PORTLAND, Ore.- The University of Portland overcame a sluggish first half and a physical Portland State team to beat the Vikings 60-53 Saturday night at the Chiles Center. Sophomore Eugene Jeter scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half as Portland rolled to it’s fifth-straight win overall, and third straight against the crosstown rival Vikings. The Pilots improve to 5-1 on the season to match their best start since 1998-99.

The game was a physical affair from the opening tip as Portland State jumped out to a 10-4 lead after a Will Funn lay-up at the 13:41 mark. Portland battled back to tie it at 12-12 as junior Patrick Galos made good from inside. Galos was feeling it in the first half going 4-of-4 from the floor to lead the Pilots with eight points at the break.

The rest of the Pilots struggled to get their offense going as the team only scored 14 points in the game’s first 16 minutes. The Vikings threatened to bust the game wide open as Seamus Boxley converted a lay-up to make it a nine-point Portland State lead (23-14) with four minutes left in the half.

But after a costly PSU foul resulted in three Casey Frandsen free-throws, Donald Wilson scored two-of-his-four first-half points on a lay-up to pull the Pilots within two at the break. Portland State’s Seamus Boxley led all scorers with 11 first-half points as the Vikings led 25-23.

“Our guys swam up stream for 30 minutes,” Pilots head coach Michael Holton said. “Portland State’s game plan dictated the way the game was played.”

Much of the second half mirrored the first as a physical Viking defense wouldn’t allow Portland to get it going from the outside. Portland State took it’s biggest lead of the second-half when Boxley put the Viks up seven (36-29) with 14 minutes left to play.

Then the Pilots’ “Pooh” Jeter got it going. The shots began to fall for Jeter who was held to only two first half points. He brought the crowd alive when he converted on a tough lay-up, then made good on the free-throw for a traditional 3-point play. Then, when he hit the Pilots’ only 3-pointer on the night, the game was tied at 43-43 with eight minutes to play.

The rest of the Pilots fed of Jeter’s energy. Donald Wilson came alive to battle for a rebound in traffic, then elevate to put it through the hoop giving the Pilots a 50-45 lead with five to play. Wilson wasn’t finished. With the Vikings trying to foul Portland to extend the game, Wilson broke through the full-court press to throw it down off the perfect full-court pass from Dustin Geddis. The rest was academic as free-throws gave the Pilots a hard-fought 60-53 win over a scrappy Portland State team.

“That was really a gut check win,” coach Holton said. “I’m proud with the way we adjusted towards the end of the game. The way we played this game prepared us for what we will face in the future.”

In the present, Portland holds a 1-0 edge in this year’s two-game version of the RiverCity rivalry with Portland State. Jeter finished the game 7-of-14 from the floor for his 18 points. Wilson came on to score 15 points, 11 in the second half, and tied his career-high with nine rebounds. Patrick Galos finished with a season-high 12 points. The Vikings’ Seamus Boxley led all scorers with 24 points.

The game’s physicality cost PSU two players as both Seth Scott and Sheu Oduniyi fouled out. The Pilots went 15-of-24 from the line while shooting 45 percent from the field. The Vikings shot 44 percent on the night and out-rebounded Portland 33-29. Portland’s reserves proved to be the difference as the Pilot bench out-scored the Viking bench 17-7.

The Pilots try to make it six wins in a row as they travel to the basketball mecca, Cameron Indoor Stadium, to face Duke on Dec. 14 at 5:00 (PST).