Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) led Seattle U with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line, plus he dished out four assists. Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Portland State (4-1) took control of the first half with a 19-3 run over a span of six minutes to pull ahead by 15 at 36-21. Seattle U cut into the Viking advantage with a 9-4 scoring run over the final five minutes of the first half, punctuated by a traditional three-point play from Burrell, who scored 14 points in the first half.
A three-point play by Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) brought Seattle U within six at 44-38 early in the second half, but Portland State scored eight unanswered points to extend its advantage to 52-38. The Redhawks made a couple more surges later in the half, with a three-point play by Broussard bringing Seattle U within two at 67-65 with 5:54 left in the second half.
The Vikings extended their lead to six points on baskets by Nate Lozeau and Chris Harriel, and then went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the final minute to ice the game. Portland State went 26-of-32 from the free throw line for the game and won the rebounding battle, 42-33, including 21 offensive boards.
Jones went 6-of-7 from the field and scored 13 points, Sterling Carter (Seattle, Wash.) hit three three-pointers after halftime and finished with 11 points, and Mark McLaughlin (Seattle, Wash.) contributed 10 points off the bench. As a team, Seattle U shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from the field, including 6-of-20 from behind the three-point line, and 8-of-12 from the free throw line.
Melvin Jones led Portland State with 23 points, while Harriel contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Chehales Tapscott notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Charles Odum came off the bench and added 12 points and three assists to the winning effort.
Seattle University (3-6) returns home after the game and will begin preparations for Saturday's contest at Weber State beginning at 2 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Pacific time). Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., will broadcast the game live on 710 ESPN Seattle beginning with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.