PORTLAND, Ore. -- Seamus Boxley scored with 12 seconds left to lift Portland State to an 81-77 men's basketball victory over Sacramento State Friday evening at the Peter W. Stott Center.
The win improved the Vikings to 5-13 overall and 2-5 in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets dropped to 3-14 overall and 0-6 in the Big Sky.
Trailing by one, 77-76, PSU's Dony Wilcher drove into the paint and dished to Boxley on the block for an easy layup to put the Vikings back on top. Boxley also drew a foul on the play and made the free throw. Sacramento State had a chance to answer but Pablo Gonzales forced a three-point attempt from the corner with 7.7 seconds left in the game and PSU's Anthony Lackey corralled the rebound and was fouled. Lackey made both free throws to seal the game for the Vikings.
Boxley's basket overshadowed two strong individual efforts from Sacramento State. Senior Rickie Glenn and Pablo Gonzales combined for 51 of the team's 77 points in loss. Glenn ended the night 9-of-18 from the floor and 9-of-14 from the line for 27 points. Gonzales was 8-for-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the stripe for 24.
Portland State led by as many as nine points in the first half before the Hornets stormed back to take a 43-39 halftime lead. Sacramento State then stretched its lead to nine, 59-50, with 12:26 left in the game. The Vikings then went on a 15-5 run to claim a one-point advantage and the two teams then traded leads for the next four minutes.
Portland State broke a 72-72 tie with a pair of free throws by Jabbar Washington and then extended its lead to three points with 2:53 left. Gonzales scored on a jumper to pull the Hornets within one and then made another bucket to give Sacramento State a 76-77 advantage.
The Vikings were led Anthony Lackey's 20 points. Boxley added 16 points off the bench and Felix Lang contributed 15.
Glenn and Gonzales were joined by senior Rame Batta in double-figures with 15 points. The trio were the only three players to score a field goal for Sacramento State in the second half.
As a team, the Hornets suffered their first defeat of the year when outrebounding their opponent (38-34). The team also shot well above its season average by going 27-for-34 from the free throw line.
Sacramento State will return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Cal State Northridge. The game, which will mark the final time the two schools meet for a regular-season Big Sky contest, will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on KTKZ 1380 AM.
