PORTLAND, Ore. - The Thunderbird men's basketball team wrapped up their regular season schedule on Saturday night in the Big Sky Conference finale against Portland State, and the Vikings were able to top the T-Birds in a very close contest 88-86.

The Thunderbirds had a chance to chance to tie the game down the stretch, as the Vikings led the game by three with 11 seconds to play. The Thunderbirds couldn't get the shot to go, and despite a long triple as time expired they fell to the Vikings by two.

“I like our effort and momentum heading to Reno, but disappointed with the outcome tonight” SUU head coach Nick Robinson said. “Thirteen points for Portland State off our turnovers was the difference.”

The Vikings were able to control the majority of the first half, as they built up a 13 point lead midway through the opening frame. However, the Thunderbirds did not roll over and continued to fight, chipped away at the lead, and tied the game up before going into the half.  

As the second half continued the Vikings built their lead to as many as 10, but the T-Birds went on a 12-0 run to take the lead. The second half remained extremely close throughout, as neither team leading by more than five for the remainder of the contest.

James McGee led the team with 17 points, hitting five shots from behind the three-point line. Casey Oliverson finished with 16 points, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field before fouling out of the contest.

John Marshall and Travon Langston both finished with 12 points, and Trey Kennedy finished with 10.

“We had five guys in double figures scoring, we won the rebounding battle, we were tough for the entire game, and we had a chance,” Robinson said.

Cameron Forte had a big game for the Vikings, as he led all scorers with 25 points. Isaiah Pineiro also had a big scoring output for PSU, scoring 19 points hitting 9-of-10 from the freethrow line.  

The Thunderbirds will now head to the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada, where they will be taking on the University of North Dakota. The game will be on Tuesday and is set to tip off at 3:25 p.m. at the Reno Events Center.