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Ogden, UT - Portland State came oh-so-close to a second straight come-from-behind win on the road, but it was not be as Weber State held on to defeat the Vikings, 84-79, at Dee Events Center.
 
The Vikings trailed by 11 with 7:16 remaining in the game, but found themselves down just two points inside the final 30 seconds. Holland Woods missed a driving layin with 11 seconds left and Deontae North's offensive rebound and putback wouldn't go either, denying the Vikings a tieing basket. Weber State tacked on three free throws in the closing seconds to provide the final margin.
 
Ryan Richardson and Ricky Nelson each scored 17 points to lead seven Weber State players in double figures. The Vikings got 22 points and nine rebounds from North. Woods added 15 points and five assists.
 
Weber State improved to 5-2 in Big Sky Conference play, 12-7 overall. The Vikings dropped to 13-7, 3-4 in league play.
 
PSU still earned a split on the road with a Thursday night win at Idaho State, and the Vikings must be happy to head for home. Portland State was playing its fifth road game in the first seven Big Sky Conference contests, and ninth road game in the last 12 starts.
 
The league's top two scoring teams were off their shooting games for most of the night. Weber State made 25-61 from the field for a .410 shooting percentage. PSU was only 26-69 (.377) and 4-18 from three-point range (.222).
 
Weber State built an 11-point lead in the first half, but the Vikings ran off 10 straight points and were able to get to halftime trailing only 36-33. They got a little help as the Wildcats missed their last eight shots of the half.
 
The Wildcats extended the lead again and were up 62-50 at the 10:13 mark of the second half. A pair of Zach Braxton free throws had WSU up 68-57 with 7:16 to play. But Woods scored eight points down the stretch, while North and Bryce Canda each had six. Ryan Edwards made a tipin with 49.2 seconds left and PSU was down only 81-79.
 
Edwards rebounded a Weber State miss on the other end with 28 seconds left setting up the Vikings final chance.
 
Edwards finished the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. It was his second straight double-double.
 
WSU's Jerrick Harding, the Big Sky's leading scorer at 21.9 points per game, had only 14 points on 5-16 shooting from the field.
 
GAME NOTES: The Wildcats have now won five in a row against the Vikings… PSU is 7-4 in road games this season, 8-6 including neutral site games… senior forward Brandon Hollins missed his fourth straight game due to illness… Portland State returns home next week, hosting Sacramento State on Saturday in a 1 p.m. game at Lewis and Clark College. It will be available via live stream at www.WatchBigSky.com and www.Pluto.tv.