Boise, ID – Northern Colorado outscored Portland State 10-2 over the final two minutes of the game to pull out an 84-80 Big Sky Conference Tournament victory at Idaho Central Arena.
PSU led 78-74 following a
Cameron Parker drive to the rim with 2:06 to play. But the Bears got points on each of their final six possessions, including 8-10 at the free throw line.
With the win, the Bears (12-19) advance to a quarterfinal round game on Sunday evening against second-seeded Montana State. Portland State sees its season come to an end at 12-19.
The loss spoiled a brilliant second-half performance by the Vikings as they overcame an 11-point deficit to go up 78-74 in the closing moments. PSU shot .528 from the field in the second half and finished with 26 fast break points. However they made only 1-5 shots in the final two minutes.
"We had to get up and down (the court)," said Viking Coach
Jase Coburn. "We got caught in their pace in the first half. The second half we were able to get out and get loose a little bit, scoring 47 points. We played more of our style in the second half."
For the game, PSU actually made more field goals (31 to 26) and more three-point field goals (8 to 7) but had a distinct disadvantage at the free throw line as UNC was 25-31 while the Vikings only had 16 attempts, making 10. The Bears shot 10 free throws in the last two minutes to none for the Vikings.
"I thought our guys played their hearts out tonight. It's unfortunate we lost. A lot of times when you make five more shots than the other team it feels like you won," said Coburn. "It was frustrating."
Parker completed his brilliant collegiate career with 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Jorell Saterfield scored 14 points for the Vikings.
Hunter Woods added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Matt Johnson scored 22 points to lead the Bears. Daylen Kountz had 18 points, including hitting 7-8 free throws in the final two minutes. Dalton Knecht also had 18 points for the Bears.
Northern Colorado led for 17 minutes of the first half, but Portland State kept it close throughout. Back-to-back three-pointers by
Bobby Harvey gave the Vikings a brief lead and they were up 19-17 midway through the half. But the Bears went on a 13-0 run and jumped to a 30-19 advantage with 4:54 left.
Finally, a three-point play by
Kendall Munson on a basket inside got the Vikings going. PSU got three run outs for a 7-0 run of its own, punctuated by an
Isaiah Johnson dunk. That closed the score to 34-31.
Johnson was a problem for the Vikings in the first half scoring 13 points. His pull-up jumper at the halftime horn put Northern Colorado ahead 40-33.
Portland State's biggest deficit was 51-40 early in the second half. The Vikings brought it back to a tie after a 12-3 run, with seven of the points coming from Parker. Another Harvey three-pointer finally put the Vikings in front, 56-55.
The Bears got back on top and led 74-69 with just under five minutes to go. That's when the Vikings ran off nine straight points sparked by back-to-back dunks by Johnson and a pair of baskets inside by Parker. His final hoop made it 78-74 Vikings. But Northern Colorado was able to convert down the stretch, getting five trips to the free throw line and one driving hoop.
The play of Munson and Harvey off the bench was a big factor for the Vikings. PSU was missing
Jacob Eyman due to injury, and Johnson battled foul issues throughout the game. So, Coburn called on Munson and the 6-8 sophomore forward had his best game of the season with nine points and four rebounds. Harvey made three triples, scoring 10 points with five rebounds.
PSU shot .456 for the game, while UNC shot .433. The Bears out-rebounded the Vikings, 40-33. PSU forced 16 Bear turnovers while committing only 10.
GAME NOTES
- Bobby Harvey stretched his three-pointers-made streak to 27 straight games. The school record is 35 games, held by Brian Towne.
- With four made free throws, Cameron Parker has set a new Portland State school record for free throws made in a season with 195… Parker finishes his career with 813 assists which ranks 32nd in NCAA history.
- Northern Colorado won both matchups in the regular season, winning 69-67 in Portland and 88-79 in Greeley.
The Big Sky Conference Tournament Bracket
Idaho Central Arena, Boise, ID (All times Mountain)
First Round – Saturday, March 4 (all times Mountain)
Game 1: Northern Arizona 87, Idaho 76
Game 2: Portland State vs. Northern Colorado – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 5
Game 3: #1 Eastern Washington (22-9) vs. #9 Northern Arizona (10-22) – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: #2 Montana State (22-9) vs. #8 Northern Colorado (12-19) – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Quarterfinals – Monday, March 6
Game 5: #4 Montana (16-13) vs. #5 Idaho State (11-20) – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: #3 Weber State (17-14) vs. #6 Sacramento State (14-17) – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Semifinals – Tuesday, March 7
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU and ESPN+)
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2 and ESPN+)
Championship – Wednesday, March 8
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2 and ESPN+)
