Daily Vanguard

December 19th, 2007

Portland State closer than it appears

When all was said and done, and thousands of purple-clad Washington fans jovially filed for the exits at Hec Edmundson Pavilion Tuesday night, the digits 84-65 rested directly below the words “Huskies” and “Vikings” on the gigantic scoreboard hanging above midcourt.

But this scoreboard sight of a 19-point Washington blowout was merely a snapshot into a much closer game between the Huskies and border-state rival Portland State Vikings.

Behind a 24-point, 12-rebound performance from junior forward Jon Brockman and seven three-pointers via the fluid shooting motion of senior guard Ryan Appleby, the Huskies escaped with a victory over a Portland State squad that pushed Washington to the limit for the first 30 minutes of the game.

In the first 20 minutes, Portland State challenged the Huskies at every turn, playing nearly flawless offense with a 58.3 percent shooting mark from the field, and finding the bottom of the net on eight of 12 three-point field goals.

The Vikings demonstrated a steely resolve throughout the first half. Any time Portland State was facing a deficit after the Huskies rallied with a couple consecutive buckets, the Vikings reeled the dawgs back in and even secured a lead on several occasions.

Appleby knocked down two key treys within the last 30 seconds before halftime, giving Washington a 43-37 lead at the break. With momentum completely in their favor following Appleby’s uncanny three-point marksmanship, the Huskies outplayed Portland State in the second half, scoring 13 more points and shooting an outstanding 77.8 percent from the field.

Aside from an inability to cool Washington’s scorching hot shooting, rebounding was the Vikings’ Achilles heel all night long. The Huskies pulled down 34 rebounds while Portland State only snagged 14 boards, giving way to 14 offensive boards for Washington to the tune of 14 second-chance points.

Despite the final outcome of a defeat, the Vikings experienced a few smaller moral victories against perennial Pac-10 powerhouse Washington. One of those victories came from backup floor general Mickey Polis.

Filling a role much larger than his diminutive 5-foot-8 frame, junior guard Mickey Polis drained three-point field goals almost at will Tuesday night. The first-year Viking hit five consecutive behind-the-arc jumpers in a six-and-a-half minute stretch to give Portland State a 33-32 advantage with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.

Polis’ opportunities may lessen slightly, however, with the return of starting point guard Jeremiah Dominguez, who added 11 points and dished out five assists. Dominguez sat out one game due to academic ineligibility. But if the scrappy Polis continues to shoot the ball with the accuracy he displayed versus the Huskies, head coach Ken Bone would be hard pressed not to increase his playing time.

Another victory for the Vikings was simply competing with a nationally-respected program. In a definite step towards supremacy, Portland State hung around and played up to the level of the Huskies for the majority of Tuesday night’s match up. This impressive outing should provide Viking fans with more than a glimmer of hope for Portland State’s prospects of capturing a Big Sky championship.

The Vikings will hit the court again Saturday, when they tangle with conference foe Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash. Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can tune in to AM 910 KTRO for a call of the action between the Vikings and Eagles.

Click on the following link for the entire box score: Vikings-Huskies

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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