Boxscore - PDF
 
Portland, OR – A revved up second half at Viking Pavilion led Portland State to its fifth straight Big Sky Conference victory, beating Northern Arizona, 80-66.
 
After a sluggish offensive show for the first 20 minutes, the Vikings scored 50 after halftime and pulled away for the win. Senior guard Matt Hauser had a big game with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals to pace PSU. He hit five three-pointers and they seemed to come at key moments.
 
Holland Woods scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime as he combined with Hauser to lead the offensive burst. Woods added five assists.
 
"Matt really does a lot for us. He gives us an extra ball handler. He has great experience and he can shoot and create space for Boo Boo (Woods)," said Viking Coach Barret Peery.
 
The victory raised Portland State's Big Sky Conference record to 11-8 and assured them the fourth seed in next week's Big Sky Tournament. PSU is 17-14 on the season and has gone 7-2 in the second half of the Big Sky schedule. The Vikings have one home game to go on Saturday night before heading to the tournament in Boise. PSU will play next Thursday against Montana State in a quarterfinal round game at 2:30 p.m. MT.
 
What the first half may have lacked in quality of play in this game was more than made up for by intensity and frenetic pace. The teams combined to shoot only 40% from the field and make 1-9 free throws. The largest lead for either side was six points. 
 
PSU was up 30-28 at intermission behind 10 points from Hauser. NAU did a good job on the Vikings' other top scorers Woods (2 points) and Sal Nuhu (0).
 
The second half was a different story as both teams came out of the locker room shooting well. Portland State led the entire half, but needed time to take control of the game. The 'Jacks were within 61-58 with 6:45 to go. From there, the Vikings went on an 11-2 run fueled by a pair of NAU turnovers. Rashaad Goolsby scored on the last two baskets, first with a tip-in, then seconds later on an electric transition dunk. PSU led 72-60 with 3:42 left and the Lumberjacks never got closer than nine after that.
 
PSU made 17-30 from the field in the second half (.567) and all 10 free throw attempts. NAU was 13-22 from the field (.591) but managed only 7-13 at the line and 8-20 for the game (.400).
 
The Vikings' full-court pressure forced 10 second-half turnovers and 17 for the game by NAU. PSU scored 28 points off turnovers.
 
"Northern Arizona did a good job on the offensive glass in the first half. We were defending well, but we weren't finishing. So we couldn't break out and score," said Peery. "It was a nice slow game, which NAU wanted on our court. We did a better job in the second half, blocking out, contesting and we were able to bust loose and get the gap we needed.
 
"Our guys took care of the ball at the end, we got good shots and held them off. We were in pretty good control."
 
Alonzo Walker scored 12 points and Nuhu added eight points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Vikings.


Cameron Shelton had a big night for the Lumberjacks, scoring 27 points with eight assists and seven rebounds.
 
Northern Arizona dropped to 16-13 on the season, 10-10 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
GAME NOTES: Portland State has its longest winning streak since late last season… the Vikings have scored 80 or more points in seven straight games and nine of the last 10... PSU is 10-3 at home this season… PSU has won four straight over NAU in Portland and holds an 18-6 record in Big Sky play against the 'Jacks in Portland… the Vikings regular-season home finale is Saturday against Sacramento State. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m.