MOSCOW, Idaho - The University of Idaho men's basketball team couldn't overcome poor shooting Saturday evening as it fell to Portland State, 61-59 at the Cowan Spectrum.  The loss drops Idaho to 1-6 on the season.

"You are sorely mistaken if you think that I am disappointed in this teams effort," Idaho head coach Leonard Perry said.  "I thought the kids battled and gave ourselves an opportunity to win despite struggling offensively."

Neither team could make a shot during the early minutes of the first half and the game was scoreless for the first three minutes.  Portland State's Keith Sconiers broke the deadlock at the 16:41 mark and the Vandals finally got on the scoreboard with 14:20 left in the half on a Brett Ledbetter 3-pointer.

The Vikings used a 7-0 run over three minutes to take a 12 point lead at 21-9.  Idaho responded with a 6-0 run and a 3-pointer from Matt Forge brought the Vandals within six at 21-15 with 3:27 left in the half.  Portland State continued to push its lead but Idaho was able to stay within six points heading into halftime.

Idaho struggled offensively throughout the first half and shot 29-percent (7-24) from the floor.  Portland State shot 44-percent (11-25) and held a 17-16 rebounding edge at the break.

Portland State continued to control the pace of the game in the second half and led by as many as 12 points before Idaho fought back to get within three at 50-47 with 3:35 left in the game.  Keoni Watson hit a floating 5-footer with 1:39 remaining to bring Idaho within one, 52-51.  Juma Kamara scored on Portland State's next possession to push the lead back to three points with 1:07 left.

The Vandals turned the ball over on their next trip down the floor on an offensive foul, but the Vikings gave it right back on a traveling violation with 36 seconds remaining.  A 3-point shot from Tanoris Shepard missed its mark and Idaho was forced to send Portland State players to the free throw line down the stretch.  Shepard scored eight points in the final minute for the Vandals, but the Vikings went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in the closing seconds to hold on to the 61-59 win.

"We are disappointed in the loss but I'm not disappointed in the effort or those kids in that locker room," Perry said.  "I think we are making progress.  I've never been more sure of having the right kids in the program.  We are young and I am really encouraged."

Idaho shot 37-percent (21-57) for the game while Portland State shot 40-percent (21-53).  Both teams recorded 37 rebounds.  The Vikings were 17-of-27 from the free throw line while the Vandals were 12-of-16.

Shepard led Idaho with a season high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting.  Watson added 10 points for the Vandals while David Dubois led the team with a career high 12 rebounds.

"We made some minuscule mistakes in the last two games and that's the difference between winning and losing," Perry said. "When you have a team this young it's going to happen, but we are closing the gap.  We get another chance at this team and we are looking forward to it."

Idaho (1-6) will take on Eastern Oregon University on Sat., Dec. 17 at the Cowan Spectrum.  Game time is set for 2:05 p.m.