Boxscore (PDF)
 
Portland, OR – Portland State wrapped up its late-season run with a sixth consecutive victory and an eye toward making noise in next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
The Vikings beat Sacramento State, 76-72, on Senior Night at the Viking Pavilion and will take their longest winning streak since 2009 into the post-season. Portland State is 18-14 overall and finishes at 12-8 and fourth place in the Big Sky standings. They will face Montana State in a Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal next Thursday.
 
On this night, the Vikings did not want a repeat of the half-court, grind-it-out game they lost at Sacramento State in January. And as expected, the sixth win in a row did not come easy against the Big Sky's top team for scoring defense. The Hornets allowed only 59.3 points to opponents going into the game, but the Vikings found a way to increase the pace often enough, frequently with their trademark of forcing turnovers.
 
"Seventy-six is a lot of points against those guys," said Viking Coach Barret Peery. "Sacramento State is tough and they are able to control tempo to the way they like it. We were able to change the pace of the game two or three times to where we were able to get the lead.

"I'm very proud of our group and the fact that they responded and played a very tough game. They have been on a good streak, but remained humble and have been able to get the job done against some good teams."

PSU led for more than 33 minutes in the game but never by much as the Hornets defense and solid rebounding kept it close. The Vikings finally got the lead to double digits in the second half and were up 67-56 with 6:24 to play.

Sacramento State chipped away, and with a late three-pointer, pulled within 74-72 with three seconds remaining. On in the in-bound play, Viking guard Holland Woods was fouled and made both free throws to ice the game for PSU.

Woods led four Vikings in double figures with 22 points and five assists. Matt Hauser added 13 points, Lamar Hamrick came off the bench for 12 and Sal Nuhu had 11 points for the Vikings. Nuhu led the Vikings with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
The Hornets had five players in double figures led by the 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots of Joshua Patton.
 
PSU shot only .308 in the second half, and .414 for the game. But the Vikings made crucial free throws down the stretch to hang on for the victory. They also scored 24 points off 17 Sacramento State turnovers.
 
Sacramento State is now 15-14, 8-12 in the Big Sky.
 
The last time Portland State won six straight games was a Big Sky Championship season in 2008-09. As the fourth seed in the Big Sky Tournament, the Vikings certainly aren't the favorites, but they are one of the hottest teams in the league.
 
"Next week it is all about being healthy, having our minds right and playing our type of basketball. We have to continue to be who we are supposed to be," said Peery.

GAME NOTES: Portland State ends its home schedule with an 11-3 mark at Viking Pavilion, including wins in the last four at home… there have been only five seasons in the 24 years as members of the Big Sky Conference that PSU won more than the 18 games they have won this season… Portland State moves on to face Montana State in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal round game next Thursday. Tip-off is 2:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, ID. The game will be televised on Eleven Sports and live streamed on Pluto TV Channel 531, Pluto TV and WatchBigSky.