Strings lifts Sacramento State past Portland State 80-75

Dec 31, 2017, 05:32 am

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Justin Strings scored a career-high 34 points and Sacramento State rallied in the second half Saturday night to overtake Portland State for an 80-75 win in a Big Sky Conference opener.

Strings hit 16 of 18 from the field, hauled in eight rebounds and had five assists. Jordan Tolbert added 19 points for Sacramento State, which hit 60 percent of its 53 shots from the field.

Sacramento State (4-10) trailed by six at the half but stayed close, tying the score at 56, 58 and 60 before edging on top with Tolbert's 3-pointer to make it 63-62 with 5:24 left to play.

Portland State (10-4) then got a 3-pointer from Bryce Canda to retake the advantage but couldn't hold it. Kevin Hicks buried a 3 at the other end to spark a decisive 10-2 run that put Sacramento State on top 73-66 with just under a minute to play.

The Vikings got as close as three on a trey from Woods to trail 78-75 but Jeff Wu sealed it for the Hornets from the free throw line.

Deontae North led Portland State with 20 points and nine rebounds. Ryan Edwards added 16 points and Canda finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.