POCATELLO — Idaho State’s last meeting with Portland State ended a frustrating losing streak for the Bengals.

They hope Thursday’s matchup yields the same result, as the team wraps up its season series with PSU in Portland — ISU’s only game of the week — amid a three-game losing skid.

ISU (9-15, 5-10 Big Sky Conference) held on for a 69-67 win over the Vikings on Feb. 2 at Holt Arena, snapping a five-game losing streak that included lopsided home losses to Northern Colorado (77-53) and Sacramento State (74-58).

The PSU victory is one of five the Bengals have trailed in the second half. If the conference tournament started today, the seventh-place Vikings and 10th-place Bengals would face off in the opening round.

LAST MEETING

The Vikings (11-14, 6-8 Big Sky) shot a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that would have won them the game, but it missed and was rebounded by ISU, sealing the much-needed home win.

ISU made over 50 percent of its shots and took care of the ball, committing seven turnovers against PSU’s full-time full-court pressure defense. That’s a single-game low this season among PSU’s opponents. The Vikings force a Big Sky-high 15.8 turnovers per game.

“We broke the press and got easy shots,” Bengals guard Brandon Boyd said after the game.

Portland State also swiped a season-low one steal (PSU averages a league-leading 8.7 steals per game) and pulled down 14 offensive rebounds, below its Big Sky-best 16.1 offensive boards per game. The Bengals stayed out of foul trouble, limiting PSU to a season-low eight free-throw attempts.

Gary Chivichyan led ISU in scoring with 16 points off the bench, while Brandon Boyd and Balint Mocsan had 14 points each.

“Take this recipe that we just concocted, and if we concoct the same recipe, if I don’t leave out any ingredients, we have a chance to win again,” ISU coach Bill Evans said after the game.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS

PSU’s aggressive style of play carries over to the offensive end.

The Vikings crash the boards for a Division I-best 16.1 offensive rebounds per game, and take quick shots, leading the Big Sky with 1,580 field-goal attempts this season.

The volume shooting isn’t efficient, but has led to Portland State scoring 77.7 points per game, good for second in the Big Sky. The Vikings are one of the worst 3-point shooting units in Division I at 30 percent and rank last in the Big Sky in field-goal percentage at 42.5.

Six-foot-8 junior Sal Nuhu is one of D-1’s top shot blockers with 2.0 per game. He swatted five shots earlier this month against ISU and has six blocks in two games this season.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYER: G Holland Woods

Woods is the centerpiece of the Vikings as the team’s point guard and reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot sophomore is among the Big Sky’s leaders in scoring (eighth), assists (first), steals (third) and minutes per game (second). Woods had 14 points and four assists earlier this season against Idaho State.

BACK TO THE BENGALS

ISU enters Thursday’s game as one of the worst defensive squads in Division I.

Kenpom.com ranks the Bengals’ adjusted defensive efficiency — a measure of a team’s points allowed per 100 possessions — 350th out of 353 Division I teams.

ISU is particularly soft inside the arc, as opponents make 54.1 percent of 2-pointers. Six-foot-11 center Kelvin Jones has effectively defended the rim at times this season, but has been hampered by foul trouble. Jones has committed a Division I-high 3.96 fouls per game, according to teamrankings.com.

The Bengals’ key to victory is offense, particularly outside shooting.

ISU is 5-5 this season when making 11 triples or more, and 4-10 when making 10 3s or fewer. ISU also needs to reach 70 points, with a 2-8 record this season when failing to do so. One of those wins came against Portland State.

Defensively, giving up 80 points is a death knell for ISU. The Bengals are 0-10 this season when opponents score 80 or more points.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS: G Brandon Boyd, G Balint Mocsan

Boyd and Mocsan were ISU’s primary ball-handlers last time the Bengals played Portland State, when the guards each registered four assists and no turnovers.

Mocsan made 4 of 7 3-pointers for 14 points, and Boyd utilized ball screens in ISU’s half-court offense to slash inside and match Mocsan with 14 points.

Boyd and Mocsan combine to average 27.3 points in conference games this season.

RECORDS WATCH

Entering Thursday’s game, here are how current ISU players stack up in the Bengals’ career record books:

- Boyd ranks 17th in points (1,168), seventh in 3-pointers made (129) and eighth in free-throw percentage (81.5)

- Mocsan ranks fifth in 3s made (162) and second in 3-point shooting percentage (43.6)

- Chivichyan ranks fourth in 3s made (167) and is tied for seventh in 3-point shooting percentage (40.9)

- Jared Stutzman is first all-time in 3-point shooting percentage (43.8)

GAME INFO/SERIES HISTORY

Live video of Thursday’s game can be streamed at watchbigsky.com and on Pluto TV channel 232. Jerry Miller has the call on 102.5 FM, and live stats can be followed at statbroadcast.com.

PSU owns a 31-21 all-time head-to-head record, including a 20-5 mark at home. ISU’s last win at Portland State came in 2016. Thursday’s game is ISU’s first at PSU’s new home arena, Viking Pavilion.