January 16, 2014
MEN’S HOOPS FALLS IN OVERTIME TO PORTLAND STATE, LONG 3-POINT STREAK ENDS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In a game where neither team led by more than eight points, Portland State outscored Sacramento State, 13-9, in the extra session to earn a 68-64 victory over the Hornets in a Big Sky Conference men's basketball game Thursday evening at The Nest.
In the process, two long streaks came to an end. Sacramento State went 0-for-14 from the 3-point line, snapping its streak of 561 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. That streak dated back over 20 years to Nov. 28, 1993. In addition, Portland State ended its 20-game road losing streak, a run that dated back almost two full seasons.
The Hornets had numerous wide open looks at 3-pointers, but could not convert. Playing against a Portland State defense which entered the game allowing opponents to shoot .403 from long range, the Hornets went 0-for-5 from the 3-point stripe in the first half, 0-for-7 in the second half, and 0-for-2 in overtime.
Sacramento State, which was playing in its first overtime game since Dec. 31, 2010, dropped to 5-9 overall and 1-4 in the conference. The Vikings improved to 7-7 and 2-3 in the Big Sky, and have now won back-to-back overtime games, including a triple overtime home win against Montana last Saturday.
The Hornets shot 52.6 percent (10-19) from the field in the first half, and took a 28-25 lead into the halftime break. Sacramento State had a lead as large as eight points (24-16) before the Vikings closed the half on a 9-4 run.
The Vikings took their first lead in over 16 minutes of game clock at 33-32 on a fast break three-pointer by Gary Winston with 17:15 remaining in the contest. That came in the midst of a 14-6 Vikings' run that allowed PSU to take a 5-point lead (39-34) with 11:16 left. Sacramento State had a pair of one-point advantages later in the second half, but the Vikings responded with buckets on their next possession each time to reclaim the lead.
An eventual PSU 3-pointer from Tim Douglas with 3:49 to play gave the Vikings a 51-49 lead. PSU would maintain that advantage until the closing seconds when the Hornets' Cody Demps hit a baseline jumper with 3.4 seconds left to tie the score at 55-55. Douglas then raced up the court and missed a desperation shot at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
PSU took the first lead of overtime on an Alyx Foster layup with 3:47 left and never trailed the rest of the way. A Gary Winston 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the shot clock proved to be the dagger, giving the Vikings a 64-58 lead with 42 seconds remaining. The Hornets cut the lead to three points on a pair of occasions in the final 25 seconds, but Portland State responded with free throws each time to help put the game away.
Sacramento State shot 44.2 percent (23-52) from the field and 81.8 percent (18-22) from the free throw line, but could not hit from distance. In fact, the Hornets converted on better than 60 percent (23-of-38) of their shots inside the 3-point arc. Portland State also shot poorly from the 3-point line (5-for-17), but did make 48.1 percent (26-54) of its shots from the field overall.
For the Hornets, junior Mikh McKinney led the way with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. McKinney (42) and Demps (43) combined to play 85 minutes in the contest. Joining McKinney in double figures for Sacramento State were freshman Eric Stuteville (11 points, four rebounds, 5-of-7 shooting) and senior Jordan Salley (10 points, six rebounds). For Stuteville, the 11 points were a season best.
Demps added nine points and four assists, Dylan Garrity had eight points and three assists, and Zach Mills finished with four points and a team-best eight rebounds. Garrity (4) and McKinney (4) combined to score eight of the Hornets' nine points in overtime.
For Portland State, Kyle Richardson (12 points, 10 rebounds), Winston (12 points, six assists) and Douglas (13 points) all scored in double figures.
The Hornets return to action in two days when the team hosts Eastern Washington at The Nest on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
