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Portland, OR – Portland State played Weber State to a draw over 44 minutes of basketball, but the final minute was a heartbreak as the Wildcats came away with a 95-88 overtime victory at the Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings led for much of the night before a mid-second half run by Weber State staked the team to a 66-61 lead. The final 10 minutes proved to be an epic battle as PSU closed the gap. Trailing 82-79, PSU's Robert McCoy hit a three-point field goal with 2:28 remaining in the game to tie it.
 
Neither team could score again in regulation as both defenses turned up the volume. PSU's Deante Strickland made a steal in the final five seconds, leading to a 35-foot heave at the buzzer. When that shot missed, the teams went to the extra session.
 
Junior forward Brekkot Chapman put the Wildcats ahead 88-84 with a jump shot at the 3:11 mark. But Sal Nuhu, who had a huge game for the Vikings, answered with a pair of free throws, then a layup on Portland State's next two possessions.
 
That's when Chapman hit the biggest shot of the night. His three-pointer from the top of the circle with 41 seconds left put WSU back ahead 91-88. The Vikings couldn't come up with answer and the Wildcats tacked on some late points for the final 95-88 score.
 
"This was a big-time league with two good teams," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end of it. The free throw line haunted us late in regulation and in overtime.
 
"It was a good balance night, good scoring. The stats look good, they way they should look but a 16-25 at the free throw line in an overtime game like that when points are hard to come by and it is so close... we have got to have them all.
 
"Give Weber State credit though, they hit some big shots," he said.
 
Portland State dropped to 1-3 in Big Sky Conference play, but the Vikings have faced the toughest schedule so far, playing the top four teams in the standings (Montana State, Weber State, Northern Colorado all 4-1, and Montana at 4-2). It was Portland State's second straight overtime game after an OT win at Montana last week.
 
"We have played a pretty tough first four games. Our guys have weathered a pretty good storm and gotten better through it. The score hasn't shown it a couple of times, but I think we are poised and ready to make a run," Peery said.
 
The game couldn't have started much better for the Vikings. PSU scored the first 10 points and dictated a frenetic pace. Big man Zach Braxton kept Weber State close though, hitting 5-5 shots inside and 4-4 free throws in the first half. Weber State was able to tie the score at 29 and 38, but never led.
 
Nuhu had a dozen and Strickland scored 10 in the first half as the Vikings ended up with a 44-42 lead.
 
Weber State made a string of seven straight field goals midway through the second half posting them to a 66-61 lead. With that, the Wildcats went from five behind to five ahead in a span of three minutes. From there it was an exciting final 10 minutes of regulation.
 
Nuhu finished with a season-high 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. McCoy added 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
 
Strickland, who has struggled offensively this year, put on a brilliant performance on this night. He finished with 13 points, four assists and was a standout defensively with six steals.
 
"I was happy for him," said Peery of his senior guard. "It was time for him to break through and play like that."
 
Weber State shot 36-63 from the field, a .571 mark, and 18-21 at the line (.857). Jerrick Harding scored a game-high 23 points. Chapman added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Zach Braxton scored 18 and Cody John had 17.
 
The Wildcats out-rebounded the Vikings 41-32. But PSU turned them over 20 times, scoring 21 points off turnovers.
 
PSU shot 33-74 from the field (.446), had 20 assists, 13 steals and seven blocked shots.
 
"I'm heartbroken for the guys because that is how the game is supposed to look and how we are supposed to play. If we keep playing like that good things will happen," Peery said.
 
GAME NOTES: Holland Woods scored 13 points and dished out a season-high 10 assists… Michael Nuga also scored 12 points… PSU has lost four games in a row at home. The Vikings are 6-9 on the season… Weber State has won seven straight over the Vikings… Portland State goes on the road next week. The Vikings play at Southern Utah on Thursday (5:30 p.m. PT), then Northern Arizona on Saturday (1 p.m. PT). Both games will be live streamed on Pluto TV and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.