PORTLAND, Ore. — Esmeralda Morales – the Big Sky Conference leader in three-pointers made per game and three-point percentage – probably shouldn't be able to get as open as she did Thursday night.
 
Down two with 5.0 seconds remaining, Morales in-bounded the ball from the baseline to Cinco McCartney, who then passed it right back to Morales in the corner for a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left. Weber State didn't have a timeout so couldn't advance the ball, and the Wildcats' desperation half-court shot at the end sailed wide.
 
It was the second last-second, game-winning three-pointer that Viking Pavilion has seen in the past eight days. Last week, Hunter Woods hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Portland State men's basketball team a 75-74 win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 12. Thursday, Morales delivered for the Portland State women, giving them a 65-64 win over Weber State.
 
"Found a way. Really proud of our fight tonight" Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg said after the game.
 
"Esme, man. Ultimate competitor. Even when she had a few turnovers and the ball wasn't always going in, she kept on being confident and didn't think twice on the shot in the corner."
 
The win over the Wildcats (4-14, 0-6 Big Sky) may not have come if not for two earlier wins this month for the Vikings (8-8, 3-3 Big Sky). The Vikings broke through for their first conference win since 2021 on Jan. 7, beating Idaho 53-43, then followed with a 78-66 win over Northern Arizona on Jan. 12.
 
The confidence the Vikings earned from those wins helped them overcome a woeful stretch from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth quarter. The Vikings led 47-35 with 4:23 remaining in the third quarter, but then saw Weber State go on an extended 23-5 run that put them up 58-52 with 4:46 left in regulation.
 
Two big momentum plays got the Vikings back in it. Syd Schultz first converted a three-point play with 3:46 remaining to cut the Wildcats' lead in half, 58-55. Morales then got clobbered on a breakaway layup following a steal, leading to an intentional foul that gave the Vikings two free throws and the ball. Morales hit both free throws, and while the Vikings wouldn't get anything out of the ensuing possession, Morales hit a three-pointer the next time down the court to put the Vikings up 60-59 with 2:35 remaining.
 
Schultz answered a Weber State bucket with a putback layup that gave the Vikings a 62-61 lead with 1:44 remaining. Neither team then scored until Weber State's Daryn Hickok hit two free throws to put the Wildcats up 63-62 with 21 seconds left. An empty Viking possession gave the ball back to Weber State, but the Wildcats' Jadyn Matthews could only add one of two from the line, setting the stage for Morales' game-winner.
 
The game-winning shot that Morales hit was actually the Vikings' second crack at it. Morales initially missed a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining, but Schultz and McCartney battled for the rebound, eventually forcing it off of Weber State and out of bounds with 5.0 seconds on the clock.
 
"We executed what we wanted [on the first attempt], but it just didn't go in. But we did a good job getting the tips, Syd and Cinco especially, going in there hard, forcing them to tip it out of bounds. And then we called something [on the in-bounds] and executed it perfectly and Esme stepped up with the huge three," Gregg said of the team's last-second plays.
 
Thursday's win marked new territory for the Vikings. In their previous two conference wins, the Vikings trailed for all of 29 seconds in the fourth quarter against Idaho and Northern Arizona. But Thursday night was a different story. The Vikings trailed for the majority of the final 10 minutes, falling behind by as many as six.
 
Not only did the Vikings have to overcome a late deficit, they also overcame several statistical disadvantages. Weber State outshot the Vikings (.512-to-.491), out-rebounded the Vikings (29-to-23), made more free throws (18-to-5) and committed fewer turnovers (16-to-17) Thursday.
 
And yet, the Vikings pulled it out.
 
"We were just reiterating in timeouts and from the bench that we just needed to control what we could control. Do us, stick to fundamentals and we'll be fine. We don't have to do too much. We don't have to play not to lose, but play to win and we'll be alright," Gregg said.
 
"I'm really proud of their effort and their belief all the way through till the end. I think it definitely comes from being able to finish games this year, being a year older, but we also stuck together tonight. We didn't try to do all our own thing. We stayed connected."
 
The first 25 minutes of Thursday's game couldn't have gone better for the Vikings. They led by 13 at halftime and still led by 12 before Weber State went on their extended run to take the lead. Mia 'Uhila and Alaya Fitzgerald built the Vikings' early lead. They combined for 17 of the Vikings' 20 points in the second quarter, all of which came after Weber State cut the Vikings' lead to one early in the period.
 
'Uhila scored six straight points by herself, the first four coming on a pair of steal-and-scores after Weber State had cut it to one. She finished with 10 points in the period, adding four more as part of a 9-2 run to finish the half. Fitzgerald scored the other five in that run, while she finished with seven in the quarter.
 
"Mia was outstanding for us tonight. I think, really, her defense spurred our offense. And Lay really gave us that lift in the middle. Even beyond her points, her ability to get after it defensively and just her length changes things," Gregg said of 'Uhila and Fitzgerald.
 
'Uhila and Fitzgerald finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Morales scored 14 of her team-high 18 points after halftime, while she finished 4-of-7 from three-point range.
 
McCartney chipped in four points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Jada Lewis added eight points. Schultz scored five of her seven points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, while also adding a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high four steals.
 
"Her rebounding was where it was at," Gregg said of Schultz. "She played some really good minutes for us, and just her senior leadership is what we needed in those moments."
 
The Vikings now turn their attention to Idaho State, Saturday's opponent, which comes into Viking Pavilion for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
 
If recent trends continue, then that game will come down to a last-second three-pointer. And we like the Vikings' chances in that scenario.
 
Game Notes: The Vikings improved to 31-30 all time against the Wildcats following Thursday's win…Morales' last-second shot was the Vikings' first game-winning shot that came within the final five seconds since Feb. 14, 2021, when the Vikings beat Northern Arizona, 58-56, on three free throws from Desirae Hansen with 4.5 seconds remaining…Morales has now hit at least four three-pointers in four of the team's last five games…Thursday night's game was Pride Night, presented by Pride Northwest.