Melvin Jones had 16 of his 19 points in the first half, Charles Odum added 15 and Portland State beat Loyola Marymount 84-75 Saturday in a BracketBusters game.
Phil Nelson and Phillip Thomas had 14 points and Chehales Tapscott added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings (12-14), who ran out to an 18-point lead in the first half but shot just 39 percent after halftime.
Drew Viney had 23 points and Ashley Hamilton added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Lions (10-18), who had 17 turnovers and lost for the fifth time in six games.
The Vikings had lost six of seven entering the game but shot 63.6 percent on 3-pointers in the first half and 55.6 percent from the field. Jones hit four 3-pointers in the first half, Nelson added three more, and Portland State led 51-33 at the break.
The Vikings led by as many as 22 in the second half but seemed to lose focus midway through. After making 7 of 11 3-pointers in the first half, Portland State went just 1 of 11 in the second half. Viney had 14 in the second half and the Lions outscored Vikings 28-15 the finish out the game.
