Moscow, ID - The Idaho Vandals were coming off of a convincing win over Sacramento State on the road, and the Portland State Vikings had just taken down the reigning Big Sky regular season champs Eastern Washington, so the hype was infallible on both sides. Something had to give. 

Ultimately, Idaho couldn't overcome a slow opening half and, despite making it a tight contest multiple times, fell to PSU 63-75 in Portland. 

However, while the scoreboard may indicate a solid victory for one team over another, the Vandals' resilient efforts made it anything but.

The opening minutes of the first half were a rough combination of low percentage shooting from the visitors while the hosts were putting up numbers. Halfway through the period, the Vandals found themselves in a 7-21 hole on the scoreboard, needing to make something happen.

This is where the resilience came into play, as well-placed threes by Jack Payne and Kolton Mitchell combined with efficient sharing of the ball made it a 28-35 difference at the break. However, when the Vandals were able to get into a rhythm, the Vikings would continue to pile it on, coming away with the home win on Saturday afternoon.

Payne (5-11, 45%) and Mitchell (6-13, 46%) both finished in double figures to lead the scoring efforts, and Tyler Linhardt finished 3-6 (50%) to put up nine. Payne also led the team with seven boards and Mitchell put up the same in assists. Portland State had four players finish with at least 11 points in an offensive effort that led to the win.

After two weeks, Idaho sits at 2-2 in conference play, a tie for fourth place with their next opponent, Eastern Washington. The Vandals and Eagles will tip off in the ICCU Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 4:00 PM PST.