Bobcats Fall to Vikings, 63-54, in Defensive Scrap in Portland

Saturday, January 31

Portland, Ore.

3 p.m.

Montana State University

13-10,7-3Big Sky

Portland State

14-6,8-1Big Sky

Montana St.

Portland St.

Photo by: Noah Syverson

Bobcats Fall to Vikings, 63-54, in Defensive Scrap in Portland

1/31/2026 7:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

McMahon, Davis tally 16 points each to lead Montana State

By: Pershelle Rohrer

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Montana State men's basketball team fell, 63-54, to Portland State in a battle between the Big Sky Conference's top two teams on Saturday at Viking Pavilion.

The Bobcats were largely limited on offense in the contest, shooting just 33.9% from the field to Portland State's 45.3%. Despite those numbers, Montana State trailed by just two points, 48-46, with 7:26 remaining in the second half before a Portland State 11-2 run helped secure the win for the Vikings. The Bobcats fell to 13-10 overall and 7-3 in Big Sky play while the Vikings improved to 14-6 (8-1 Big Sky) on the season.

"I thought our kids played really hard and gave great effort," head coach Matt Logie said. "Our defense was really strong for much of the game. Part of the difference in the game was the three shot-clock threes that they [Portland State] chucked in, and we lose by nine. We have an off shooting night, and you got to give credit to Portland State for some of that for sure. They're an active team. This is a tough place to win, and honestly we just we had a bad three minutes. Going into the 7:30 media timeout, it was a very close game. I think it was close to tied, and then we have a couple turnovers, miss a couple shots, and they get run-outs. They're elite at converting turnovers into points, and so it just didn't break our way. But our kids' effort was great, so we'll figure out how to have a better offensive plan next time we see these guys."

The two teams played back and forth in a low-scoring first half that ended with the Vikings leading, 23-21, at halftime. The Cats and Vikings combined for just 10 total points by the first media timeout, with Montana State holding a 6-4 lead with 14:35 remaining in the first half. The Bobcats pushed that lead to 10-4 on back-to-back buckets coming out of the timeout, marking their largest advantage of the game. Portland State then went on a 10-0 run to take a 14-10 advantage with just under eight minutes left in the frame. Jeremiah Davis made a jumper to stop the run, but Portland State made each of its next three baskets to lead, 20-12, at the 4:58 mark. The Cats then struck back with a 9-3 run to close the half, trimming their deficit to just two points, 23-21, at the break. Davis led the team in scoring with six points while Jed Miller added five. The two teams shot a combined 2-of-21 from three in the opening half as Montana State went 1-of-11 and Portland State made 1-of-10 shots from deep.

The Bobcats tied the game at 26 points apiece just 1:25 into the second half, and the two teams alternated buckets for the next several minutes before Patrick McMahon sunk a pair of free throws with 14:30 left on the clock to put Montana State in front, 34-33, for the first time since the 10:34 mark in the first half. Neither team led by more than two points until the 12:07 mark as the Vikings capped off a five-point run to build a 43-38 advantage. Portland State pushed its lead to eight points, 48-40, but a pair of three-point shots by Miller and Davis helped the Cats come back to within two, 48-46, with 7:26 left in regulation. From there, Montana State was limited to just two points in the next four minutes as the Vikings used an 11-2 run to balloon their lead to 59-48 with just under five minutes to play. The Cats responded with six-straight points to trail by just five, 59-54, with 2:18 remaining but were unable to overcome the deficit as the Vikings knocked down four free throws to seal their 63-54 win.

Montana State shot 33.9% from the floor and 20.0% from three while Portland State made 45.3% of its shots, including 36.8% from deep. The Vikings narrowly won the rebounding battle, 36-33, and dished 20 assists to Montana State's six. The Cats took advantage of second-chance points, tallying 13 to Portland State's five, while the Vikings' bench outscored Montana State's reserves, 14-2.

McMahon and Davis shared the team lead in scoring with 16 points apiece as McMahon also led the team with seven rebounds, a number he shared with Miller and Chris Hodges. Miller tallied 12 points as the third Bobcat to score in double figures while adding team highs in assists (2) and steals (3).

The Bobcats will look to avenge their narrow 92-89 road loss to Idaho on Jan. 10 when the Vandals make the trek to Worthington Arena on Thursday, Feb. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.

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For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State men's basketball team, follow the Bobcats on Twitter and Instagram at @MSUBobcatsMBB and on Facebook at Montana State Men's Basketball. Information on the Montana State athletic program can be found online at msubobcats.com or by following the Bobcats on Twitter at @MSUBobcats, Instagram at @MontanaStateBobcats, and on Facebook at Montana State Bobcats.