FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Four players scored in double-figures as Portland State took down Northern Arizona, 74-73, in overtime Saturday afternoon in Flagstaff, Ariz. It was the Vikings' first overtime game since the 2012-13 season.
 
Portland State (13-15 overall, 7-9 Big Sky Conference) is now 2-0 against Northern Arizona (8-19, 4-12) on the year. The Vikings staved off a last-second shot on Jan. 16 at the Peter W. Stott Center to win 56-55 in the first meeting. They had to do it at the end of the fourth quarter and again in overtime to complete the seasons sweep.
 
"This is always a tough place to play and NAU is playing its best basketball of the season," second-year Head Coach Lynn Kennedy said following the win. "We needed to play as a team and our team defense stepped up twice, at the end of regulation and again at the end of overtime."
 
Northern Arizona had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation. The 'Jacks had the ball with :02 seconds left on the game clock. They got the ball inbounded but sophomore F Courtney West, the Big Sky's leading blocker, picked up her 72nd block of the season, sending the game into overtime.
 
Courtney West scored a quick three-point play to open overtime to put the Vikings up 65-62. Northern Arizona went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead at 69-65. The Vikings started to chip away at the lead at the free-throw line. Sophomore G Ashley Bolston hit four-straight free throws to tie the game at 69-69. Another three-pointer by the Lumberjacks, their 13th of the game, put them up 72-69.
 
Back-to-back jumpers by Bolston once again gave the Vikings the lead at 73-72. She then hit 1-of-2 at the line to put the Vikings up two with :20 seconds left in overtime.
 
A foul by the Vikings on the other end sent NAU's Rene Coggins to the line. She came into the game an 80.4 percent free-throw shooter with just four misses from the line in league play. She rattled out the first but made the seconds to pull the 'Jacks within one at 74-73 with :11 seconds left.
 
The Vikings used their last timeout to advance the ball and just needed to get the ball safely inbounds. The pass got jarred away from Bolston, with a bit of contact, and Northern Arizona came away with it. The Lumberjacks had an open look at a three-pointer in the corner that missed. They got the offensive rebounds and put it back up with :01 second left and it fell short as the Vikings held on to win by one.
 
The win breaks Portland State's tie in the Big Sky standings with Weber State, which lost 82-77 to Idaho Saturday afternoon. The Vikings are currently in seventh in the Big Sky with two games to play. If the season ended today, Portland State would face Northern Arizona for the third time this season as part of the No. 7 vs. No. 10 game at the Big Sky Tournament held in Reno, Nev. March 6-12.
 
Portland State had four players score in double-figures for just the fourth time this season, the first in Big Sky play. Bolston led all scorers with 24 points, going 7-for-16 from the floor and 10-for-11 at the line. She matched her career high with nine rebounds and dished out five assists.
 
Sophomore G Cici West came off the bench and scored a season-high 14 points for the Vikings. She went 6-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-3 at the line. She pulled down five rebounds in the game, four coming in the fourth quarter.
 
Sophomore G Sidney Rielly scored 12 points in just 29 minutes after getting into foul trouble early in the third quarter. She went 6-for-11 from the floor with three rebounds. She is shooting 54.1 percent from the floor this season, the best mark in the nation by a pure shooting guard.
 
Courtney West posted her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting along with a game-high 12 rebounds. She came up with a pair of huge blocks in the fourth quarter, none bigger than the one sending the game into overtime.
 
Portland State shot 47.5 percent from the floor for the game and held Northern Arizona to just 34.9 percent shooting. The Lumberjacks hit 13 three-pointers in the game, while the Vikings went just 1-for-6 from distance. Portland State made up the three-point shooting deficit at the free-throw line. The Vikings went 15-for-18 at the line, while the Lumberjacks made just 2-of-6 from the charity stripe.
 
It was a back-and-forth game throughout as each team's largest lead was just six points. Northern Arizona went up by six early in the first quarter at 9-3 but the Vikings cut the lead to just one points, 15-14, at the end of the first quarter.
 
Portland State opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 20-15 lead. Northern Arizona came back with a 9-2 run to retake the lead at 24-22. The teams traded points through the rest of the half as the Lumberjacks maintained their one-point lead, 27-26, at the break.  
 
Sophomore G Corey James, who missed the last two games due to an injury, came off the bench for a team-high six points in the first half. She was aggressive right from the start going 2-for-2 from the floor and 2-for-3 at the line in the first half. The Vikings went a combined 10-for-25 from the floor in the first half.
 
Portland State came out of the break on fire. They scored 24 points in the third quarter alone, shooting 71.4 percent as a team from the floor (10-for-14). Rielly hit the first two baskets for the Vikings to start the second half to tie the game at 30-30. Unfortunately for Rielly, just as she was starting to heat up from the floor, she got hit with two quick fouls and had to sit with three with 5:51 left in the third.
 
An 8-0 run by the Vikings, capped by a Cici West layup, put the Vikings up six at 36-30. The Vikings got baskets by James and Tatiana Streun to maintain a six-point lead at 47-41 with 1:53 left in the third. After the Lumberjacks cut the lead to one, Cici West ended the third with an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Vikings a four-point lead, 50-46, heading to the fourth.
 
Portland State went up again by six points at 58-52 with 4:42 left in regulation. Northern Arizona hit a three-pointer followed by a jumper on its next possession to make it a 58-57 game. Another three-pointer by NAU with 1:35 left tied the game at 60-60. Rielly put the Vikings up two with a jumper with just under a minute left but NAU came right back and tied it with :38 seconds left.
 
The Lumberjacks had a good look at the potential game-winner but Courtney West blocked it, sending the game to overtime. The Vikings fell behind by four at 69-65 after another three-pointer by the Lumberjacks in overtime.
 
Bolston kept the Vikings in the game with the team's final nine points to put them up 74-72 with :20 seconds left. A Northern Arizona free throw cut the lead to one and a Portland State turnover gave the 'Jacks the ball with the chance to win the game. They put up two last-second shots, both fell short, as the Vikings held on to win.
 
The Vikings return home next week for their final two games of the regular season. They host the Northern Colorado Bears on Wednesday, March 1 at 12 p.m. PT for the Vikings' second annual Kid's Field Trip Day. They close out the regular season with Senior Day on Friday, March 3 against North Dakota. Tip against the Fighting Hawks is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Notes:
• Sophomore G Ashley Bolston posted her ninth 20-point game of the year with a game-high 24 points.
• Sophomore G Cici West scored a season-high 14 points off the bench.
• Sophomore F Courtney West posted her fifth double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Portland State had four players score in double-figures for the fourth time this year, first in league play.
• Portland State has 13 wins, its most since tallying 15 wins during the 2011-12 season.
• Portland State has 7 league wins, its most since tallying 7 league wins during the 2011-12 season.