GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Portland State was able to build an early lead and hold off North Dakota late as the Vikings posted an 82-75 victory Saturday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Sophomore Braxton Tucker scored a game-high 20 points and it was his mid-range jumper in the final minute that was the biggest of his 10 field goals.

It put PSU back up by two possessions at 77-73 after UND forward Jaron Nash had cut what once was a 17-point second half deficit down to two points with a 3-point play.

The Vikings (8-6, 2-2 BSC) would add five free throws in the closing 40 seconds to hold off UND's late comeback attempt. 

Sophomore Quinton Hooker scored a career-high 18 points for the home team and Nash added 16, but the Vikings dominated the glass, holding a 41-27 edge in that category.

UND (5-10, 1-3 BSC) dropped its second straight at the BESC despite trimming double-digit deficits in both halves down to two points.

"Our energy was not where it needed to be (in the first half), which was surprising to me coming off such a heartbreaking loss (on Thursday)," UND head coach Brian Jones said. "Honestly, I thought we really competed in the second half, but for the second or third game in a row, we didn't rebound and until we change our mindset in that area games like this are going to happen." 

Forward Tiegba Bamba led the efforts on the glass for the Vikings, pulling down a game-high 14 and PSU turned 12 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points.

The Vikings jumped out to a 13-2 advantage in the opening five minutes, but Nash would whittle that deficit down to 20-18 with a layup, capping a 9-1 run. 

Unfortunately, UND's offense fizzled once again, making only two field goals in the closing six-plus minutes of the first half. PSU took advantage, building its advantage at the half back to nine points at 31-22.   

The Vikings would push their lead to as many as 17 points in the second half after a layup by DaShaun Wiggins made it a 56-39 contest at the 11-minute mark.

UND would storm back though as the home team shot 56.7 percent from the field after the break and scored a season-high 53 points after halftime. A jumper by Gary Winston put PSU up 73-63 with three minutes to go, but a 10-2 run over the next two minutes quickly made it a 75-73 contest.

Redshirt freshman Carson Shanks had a putback dunk during that stretch to ignite the crowd and after Nash converted a 3-point play to cap the run, the Vikings used much of the 35-second shot clock before Braxton calmly sank another jump shot to squash any thoughts of a UND comeback.

PSU shot 51.7 percent from the field for the game and UND ended up at 47.3 percent after a slow start.

Junior Terrel de Rouen added 13 points to give UND a trio of double-figure scorers. Shanks led the reserves with nine points. Hooker also finished with four steals, five assists, and five rebounds. 

UND will remain at home for one more Big Sky contest next Saturday vs. Northern Colorado. Tip against the Bears is set for 2 p.m. CT.

-- UND --