PORTLAND (Interstat) — KC Ibekwe had 17 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes, and Portland State opened its season with a 111-59 victory over visiting Lewis & Clark in a non-divisional men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Tuesday at Stott Center. Ibekwe, a 6-foot-11 center from Coquitlam, Canada, who previously attended Centennial Academy, led the Vikings before an announced attendance of 540. Portland State, whose nickname is the Vikings, improved to 1-0.

The Vikings never trailed after Trevor Frank hit a 3-pointer 22 seconds into the game. Lewis & Clark stayed close early, pulling to 3-2 on Jake Rodriguez’s free throw and later moving within 8-7 after Wyatt Wilson made a layup and a free throw. Luke Kearney answered with a stepback 3-pointer, and Portland State began to pull away. Kearney added another 3, Ibekwe scored in the paint and completed a three-point play, and Emil Skytta made a layup as the Vikings moved ahead 21-10. Lewis & Clark answered with 3-pointers from Wilson and Maddox Malm, and Marcus Bast hit from beyond the arc to cut the margin to 24-20.

Portland State responded with a decisive run. Frank hit two 3-pointers around a Bast 3-pointer, Skytta scored twice inside and made two free throws, and Ibekwe, Antonio Pusateri and Dennis Johnson added baskets. Nikonov made two free throws, Frank added a free throw, Ibekwe scored on a layup and Pusateri threw down a dunk. Wilson hit a 3 for Lewis & Clark, but Dennis Johnson answered with a 3, Donovan Beard made a turnaround jump shot and Pusateri scored again inside. Gantas Krizanauskas made two free throws, Bast made a layup, and Alexandros Skliros and Dennis Johnson closed the first half with free throws. By halftime, the Vikings had taken firm control.

Portland State kept pressing after the break. Ibekwe opened the second half with a layup and later added a tip-in and a dunk. Lewis & Clark opened the half with a Bast layup and a Wilson 3-pointer, but Yaroslav Nikonov answered with a 3 and two free throws, and Pusateri scored on a driving layup and a pullup jumper. Krizanauskas hit a 3-pointer, and Kearney followed with consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead. Nikonov made a driving layup, and Kearney added a driving layup of his own as the Vikings continued to answer every Lewis & Clark basket.

Ryan Conner made a 3 and a pullup jump shot for Lewis & Clark, while Malm also hit from beyond the arc. Ibekwe stayed active on the offensive glass, and Pusateri kept scoring around the basket. Later, Nehemiah Pollard made two free throws and a driving layup, Skliros made a layup and free throws, and Francesco Corato scored on a layup and a tip-in. Jeremy Goodcase hit a 3-pointer and a pullup jump shot for Lewis & Clark, and Thomas Meehleib added a free throw and a jump shot. Colt Ness made a pullup jump shot for Portland State, and Bast hit a 3 for Lewis & Clark. Portland State closed the scoring on Pollard’s floating jump shot in the final minute.

Kearney finished with 17 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes. Nikonov had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block in 19 minutes. Frank added 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. Pusateri posted 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 17 minutes, while Pollard had 10 points, five rebounds and one block in 18 minutes. Krizanauskas contributed six points, four rebounds and eight assists in 21 minutes. Skytta had seven points, seven rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes. Corato had five points and four rebounds in five minutes, and Dennis Johnson added four points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 13 minutes.

For Lewis & Clark, Wilson hit multiple 3-pointers and converted a three-point play, Bast scored on layups and a 3-pointer, Goodcase hit a 3 and a pullup, and Rodriguez made free throws. Malm hit two 3-pointers, Conner made a 3 and a pullup, Meehleib made a free throw and a jump shot, Beard scored on a turnaround, and Moulaye Soumare dunked early. Justin White also hit a 3-pointer for Lewis & Clark.

Portland State’s next 10 games, in order, are at Seattle, at Colorado State, at San Francisco, at Saint Mary’s, against Northwest Indian, against Cal State Fullerton, against California Baptist in Palm Desert, at UC Riverside, at Southern Illinois and against Eastern Washington.