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Portland, OR – It was Andre Spight's night. There was no other way about it.
 
The Northern Colorado guard burned Portland State for 37 points and made a key steal with 21 seconds left resulting in a layin to ice an 85-78 win for the Bears over the Vikings.
 
The Bears led for more than 35 minutes of the game but it was tightly contested throughout as the statistical lines for the teams were virtually even. The difference was Spight, the Big Sky Conference's leading scorer at more than 24 points per game. The senior made 15-24 shots from the field, 3-5 from three-point range and 4-7 at the free throw line for his 37 points, grabbed six rebounds and had one big steal.
 
Northern Colorado won its fourth straight game and 20^th of the season. The Bears are 11-6 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Ryan Edwards had a strong game for the Vikings, scoring 19 points with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. But PSU's three-game winning streak came to an end. The Vikings are 18-12 on the season, 8-9 in the Big Sky heading into a Saturday afternoon finale with North Dakota.
 
The Big Sky Conference Tournament begins next Tuesday in Reno, NV. PSU's opponent and time of game are yet to be determined.
 
A sluggish start on offense had the Vikings behind 16-6 early in the game. Northern Colorado's largest lead was 11 as the Bears controlled the first half.
 
Spight scored 19 points by intermissions to lead UNC. A Spight jump shot put the Bears ahead 39-29 with three minutes remaining in the half. But the Vikings scored the next eight points and were down only 42-39 at intermission.
 
Portland State battled to its first and only lead of the night, 54-53, on a Michael Mayhew triple at the 14:45 mark of the second half. The lead was short-lived as Northern Colorado followed with a 20-6 run. Spight hit four mid-range jump shots in the rally and the Bears were back on top 73-60 with 8:15 left.
 
PSU inched back into the game in the final two minutes. A Derek Brown three-pointer closed the Bears lead to 79-78 with 1:59 left. After Jordan Davis scored for UNC, PSU trailed by three.
 
The Vikings failed to score on the other end, but when Bryce Canda rebounded a Northern Colorado miss with 25 seconds left, PSU was off and running.  That's when Spight knifed in at mid-court to steal a pass and take it for a breakaway layin. UNC led 83-78 with 18 seconds remaining and held on to win.
 
Portland State shot 31-64 from the field (.484) but only 11-20 at the free throw line (.550). The Bears were 35-67 from the field (.522) and 9-16 at the line (.563).
 
GAME NOTES: The Vikings are 7-5 at home this year, while  playing their home games at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center… Holland Woods led the Vikings with seven assists… Portland State concludes the conference schedule on Saturday when it hosts a 1 p.m. game with North Dakota at Lewis and Clark College. A live stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com or www.pluto.tv (channel 232). Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.