Portland State dominated the glass, outrebounding the Hornets, 47-36, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Vikings did not shoot much better than the Hornets (.387, 24-62), but the rebounding disparity helped Portland State tally four more field goals than the Hornets. That proved to be the difference in the game as both teams had identical stats in three-pointers made (seven), free throws attempted (24), turnovers (18) and steals (10). Sacramento State converted 18 of those free throws (including 10-of-10 from senior Joseth Dawson), while Portland State went 14-of-24 from the charity stripe.

With the loss, Sacramento State dropped to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in the Big Sky. The Hornets, who are now tied for sixth in the conference with Weber State, have lost each of their last two games and fell to 2-10 on the road. With the win, Portland State (11-13, 5-6) has won three of its last four and moved into a fourth-place tie with Montana State. The Big Sky remains cluttered as the second and last place teams in the conference are separated by just 1.5 games.

With its win over Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington (10-1) clinches the Big Sky regular-season title and will host the semifinal and championship games of the conference tournament (March 9-10).

Dawson led all players with 22 points as the senior is now averaging 22.0 points over his last three games. Senior Joel Jones added 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds, but shot just 5-for-17 from the field. Senior Cedric Thompkins tallied eight points and four rebounds as no other Hornet recorded more than seven points.

The Vikings had four players score in double figures, including Walker, Antone Jarrell (15 points), Seamus Boxley (13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds) and Will Funn (10 points). Sacramento State took brief leads at the 8:05 mark (19-18), the 4:28 mark (23-22) and the 1:22 mark (31-29) of the first half, but Portland State led for all but 4:32 of the contest (while never trailing during the second half).

After Sacramento State tied the game at 35-35 during the opening stages of the second half, Portland State went on a 10-0 run to take a game-high 10-point lead (45-35) with 14:58 to play. Walker and Jarrell both scored five points (including one three-pointer apiece) during the run. Sacramento State would get no closer than within three points the rest of the way. A field goal by Jones brought the Hornets within three points (68-65) with eight seconds remaining, but a free throw by Walker sealed the game as a three-pointer by Sacramento State’s Brandon Guyton fell off the mark with two seconds left.

Sacramento State received 34 bench points as the team’s non-starters are now averaging 33.9 points per game this season.

Sacramento State returns to action next week for its final two home games of the regular season. The Hornets take on Weber State on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7:05 p.m., and Idaho State on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:05 p.m. Seniors Tony Champion, Dawson, Djibirl Diop, Guyton, Jones and Thompkins will be honored prior to Saturday’s game against Idaho State for their contributions to the program.