Portland, OR – In a game filled with heroic plays, Southern Utah's Dre Marin made the two most important of them all. The Thunderbird guard splashed a clutch three-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation to send the contest with Portland State to overtime. Then, Marin hit a big three with 33.3 seconds remaining in the extra session, putting SUU ahead, 83-81. That shot proved to be the difference as SUU defeated PSU, 85-82, at Viking Pavilion.
 
Marin tacked on a pair of late free throws for the final score, nullifying a crazy comeback by the Vikings.
 
Facing the defending Big Sky Conference regular season champion, PSU Head Coach Jase Coburn started his seventh different starting lineup in the last 10 games. His team, already undermanned due to injuries, then lost two starting guards early in the second half. Damion Squire was ejected for a flagrant foul, then Mikal Starks fouled out, and there was still 15:23 to play in the game.
 
PSU was down 64-50 inside of nine minutes to play and it looked close to hopeless. But then the Vikings put on a remarkable comeback, going on a 22-6 run capped by a three-pointer from Ian Burke. His shot put PSU ahead 72-70 with 1:13 left. After one free throw from the Thunderbirds, Burke hit another three, this time up against an expiring shot clock and near the mid-court logo. PSU led 75-71 with 25 seconds to play.
 
Just five seconds later, Tevian Jones, who scored a game-high 36 points from Southern Utah, raced to the other end and drained a three for the Thunderbirds.
 
SUU fouled the Vikings' Paris Dawson with nine seconds left and he made both free throws, putting the lead back at 77-74. That's when Marin answered with his first big three pointer in the closing moments, sending the game to overtime.
 
The lead changed hands five times in overtime, with Michael Carter III scoring all five Viking points. But Marin scored the last five of the game in the final 33.3 seconds.
 
"What a game. What a game," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn. "That was a really tough one. Our team just keeps fighting though. I'm not into moral victories, but we really kept fighting the whole game and never gave up. That's what we need to do every night.
 
"We know we are close. We just need to push it over the top. Every game we get closer."
 
Portland State shot only .306 from the field in the first half, but came back to shoot .600 in the second half, sparking the comeback. The Vikings were 34-77 for the game (.442) while Southern Utah shot 26-60 (.433).
 
The difference came at the line with Southern Utah getting 38 attempts and making 25 (.658), while PSU was just 8-13 (.615). PSU got to the basket often, scoring 50 points in the paint to just 28 for SUU. But, the Vikings couldn't get to the line often enough.
 
Thomas led five Vikings in double figures with 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Dawson had 14 points and five rebounds off the bench. Carter scored 13 with six rebounds and six assists. Ezekiel Alley also had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals.
 
Burke, playing in his first game after missing three due to illness, was a key for the Vikings. He scored all 11 of his points in the 22-6 second-half run.
 
Jones finished with 36 points on 11-19 from the field, 5-8 from three-point range and 9-11 at the line. He also had a game-high 10 rebounds. Marin scored 19 points with five assists for the Thunderbirds.
 
Southern Utah improved to 12-6 on the season, 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
PSU lost its fifth game in a row to fall to 4-13, 2-7 in the Big Sky.
 

GAME NOTES: 

• This was Portland State's sixth game in the last 12 games.
• Southern Utah beat the Vikings, 86-76, in Cedar City on Jan. 17.
• Portland State forced 22 Southern Utah turnovers, converting them to 20 points.
• Portland State travels to Northern Arizona for a Saturday afternoon game. The Vikings play at NAU at 1 p.m. PT in a game that can be seen on ESPN+. PSU is back home on Monday, hosting Northern Colorado at 7:30 p.m.