Greeley, CO - After a long wait, and a lot of misfires, the Viking basketball team finally found the range. 

Portland State had easily its best three-point shooting night of the season, making 13-21 from outside on the way to its first road victory, an 86-75 decision over Northern Colorado at Butler-Hancock Pavilion.

Portland State entered the game as the best shooting team in the Big Sky Conference at .480 from the field, but the worst three-point shooting team in the Big Sky at .292. The most threes the Vikings had made in any game all season was seven. But they reached that mark within the first 15 minutes and made 13 for the night. PSU shot .619 from distance and .617 overall.

Portland State's win improved it to 8-9 on the season, 2-3 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings won their first Big Sky road game in a year after losing eight in a row. They also won their first true road game of this season. PSU is 3-8 away from home, but the other two wins were neutral site victories.

The Vikings shot a remarkable 19 for 26 in the first half (.731), including 9-12 from three-point range. At one point, the Vikings had made 17 of their first 21 shots (.810). PSU led 49-36 at halftime.

Lateef McMullan led Portland State's offensive fireworks in the first half, scoring 16 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and 2-3 at the line.

PSU maintained its double digit advantage for most of the second half. A few late turnovers by the Vikings allowed UNC to get within six points briefly but there was little doubt as to the better team on this night.

"That first half we played was as good as we've played all year," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "Coming off a tough loss against (league-leading) Weber State I was worried how we would respond, but we really responded. We shared the basketball and that's how we got open shots."

McMullan (20) and his backcourt mates Charles Odum (22) and Michael Harthun (18) combined for a big offensive night when the Viking big men were in foul trouble. The three Viking starting guards combined for 60 points and 12 assists, making 18-29 from the field, 9-15 from three-point range and 15-19 at the line.

McMullan's 20 points was a new career high, and he added a game-high six assists and five rebounds.

"Lateef did a phenomenal job making his jump shots and setting up the other guys," said Odum.

Mike Proctor and Connor Osborne each scored 16 for the Bears. Northern Colorado is now 5-10 on the season, 2-2 in the Big Sky.

GAME NOTES: Portland State shot better than 50% from the field for the third straight game. PSU has made 87-150 (.580) in those three games… Chehales Tapscott had a career-high four blocked shots… PSU's fourth guard, Gary Winston, also had a good game with 11 points and three assists off the bench… PSU leads the all-time series with Northern Colorado, 12-3… the Vikings return home to host Idaho State on Monday night at the Stott Center. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m. The game airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. A live video stream is available at www.b2tv.com.