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Reno, NV – Deontae North provided the spark as the Portland State Vikings were finally able to pull away and win their first round game of the Big Sky Conference Tournament, 80-67, over Northern Arizona.
 
North scored 20 of his game-high 25 after intermission at Reno Events Center. He scored nine straight points during a late second-half rally that turned a 63-59 PSU lead into a 72-60 edge with 3:22 to play. From there the Vikings were able to hang on and advance in the Big Sky Tournament.
 
Portland State (15-15) moves on to a quarterfinal round game on Thursday against Big Sky regular-season champion North Dakota (19-9). Tip-time is 12:05 p.m.
 
The Vikings got the game at their pace early with an effective full court press. The Lumberjacks had seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes. But the Vikings weren't converting at a high enough rate to build a lead. They were shooting 36% through the first 12 minutes and had not made a three-point field goal.
 
Finally, a 9-2 run turned an 18-18 tie into a 27-20 Viking lead. NAU stayed close with superior rebounding as they beat the Vikings on the boards 25-14 in the first half. Nine of those came on offense and NAU had 11 second-chance points to none for the Vikings.
 
Big man Ako Kaluna took advantage with 12 points and four rebounds by halftime for NAU. Zach Gengler, Brandon Hollins and Traylin Farris had six each for the Vikings. PSU led 33-28.
 
When De'Sean Parsons hit a three-point shot four minutes into the second half, it was the first field goal outside the key for the Vikings. They led 37-32.
 
Portland State grew its lead to 51-42 with 11:28 left in the game. That's when NAU made a run. The 'Jacks ran off a 15-5 rally, with five points from Jordyn Martin. They led 57-56 at the 7:24 mark.
 
Portland State's pressure finally took its toll on the Lumberjacks though. A 16-3 run over
The next four minutes provided the edge. The 'Jacks committed five turnovers during that stretch.
 
First, Viking center Traylin Farris hit a shot inside and put the Vikings back on top 58-57. PSU would never trail again.
 
Then, Parsons took charging fouls on back-to-back plays and PSU seemed back in control. Calaen Robinson hit a three-pointer after one and North made a short jump shot after the second.
 
After a Parsons' steal, North hit another three, then made two steals of his own, turning them into a pair of layins on the press. PSU was ahead 72-60 and cruised to victory from there.
 
"The key today was we stuck with (the press), and obviously during that stretch late in the game we got some steals, put-backs…" said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "Hollins was unbelievable on the press in the trap. He flies around and gets his hands on everything. And Deontae North along with Hollins really saved our bacon today. North made some great plays in the second half, came up with some big steals. Hollins and North came up big for us."
 
North made 10-15 shots from the field, 4-5 at the line for his 25 points. He had three of Portland State's 10 steals. Hollins and Parsons each scored 14 points for the Vikings.
 
PSU's pressure forced 19 NAU turnovers. The Vikings were able to score 23 points off those turnovers in what has been a familiar story for the Vikings all year.
 
Portland State shot 31-57 from the field, a .544 percentage. PSU shot .607 in the second half as they scored 47 points after intermission.
 
NAU won the rebound battle, 39-28, with Martin getting 16 boards to go with 16 points. Kaluna led the Lumberjacks, who finished their season at 9-23, with 18 points.
 
GAME NOTES: Robinson had a game-high five assists for the Vikings… Farris and Hollins led the Vikings with six rebounds… Farris went down with injury late in the game and did not return… the Vikings are now 11-11 all-time in Big Sky Tournament games. They are 2-0 in first-round games, 5-5 in quarterfinal games… Tyler Geving is 5-5 in the Big Sky Tournament as a head coach… Portland State and North Dakota split the season series. PSU won in Portland, 99-72, on Dec. 29, and lost in Grand Forks, 82-73, on Mar. 4.