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Reno, NV - The Weber State Big Sky Tournament jinx lives on for Portland State, but not for lack of effort by the Vikings. Portland State took top-seeded Weber State to the brink in a tournament quarterfinal game before finally succumbing, 78-74.

The eighth-seeded Vikings put on a masterful second-half defensive effort, holding the Wildcats to 32 points and coming back from a double-digit deficit. PSU forced 20 Weber State turnovers, 13 of which came in the second half. The Vikings made nine of their 11 steals after halftime, scoring 16 points off turnovers, 19 for the game.

But in the end, a big defensive play by McKay Cannon saved the game for Weber State.

Portland State led most of the final eight minutes, but never by more than three points. Back-to-back baskets by De'Sean Parsons with just over two minutes to play had PSU ahead 74-72.

The Wildcats took the lead back over the course of the next minute with a free throw from Joel Bolomboy and a driving layin from Jeremy Senglin.

With 29 seconds left, the Vikings had the ball and trailed 75-74. Cameron Forte, who had a game-high 25 points, went to work inside but Cannon came from behind on a double-team and stripped the ball away with 18 seconds left.

WSU's Ryan Richardson made two free throws with 10.8 seconds to play and Weber State led, 77-74.

The Wildcats quickly fouled Donivine Stewart but he was unable to make a free throw. Weber State rebounded, tacked on one more free throw, and was able to avoid the upset.

The Wildcats, 24-8, now advance to a Big Sky Tournament semifinal. PSU, 13-18, saw its four-game winning streak and its season end.

The Vikings' loss continued a trend in the Big Sky Tournament that Portland State would like to forget. PSU has had success in the tournament in past years, winning 10 games and a pair of Big Sky Championships, but not when they have faced Weber State. With Thursday's loss, the Vikings are 0-6 all-time against the Wildcats in the Tournament. PSU is 10-5 against all other teams.

The Wildcats got big first-half contributions from a pair of complementary players. Richardson and Cannon combined to hit six three-point field goals in the first half. At one point Cannon scored eight straight and the Wildcats had pushed their lead to 37-22.

Forte, battling foul trouble the entire game, provided the offensive punch the Vikings needed to get back in the game. The Viking forward scored 15 points in 14 minutes of action but Weber State still took a 46-37 halftime lead.

The Wildcats made 15-26 shots in the first half (.577), while the Vikings were 15-31 (.484). The difference came from behind the arc. First-team All-Big Sky Conference guard Jeremy Senglin, along with Richardson and Cannon, combined to hit eight three-pointers in the half. The Vikings made only 2-4 three-point tries.

When Forte went to the bench with four fouls at the 12:17 mark of the second half the Vikings trailed 60-52 and things looked bleak for PSU. But the team responded with an 11-0 run, taking the lead at 63-60 with 7:52 to play. PSU had three steals in the rally as Parsons, Calaen Robinson and Zach Gengler led the charge.

From there the teams traded baskets, setting up the thrilling conclusion to the game.

"I am really proud of our guys. I thought today we really competed," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "We played extremely hard today. Weber State got us in the first half a little, hitting some shots … defensively we were much better in the second half. That is what March is all about. That game could have gone either way."

Portland State shot 32-64 for the game (.500), but only 3-11 from three-point range (.273) and 7-16 at the line (.438). The Wildcats finished at 26-45 (.578), hitting 11-23 three-pointers (.478) and 15-21 at the line (.714).

Despite being outshot, the Vikings stayed in the contest by forcing turnovers, getting 16 fast break points, and outscoring the Wildcats 48-26 in the paint.

In addition to Forte's 25 points, Parsons scored 18 for the Vikings. Robinson added 13 points with four assists and three steals, and Gengler scored 11.

Richardson led five Wildcats in double-figures with 21 points. Senglin scored 16. Joel Bolomboy, the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, had 12 points and six rebounds.

GAME NOTES: Weber State has won eight of its last nine games… Portland State was 9-1 against teams that placed 6th through 12th in the Big Sky Conference this season, they were 0-10 against teams that placed 1st through 5th... the Vikings were 0-3 against Weber State this year.