Box Score
Portland, OR - Charles Odum made two free throws with three seconds to play giving Portland State a Senior Night victory over Northern Colorado in the final Big Sky Conference regular season game, 75-74.

The Vikings found themselves down 74-71 with with 37 seconds to play after a layin by Tevin Svihovec of the Bears. PSU missed a shot on its next  possession but quickly fouled Svihovec. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and PSU was back in business.

On PSU's ensuing possession, Odum missed a jump shot, but Chehales Tapscott rebounded and layed it in with 14 seconds left to make 74-73.

Again, the Vikings fouled Svihovec, and again he missed the front end of a one-and-one. Odum raced up the court, got into the lane for a short jumper and was fouled with three seconds to play. He calmly sank the free throws to put the Vikings ahead, 76-75. A desperation shot at the buzzer by UNC was no good and PSU came away with the win.

Portland State won its sixth straight Big Sky game and finished the regular season at 10-6 in league play, 16-13 overall. The third-place Vikings now host sixth-place Montana State (12-16, 7-9) in a Big Sky Conference quarterfinal round game on Saturday at the Stott Center.

The comeback was fortunate as PSU trailed for the final 10 minutes of the game. UNC's Tate Unruh paced a torrid second-half shooting performance by the Bears making three straight three-pointers. Northern Colorado hit 15 of their first 20 shots in the half. They finished at 19-30 in the half and 33-65 for the game (.508). That number was significant as Portland State shot only .451 from the field for the game (23-51). It marked the first time all season PSU has won a game when being outshot by an opponent (1-12).

PSU was 20-30 at the free throw line, while the Bears were only 1-6. This, despite a relatively close foul count (UNC 17, PSU 14).

The game was close throughout as Northern Colorado's largest lead was seven points early on. The Vikings largest lead was three late in the first half. There were 13 ties and 17 lead changes in the contest.

Odum led Portland State with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Michael Harthun scored 14 points, hitting 4-5 from three-point range. Tapscott scored 12 points with eight rebounds.

Unruh finished with 20 points to lead five Bears in double figures. Northern Colorado ends its season 9-19 overall, 5-11 in the Big Sky.

GAME NOTES: PSU is guaranteed at winning season at 16-13 overall. The 10-6 conference record ties for third-best by a Viking team in 17 seasons in the Big Sky… PSU is 9-3 at home this season… Portland State also won a Jan. 12 game at Northern Colorado, 86-75… Montana beat Weber State, 66-51, in Missoula to capture the Big Sky Conference regular season title. The Griz (15-1) will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament final four on Mar. 6-7… the Vikings will open the Big Sky Tournament by playing a quarterfinal round game at home against Montana State on Saturday. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m. at the Stott Center. If the Vikings can win on Saturday, they would face Weber State (14-2) in a semifinal in Missoula on Mar. 6.