Northern Arizona University on Thursday, aiming for its sixth consecutive road victory. The Vikings (16-6 overall, 10-1 in Big Sky Conference) currently hold a 2.5-game lead over Montana and Montana State in the conference standings.
The team recently secured a narrow 74-73 win against Sacramento State, with junior guard Keyon Kensie Jr. making a decisive block in the final second of the game. This win extended Portland State’s road winning streak to five games, tying the program’s record set in 1954.
With their latest victory, Portland State has ensured a third straight winning season. Over the past two years, the Vikings posted records of 17-15 and 19-13, bringing their total since the start of the 2023-24 season to 52 wins and 34 losses.
Portland State previously defeated Northern Arizona on January 17 by a score of 63-52. In that game, Kensie led with 20 points and eight rebounds while holding NAU to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
The Vikings are led by senior forward Terri Miller Jr., who averages a conference-best 19.5 points per game, and senior center Tre-Vaughn Minott, who leads in rebounding with an average of 8.7 per game. The team also tops six defensive categories within the Big Sky Conference: scoring defense (69.5 points allowed), field goal percentage defense (.406), three-point percentage defense (.306), steals (7.8 per game), rebounding margin (+5.6), and turnovers forced (13.2).
Northern Arizona enters Thursday’s matchup with a record of 9-16 overall and is tied for ninth place in conference play at 3-9. The Lumberjacks have won three of their last five games but will be without leading scorer Zack Davidson due to injury.
Vikings head coach Jase Coburn is in his fifth season at Portland State with an overall record of 78-70 and an 8-1 mark against Northern Arizona. Lumberjacks coach Shane Burcar holds an overall record of 84-127 during his seven seasons at NAU.
Other notable performances this season include double-doubles from both Kensie Jr. and Minott in the recent Sacramento State win; Minott now has seven double-doubles this year, tying him for first in the conference.
Senior guard Jaylin Henderson leads all players in minutes played within the Big Sky Conference at nearly 37 minutes per game and had a stretch earlier this season where he played every minute across eight consecutive games.
Minott has broken school records for dunks both in a single season (50) and career (97). He also ranks second all-time at Portland State for field goal percentage (.643) and sixth for blocked shots (88).
Thursday’s game will tip off at Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff at 6 p.m. Mountain Time/5 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Vikings will continue their road trip Saturday against Northern Colorado before returning home to face Idaho on February 19.
