Portland State hangs tough before Colorado pulls away

Isaiah Johnson scored 20 points, Barrington Hargress finished with 15 and Colorado beat Portland 84-73 in Boulder, Colo., on Thursday night.

Bangot Dak had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Sebastian Rancik scored 12 points and Alon Michaeli pulled down 10 boards for Colorado (10-1).

The game was played without fans in the arena due to extreme winds in the area. Scouts and family members were in attendance.

Jaylin Henderson led Portland State (6-4) with 23 points, Terri Miller Jr. scored 16 and Keyon Kensie Jr. contributed 11.

The Vikings jumped out to a 14-6 lead but Colorado rallied to tie it and took its first lead Michaeli's 3-pointer with 6:27 left in the first half. The Buffaloes went ahead by five before settling for a 37-35 lead at intermission.

Portland State tied it early in the second half but Rancik's 3-pointer gave Colorado a 44-39 lead. The Vikings rallied to tie it again, the Buffaloes went back up 54-50 before a corner 3-pointer by Johnson made it 56-53 with 11:32 to play.

Colorado again stretched its advantage to five but Isaiah Williams converted a three-point play to make it 60-58 midway through the second half. Portland State cut it to 63-62 with 8:46 left and had a chance to take the lead but a turnover by Miller led to a goaltending.

After a timeout, the Vikings turned it over again and Josiah Sanders made a layup to restore the Buffaloes' five-point lead. The advantage fluctuated between five and three points and Portland State missed a chance to tie it with 6:39 remaining.

The Buffaloes then started to pull away. Sanders split a pair of free throws, Portland State missed two shots, a free throw and turned it over, then Johnson's two free throws and a dunk by Rancik gave Colorado a 74-66 lead.

Henderson hit a layup but two Colorado layups, the second by Hargress, made it 78-68 with 2:21 left. Portland State cut its deficit to seven, but got no closer.

--Field Level Media