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Portland, OR - In the end, it didn't matter if the Vikings won or lost on Saturday night. Based on results of games earlier in the day, Portland State had already earned its berth in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Perhaps that didn't matter to Kyle Richardson though. The senior forward playing in his final home game took over in the late going, scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds in overtime to lead the Vikings to a 78-74 win over Idaho State at the Stott Center.

Richardson finished with a career-high 28 points, hitting 14-19 shots from the field. He added 14 rebounds - which matched his career high - and blocked two shots in the win.

Portland State finishes the regular season at 16-13 overall, 11-9 in the Big Sky and with the fifth seed in the seven-team Big Sky Tournament which begins next Thursday in Ogden, UT. The Vikings ended the regular season with three wins in a row and five in their last six games.

Still, the Vikings played their game against Idaho State the way they have played all season. Close, intense and overtime.

"It's a grind. The kids battled and kept working hard. I think they knew they were going to win at the end. We talked about it in the huddle. We said execute and we will score and we will win this thing. When it went to overtime they knew they were going to win. They just believe it every time they go on the court," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving.

Perhaps the knowledge of already getting into the tournament caused Portland State to get off to a slow start against the Bengals. Finally, the Vikings took the lead on a three-point play by Marcus Hall at the 4:54 mark of the first half. His put-back layin and ensuing free throw had PSU ahead 26-25. Hall had 14 points by halftime and the Vikings led 33-27.

An Andre Winston Jr. three-point play gave Portland State its first double-digit lead of the game, 45-35, with 15:46 left to play.  

But this one was not over. The Bengals came back on a 20-4 run. Chris Hansen's three-pointer gave ISU a 57-54 lead with 8:39 left. That teams had a tight battle the rest of the way.

Trailing 65-63 with 13 seconds on the clock, Portland State was able to feed it inside for a Richardson dunk to tie. ISU's Tomas Sanchez missed a long three at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

Richardson's short hook in the lane at the start of overtime got the Vikings a lead and they never gave it up. Richardson had three more baskets in OT, two of which came off offensive rebounds. 

"Kyle has really been our MVP in a lot of ways, because he is the only big we've got in the starting lineup. He has just stepped up. It was nice for him to do this on senior night," said Geving.

Portland State hit 31-66 from the field (.470), but struggled at the line (10-18, .556). Fortunately, Idaho State was no better at 26-59 (.441) and 16-27 (.593).

Hall added 19 points for the Vikings, a career-high eight rebounds, and made four three-pointers in the contest. Gary Winston added 14 points and seven assists.

Sanchez led the Bengals with 22 points, five assists and four steals. Jeffery Solarin made 9-9 field goals, scoring 19 points with eight rebounds. Hansen added 18 points.

Idaho State ends the year at 11-18, 8-12.

GAME NOTES: Portland State played its fourth overtime game of the year and is 3-1 in those games… two of the overtime contests came against Montana (17-12, 12-8), PSU's opponent in the tournament on Thursday night. The Vikings and Grizzlies split the season series with each winning on their home court… the Vikings finished the year 12-5 at home. 

The Big Sky Conference Tournament 

First Round - Thursday, March 13
Hosted by Weber State University, Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah
2:05 p.m. - No. 7 Sacramento State vs. No. 2 North Dakota
4:30 p.m. - No. 6 Northern Colorado vs. No. 3 Northern  Arizona
7 p.m. (6 p.m. PT) - No. 5 Portland State vs. No. 4 Montana 

Semifinals - Friday, March 14
4:30 p.m. - Highest Remaining Seeds vs 2nd Highest Remaining Seed
7 p.m. - Lowest Remaining Seed at No. 1 Weber State

Final - Saturday, March 15
6 p.m. Mountain - Semifinal Winners

All times listed are Mountain Time