Portland State University’s men’s basketball team secured a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season title for the first time since 2008, despite a home loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Vikings fell 67-55 at Viking Pavilion, marking their lowest scoring output and shooting percentage of the season.
The outcome was influenced by Montana State’s 91-76 defeat at Idaho State, which allowed Portland State to clinch at least a share of the conference championship. The Vikings can win the title outright with a victory in any of their remaining three games or if Montana State, Eastern Washington, or Montana lose one of their final matchups.
Following the game, Portland State’s record stands at 18-8 overall and 12-3 in conference play. Eastern Washington improved to 11-17 overall and is now tied for second place in the Big Sky with Montana State at 9-6. Montana could also reach a 9-6 conference record depending on its result against Weber State later in the evening.
Portland State struggled offensively throughout the game, converting only 19 of 61 field goal attempts for a .311 shooting percentage. Eastern Washington capitalized by shooting .434 from the field and outrebounding PSU 42-34.
“We didn’t play our best today. We just didn’t have it,” said Vikings Coach Jase Coburn. “We didn’t make the shots we normally make. We got to spots we normally do. So, we have to go back and fix it.”
“We were fortunate to be in this position, so it was disappointing we didn’t do it (with a win), but we have another game on Thursday and we have to do a good job preparing leading into that game.”
Eastern Washington entered Saturday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak and maintained strong defensive pressure throughout the first half, limiting Portland State to nine made shots out of 27 attempts and holding a slight rebounding edge. The Eagles led by one point at halftime.
In the second half, Terri Miller Jr. provided an offensive spark for Portland State with eight consecutive points that briefly gave his team a two-point lead. However, after that stretch, PSU missed nine of its next ten shots while Eastern Washington went on an 11-2 run to take control of the game.
Miller finished as Portland State’s top scorer with 21 points on nine-of-19 shooting. Jaylin Henderson contributed 11 points and five assists, while Isaiah Williams added a season-high ten points off the bench.
For Eastern Washington, Isaiah Moses led all scorers with 22 points along with six rebounds and three assists. He was perfect from the free throw line (11-for-11), helping his team maintain its lead late in the game.
The Vikings’ previous Big Sky regular season titles came in 2005 and 2008; they also won tournament championships in both 2008 and 2009. Earlier this season, Portland State defeated Eastern Washington on January 22 by a score of 65-61.
Portland State will conclude its regular season schedule with road games against Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday before returning home for their final matchup against Weber State on March 2. All remaining games are available for viewing via ESPN+.
