Flagstaff, AZ – The Vikings won it. They lost it. Then, they won it again. In what may be the craziest finish of the college basketball season, Portland State stunned Northern Arizona at the buzzer, 88-87… again. 
 
The Vikings appeared to have the game in the bag Saturday afternoon, leading 86-78 with just 1:22 remaining at JL Walkup Skydome. But NAU had other ideas. 
 
PSU turned the ball over twice and missed three free throws on their next four possessions as the Lumberjacks scored six points in a row, closing to 86-84 with 5.9 seconds to play. Hunter Woods was at the line for the Vikings, but missed and the 'Jacks rebounded.
 
NAU's Liam Lloyd raced up the court and rose up for a three-pointer from just in front of the Lumberjacks' bench. He splashed the three, giving NAU an 87-86 victory. 
 
The Vikings had lost. 
 
Or had they? Officials looked at the replay monitor and determined that 0.4 seconds remained in the game after the ball went through the hoop. 
 
Desperation was all that was left for PSU. Following a timeout, Woods took the ball out of bounds, heaving a high-arcing pass to the opposite end of the floor. Isaiah Johnson leaped in the air between two NAU defenders, caught the pass, and all in one motion tossed up a shot off the glass from 12 feet out on the right side of the key. Buzzer, glass, swish. 
 
88-87, Vikings. Game over. 
 
"I think this is a credit to our players and being mentally tough enough to be able to lock in with four-tenths of a second left to make the play," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn. "It was a heck of a pass by Hunter, a heck of a job screening for Johnson, then a heck of a play by Isaiah to score."
 
And believe it or not, the final basket came on a designed play.
 
Said Coburn: "The guys had a feel for what to do. We had practiced that play and were sitting on it for a situation like that."
 
He explained: "Cameron Parker set it up with a screen for Jorell Saterfield to try and draw the defense too him. Then Saterfield turned and screened quickly for Isaiah to get him some space.

"I knew Hunter could throw that pass and I knew Isaiah had great hands and could make the catch. That is probably a once in a lifetime thing, but I will have to come up with a new play now if it ever happens again."
 
It was a crazy and bizarre ending to a game the Vikings had led for the final 24 minutes - at least until Lloyd's triple. They were ahead by as many as 13 in the second half, and up 84-74 with 2:27 to play.
 
Northern Arizona never gave up though, getting six straight points from Xavier Fuller, four more from Jalen Cone, and the clutch three-pointer from Lloyd down the stretch.
 
The Vikings had a single basket, a short jumper by Isiah Kirby at the 1:22 mark. That is, before Johnson's game-winning shot.
 
Remarkably, it was the second time this season the Vikings have beaten the Lumberjacks at the final horn. Woods made a three-pointer at the buzzer against NAU on Jan. 12 in Portland for a 75-74 Viking victory.
 
For Portland State, it was a much-needed win after four losses in the last five games. PSU improved to 11-15 for the season, 5-8 in Big Sky play as it seeks to climb among the top six teams in the league before the Big Sky Tournament in March.
 
Cameron Parker led the Vikings in scoring for the 11th straight game. He had 21 points on 7-12 from the field, 1-1 from three-point range and 6-7 at the line, adding six rebounds and seven assists.
 
Strong support came from Jorell Saterfield with 19 points on 7-14 shooting, including 4-7 three-pointers, and four assists. 
 
Behind Bobby Harvey, the Viking bench was brilliant once again, scoring 32 points on 14-21 shots (.667). Harvey had 16 points on 6-9 shooting and 4-7 three-pointers, adding five rebounds and three assists. Johnson scored nine points, including the game-winner.
 
Portland State's win was equal parts offense and defense. The Vikings shot 35-61 from the field for a .574 mark - the best against a Division I opponent this year. PSU also forced 13 turnovers for 13 points and had eight blocked shots, with three each from Kendall Munson and Jacob Eyman. 
 
Northern Arizona was coming off a big 77-55 home win over Sacramento State on Thursday. They appeared to have another home win before the Vikings' last-second heroics. Fuller had 18 points to lead five 'Jacks in double figures. Carson Towt added 17 points and nine rebounds. 
 
Northern Arizona is now 7-20 on the season, 3-11 in the Big Sky.
 

GAME NOTES

• Bobby Harvey has now made three-pointers in 22 consecutive games.
• Cameron Parker has scored 20+ points in the last six games, averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 assists and shooting 49-83 from the field (.590).
• Portland State has beaten Northern Arizona four straight times and in nine of the last 12 meetings.
• The Vikings have held second-half leads in 10 of the 13 Big Sky games played so far. Of those 10 games, PSU is 5-5. Among the eight games decided by single-digits, PSU is 4-4, including 3-1 in games decided by three or less.
• The Vikings are 5-8 in road games this season, 3-4 in Big Sky road games.
• Mikal Starks missed his first game of the season due to low back pain. Jorell Saterfield is now the only Viking to start every game this season.
• Portland State returns to Portland next week to host Idaho State on Thursday and Weber State on Saturday at Viking Pavilion.