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Moscow, ID – An improbable score in the final second by Holland Woods gave Portland State a 73-72 victory against Big Sky Conference favorite Idaho in Cowan Spectrum.
 
Woods hit a put-back in the middle of the lane off a Deante Strickland miss, turning a one-point deficit into a one-point win, as the Vikings rallied back from five points down in the final minutes.
 
In a game that never saw a lead of more than five points by either side, the Vikings had the final answer. PSU trailed for the last 10 minutes of the game and were down five when senior forward Traylin Farris grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 1:03 to play, closing it to 72-69 Idaho.
 
Vandal guard Perrion Callandret then missed a shot with 39 seconds left giving the Vikings a chance. Farris rebounded and PSU looked for a catch-up score. But Deontae North, who tied his career-scoring high with 30 points, missed a three-pointer on the other end.
 
Idaho grabbed the ensuing rebound, only to have it stolen away by PSU's Brandon Hollins under the basket. The senior forward scored inside and it was 72-71 Idaho with 12 seconds left.
 
Hollins took a foul on Idaho star guard Victor Sanders on the inbound play. Sanders, who had a big night with 28 points and had made all five of his free throws, missed the front end of a one-and-one. Hollins rebounded and the Vikings raced up the court.
 
Strickland had an open look from the left corner, but it bounced off the rim. Woods, racing down the center of the court, grabbed the rebound in mid-air and put back an eight-footer in the paint that was all net with 0.6 seconds left.
 
PSU went ahead 73-72 and Idaho did not have time to respond.
 
"I am so happy for our guys. It has been such a long haul with all these road games in the last month and 12 out of 16 away from home," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "It has been a really long stretch and the way this team responded to adversity tonight was really something.
 
"Idaho has a great team and will have a great season. To get a win here on the road really means a lot. I thought we had a tremendous team effort. Everybody contributed and tons of guys had opportunities to help, finding a way to win at end of the road trip like this in the final seconds is really a tribute to our guys."
 
The win improved Portland State to 11-5 on the season, 1-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The game culminated a stretch in which PSU played seven road games and only one home game over a span of 40 days. The Vikings were 5-3 in those eight games, 4-3 in the road games.
 
Portland State wouldn't have had a chance at a victory were it not for the stellar play of North. The senior guard scored 30 points for the third time in his career, making 11-16 from the field and 6-8 from three-point range. It was his seventh straight game of 20 or more points, and was needed on a night when the Vikings again had some offensive struggles.

Remarkably, it was Portland State's second-lowest scoring game of the season. Idaho came into the contest allowing the fewest points of any team in the Big Sky.
 
Hollins was also a big contributor with 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals, as well as a couple of key plays in the last minute. Woods finished with 10 points, four assists and two steals, while Strickland had a strong game off the bench with seven points, six assists and two steals.
 
Idaho, which entered the game with the same record as the Vikings at 10-5, dropped to 10-6 overall. The Vandals, who were picked as the pre-season favorite to win the Big Sky Conference are now 2-2 in league play.
 
Sanders matched North shot for shot, hitting 10-18 from the field, 3-5 from three-point range, and 5-6 at the line. But his free throw miss with 12 seconds left opened the door for the Vikings to pull out the victory.
 
As one would expect, the numbers were fairly even across the board. PSU made 28-63 field goals (.444) compared to 28-61 for Idaho (.459). The Vikings had 10 three-pointers to 11 for Idaho. PSU made 7-14 at the line, while Sanders shot all of the Vandals FTS, making 5-6.
 
Portland State made only eight turnovers. Idaho had 14 turnovers, which PSU converted into 21 points.
 
GAME NOTES: The Vikings ended a four-game losing streak to the Vandals that dated back to 2015… PSU is 6-3 on the road this year, 4-0 at home and 1-2 at neutral sites… Portland State returns home for the first time in almost a month when it hosts Montana State on Thursday night at Lewis and Clark College. Game time is 8 p.m. A live stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com and www.Pluto.tv. Live stats can be found at www.ViksLive.com.