Big Sky men: Vandals drop third consecutive game

Braxton Tucker and DaShaun Wiggins had 19 points each Saturday as Portland State pulled away late to defeat Idaho 85-73 in Big Sky Conference play at Portland.

Mike Scott nearly missed a triple-double scoring 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Sekou Wiggs scored 12 and Bira Seck added 10 for Idaho.

Clutch free-throw shooting by the Vikings coupled with costly turnovers for the Vandals, led Idaho to its third straight defeat.

“They made some good plays; they’re balanced,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “We just couldn’t make the plays and get the stops when we needed to. Then, we were sloppy with the ball.”

The Vikings made 17 of 20 free throws in the second half, including 6 of 6 in the final minute.

Idaho had 14 turnovers, compared to just six for Portland State.

Montana 63, Montana State 48: Mario Dunn and Martin Breunig scored 17 points apiece to lead the Grizzlies to a 63-48 win over the Bobcats in Missoula.

North Colorado 88, North Dakota 78 (OT): Tevin Svihovec had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bears to an overtime win over North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Northern Arizona 72, Idaho State 69: Aaseem Dixon scored 20 points, Gaellan Bewernick converted a go-ahead, three-point play with 1:21 left and the Lumberjacks outlasted the Bengals in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Southern Utah 70, Weber State 60: Tyler Rawson scored a career-high 16 to lead the Thunderbirds to an upset of the Wildcats in Cedar City, Utah.