Portland, OR - Weber State capitalized on a bizarre seven-point possession in regulation, then hit key shots in overtime to beat Portland State, 73-69, at the Stott Center.

As such, a brilliant effort by Portland State against perennial powerhouse WSU was not rewarded. The Vikings held the lead through much of the second half, but the Wildcats made the plays needed to win in a very well-played, entertaining game.

Weber State improved to 6-3 on the season, 2-0 in Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings dropped to 3-6, 1-1 in the Big Sky heading into a holiday break.

Weber State made its first five shots, including three three-pointers and had a quick 13-4 lead after three-and-a-half minutes. Portland State mixed up its defenses after that and got the Wildcats to commit eight first-half turnovers. PSU's first lead came at 18-17 and the Vikings outscored WSU 27-14 over the remainder of the half. Ten points and four rebounds from Aaron Moore helped lead the Vikings to a 31-27 halftime advantage.

It was a battle throughout the second half, but the Vikings got the lead to six on two occasions. Moore and Renado Parker combined for 37 points in the game and keyed the second-half performance.

The critical play of the game came with the Vikings leading 58-54 and 4:24 to play. Weber State's Gelaun Wheelwright made a steal and went for a breakaway layin. He scored and was fouled by Lateef McMullan on a play ruled as an intentional foul. Wheelwright made two free throws and the Wildcats retained possession. Jordan Richardson then hit a deep corner three-pointer giving WSU a seven-point possession. That flipped the score to a 61-58 Wildcat lead.

"In hindsight, Lateef should have just let him lay it in," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "But in the heat of the game, instincts take over. The bottom line is there were still four minutes to go in the game. We had opportunities to win it. We just couldn't get over the hump."

Indeed, WSU led 63-59, but the Vikings got inside baskets from Moore and Parker to tie it up just inside of two minutes. Both teams had opportunities but neither scored in the last 1:55 of the game. 

In overtime, Scott Bamforth hit a quick three-pointer for the Wildcats and they never trailed again. WSU made 4-5 shots from the field in the extra period and PSU made just 2-7.

"Credit to them, they came out and went whack, whack in overtime and we had a hard time stopping them," said Geving. "I told my guys I am proud of them the way they competed. If they play hard like that every single night we will be in very good shape… there are a lot more league games left, we just have to compete."

For the game, Weber State shot 29-53 from the field (.547) to 26-57 for the Vikings (.456). PSU took great care of the ball, turning it over just six times to 15 for the Wildcats.

Moore had career-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds. He made 8-12 shots from the field. Parker scored 18 points, and Lateef McMullan scored 10  and handed out seven assists.

Five Wildcats players scored in double figures, led by 14 each from Richardson and Wheelwright.

GAME NOTES: The loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Vikings… WSU, 25-7 last year, has now beaten PSU five straight times… the Vikings program is 23-23 all-time in overtime games… PSU shot only two three-pointers in the game, but made them both. WSU was 9-19 from long range… Portland State is off until after the new year. PSU travels to Montana State for a game on Jan. 3 at 6:05 p.m. PT. It will air on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com.