Portland, OR – Khalid Thomas scored a career-high 27 points, but no basket was more emphatic than a fast break dunk in overtime that rocked the Viking Pavilion and led Portland State to a 73-69 overtime win against Idaho State.
 
PSU trailed for more than 30 minutes of the contest and by as many as 12 late in the first half. But, after being down 34-24 at intermission, they inched their way back into the game.
 
The Vikings got their first lead of the second half on a driving three-point play by Thomas with 4:02 left. The Vikings were up 53-51 at that point. Thomas made another conventional three-point play with 1:35 remaining and PSU led 60-58. Liam Sorensen answered with a score inside for the Bengals with 1:16 on the clock, tying the game.
 
Neither team could score on their final possessions, sending the contest to overtime.
 
Again, Idaho State grabbed the lead and was up 68-65 with 1:18 remaining in overtime.
 
Vikings junior guard Damion Squire scored inside to cut it to 68-67 and set up the biggest play of the night.
 
On Idaho State's next possession, Thomas knifed in to cut off a pass and make his fourth steal of the night. The 6-10 forward raced to the other end to hammer down a jam over ISU's Daxton Carr. PSU led 69-68 with 38 ticks left in overtime and the crowd went wild, forcing a Bengal timeout.
 
When the Bengals tried to respond, Portland State came up with another huge play at the rim. Sophomore forward Jacob Eyman blocked Carr's drive to the basket out of bounds. Then, junior guard Mikal Starks drew a charge with 12 seconds left and the Vikings took over.
 
Thomas tacked on another basket to put PSU up 71-68. ISU got a single free then Ezekiel Alley finished the scoring for the Vikings with two free throws for the final score.
 
Thomas, a senior, ended the night making 11-19 field goals and 5-6 free throws for his 27 points. He also had a team-high seven rebounds and four steals.
 
"What a way to go out on Senior Night," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn of Thomas. "He played the game how it's supposed to be played. You can look at his points, but he also had four offensive rebounds and four steals and those got us extra possessions. So, he was really valuable for us tonight."
 
Portland State's win was its third in a row, fifth straight at home and seventh in the last nine games. More importantly, the Vikings moved into a tie with Eastern Washington for sixth place in the Big Sky Conference at 9-9 as they try to improve their seeding for the Big Sky Tournament.
 
The Vikings overcame one of their poorest shooting nights in a long time. They made 25-61 from the field (.410) and only 4-15 from three-point range (.267). They entered the game shooting .756 at the free throw line, but managed only 19-30 on the night (.633).
 
Again, it was defense that buoyed Portland State. The Vikings made 11 steals and forced Idaho State into 23 turnovers for 26 points.
 
"In the second half we really locked in defensively and kept turning them over," said Coburn. "We didn't play great tonight, but we did grind the game out and find a way to come back."
 
Alley was the only other Viking to score in double figures with 17 points. He made 5-10 from the field, 3-5 behind the arc and 4-5 at the line.
 
Idaho State was led by the 14 points and six assists of Tarik Cool. Malik Porter scored 13 points, and Jared Rodriguez had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Bengals are now 7-21 on the season, 5-14 in the Big Sky.
 

GAME NOTES:

• The Vikings beat Idaho State, 63-55, in Pocatello on Dec. 2. They have now beaten ISU in six of the last seven meetings and nine of 11.
• Thomas had 13 points in the second half and six points in overtime for the Vikings.
• Once 4-13 on the season, 2-7 in the Big Sky, PSU is now 11-15, 9-9.
• Portland State goes on the road for its final two games of the regular season next week. The Vikings play at Idaho on Thursday, then Eastern Washington on Saturday. Both games will be live streamed on ESPN+.