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Portland, OR – For the Portland State Vikings, it sure felt good to be home again. Behind three 20-point performances from Holland Woods, Michael Nuga and Sal Nuhu, the Vikings rolled by Northern Arizona, 103-94, at the Viking Pavilion.
 
Entering Thursday night's game, the Vikings had played the fewest home games in the Big Sky Conference (4) of any team in the league. And they were coming off a four-game road trip. But the friendly confines of the brand, spanking new Viking Pavilion seemed to make all the difference.
 
PSU scored early and often, shooting .591 from the field for the game. Nuhu matched his career high with 20 points, adding eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Both Woods (27 points) and Nuga (22 points) came up one basket short of their career highs. Woods added 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals in a tour de force performance.
 
Moreover, those three combined to make 27-43 shots, a .628 mark. That boosted PSU to its second-best shooting performance as a team for the season. It was quite a turnaround from the last three games - all Viking losses on the road - where PSU averaged only 65.3 points and shot .385 as a team.
 
The win improved Portland State to 10-14 on the season, 5-8 in the Big Sky. They leapfrog Idaho State and Northern Arizona into seventh place in the Big Sky standings. NAU drops to 7-17, 5-9.
 
"The pace and energy the guys brought made it easier for them to score the ball," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "Our guys came home and took care of business and now we have another big game on Saturday (when PSU hosts fifth-place Southern Utah (7-7) at the Viking Pavilion)."
 
Ironically, it was an early defensive blitz that got the Vikings going. They forced NAU into six turnovers before the first timeout and scored 10 points from those TOs in building an 18-7 lead. Woods hit all three of his shot attempts, had seven points and an assist in the run.
 
The Vikings went on to make 11 of their first 14 shots and that set the tone for the entire half. PSU pushed the lead as high as 18 points and led 58-44 at the break. They were 21-32 from the field (.656) and set the tempo to their liking.
 
After committing 13 first-half turnovers, the only thing keeping the Lumberjacks close was their own solid shooting. They made 14-27 from the field (.519), 4-8 three-pointers (.500) and 12-15 at the line (.800) and were still 14 points down.
 
The Lumberjacks pulled within 11 points early in the second half, but a 10-point run by the Vikings - with five points from Nuga - gave PSU the comfort it needed. The largest lead was 82-59 after a three-pointer by Nuga with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
 
NAU had one last run though. Luke Advalovic, the Big Sky Conference's best three-point percentage shooter, highlighted a 13-5 burst with three threes. That closed it to 95-86 with 2:45 to go.
 
After a timeout, Woods answered for the Vikings with a driving layin in traffic, then Nuhu threw down a fastbreak dunk. PSU was back up 99-86. Still, Carlos Hines hit a pair of jump shots for NAU and Cameron Shelton made a free throw and it was 99-92 with 1:08 to play.
 
On the inbounds, Woods broke the press and left a pass for a Nuhu dunk. After another Nuhu dunk a moment later the Vikings were home free.
 
"I was very pleased with the pace of the game and the intensity with how our guys played. They came out from the start and competed at a high level and set the tone for the rest of the game. Give NAU a lot of credit, they wouldn't go away. But in conference play you see that every night," Peery said.
 
Nuhu finished 7-11 from the field and 6-9 at the line for his 20 points. His six blocked shots tied his career high and were one shy of the school record.
 
Woods was 11-15 from the floor and 4-5 at the line for 27 points - one off his season high and two from his career high. The 10 assists gave Woods his third double-double of the season.
 
"We have to force pace. Boo Boo is the guy we want with the ball in his hands and trust him to make great plays, which he did tonight," Peery said. "I told the team after the game that everyone contributed, which was great to see."
 
Nuga hit 9-17 from the field, including four three-pointers. The 22 points were his most against a Division I opponent this season.
 
Bernie Andre and Avdalovic each scored 20 points to lead five Northern Arizona players in double figures.
 
GAME NOTES: PSU's 103 points matched the most ever by a Viking team against NAU (103-87 on Feb. 19, 1975)... Deante Strickland had a strong game off the bench with eight points, four rebounds and four assists… Portland State is now 7-4 at home this season, and has won three straight home games… Northern Arizona won the first meeting of the season, 82-75, in Flagstaff on Jan. 19… Portland State was playing the first of four in a row at home. On Saturday the Vikings host Southern Utah at 7:05 p.m. The game will be live streamed on Pluto TV and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.