North scores 27, Portland State wallops Linfield 116-71

Dec 16, 2017, 11:23 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Deontae North scored 27 points and had five steals as Portland State defeated Division III Linfield College 116-71 on Saturday, turning 27 turnovers into 33 points.

The Vikings (9-3) lost a four-game win streak at Oregon but rebounded with 51-percent shooting (40 of 78) with 18 3-pointers and 21 steals against the smaller Wildcats (7-3). Ryan Edwards added 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting, Bryce Canda added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Jamie Orme had 13 points, 10 after halftime before fouling out.

North has reached double figures in all 11 games he's played this season and has scored 80 points in the last three. All the Vikings steals led to 26 points scored on the fast break and a 52-36 rebounding advantage showed up with 18 second-chance points and a 38-28 edge in the paint.

Riley Bruil led Linfield with 13 points.

The Vikings are ranked No. 24 in the mid-major polls, highest of any Big Sky Conference team.