Big Sky Conference

Vikings shoot lights out in win over visiting Bobcats

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By the time Isaiah Pineiro hit his first shot, nearly six minutes of game time had elapsed and Portland State had missed its first six from the floor.

Pineiro’s first jumper came with 14 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first half and cut visiting Montana State’s lead to 10-6. Pineiro and the Vikings did not miss much the rest of the evening.

Pineiro hit 7-of-12 shots from the floor, frequently pulling up in the lane and keep his defenders on their heals all night during a 22-point night. After the 0-of-6 start, Portland State hit 68 percent of its shots to run away with an 83-68 win over the Bobcats on Thursday night.

PSU made 32 of its final 47 field goal attempts, including an 18-of-28 performance in the second half. Despite missing five of 13 free throw attempts in the first half, the Vikings took a 38-31 lead to halftime. Center Collin Spickerman nailed 6-of-9 shots for 13 points, De’Sean Parsons had a thunderous dunk and a back-breaking 3-pointer during his 13-point night and Calaen Robinson gave PSU four double-figure scorers in the win.

The Vikings victory moves Portland State to 4-5 in Big Sky Conference play, 8-12 overall. The win also completes the season sweep of the Bobcats for PSU. Montana State falls to 4-6 in league, 9-12 overall.

The loss continues MSU’s struggles in the City of Roses during Brian Fish’s two seasons. The Bobcats fell at the Portland Pilots 87-60 during the non-conference. The only teams that beat MSU worse were Kentucky and UCLA. The worst loss of Fish’s first Big Sky season also came in Portland; MSU lost 80-62 at PSU last winter.

MSU sophomore Zach Green hit his first four shots, including an authoritative dunk and a corner 3-pointer as he scored 12 first half points. Green hit another 3-pointer after intermission but missed 3-of-6 from the free throw line in scoring a career-high 17 points.

MSU freshman Tyler Hall, the Bobcats’ leading scorer during conference play with more than 20 points per game, missed 11 of his 14 shots and went just 2-of-7 from beyond the arc in scoring eight points. MSU senior point guard, the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer, missed all three of his 3-point attempts and shot 5-of-13 overall in a 13-point performance.

The Bobcats shot 6-of-22 from beyond the arc as true freshman Sam Neumann came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers and score a career-high eight points. The Bobcats shot 39 percent in each half. An 8-of-10 performance from the free throw line in second half helps slightly salvage a 4-of-9 from the stripe in the first half.

Montana State plays at Sacramento State, an 83-79 victor over first-place Montana on Thursday night. Portland State hosts the Griz.

 

 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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