Lumberjacks' season comes to end with Big Sky tourney loss
RENO, Nev. -- Deontae North scored 25 points and had three steals as Portland State shot 54 percent and forced 19 turnovers to defeat Northern Arizona 80-67 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
North made 10 of 15 shots and the eighth-seeded Vikings (15-15) were 31 of 57 from the field. They advance to meet the Big Sky champion and No. 1 seed, North Dakota (19-9) -- which beat Portland State in the regular-season finale on Saturday -- in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
"We had turnovers late in the game when we were in positions to attack their press and that hurt us," NAU coach Jack Murphy said. "I was really proud of how our guys battled. We were down about nine and chipped away at it. Unfortunately, the last 4-5 turnovers killed us late in the game."
De'Sean Parsons added 14 points for Portland State with five rebounds and four assists.
Ako Kaluna led Northern Arizona (9-23) with 18 points and Jordyn Martin scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. JoJo Anderson added 15 points and Marcus DeBerry 14 with eight boards.
"The two young men sitting next to me (Kaluna and Martin) have represented this university with the upmost dignity, heart and toughness," Murphy said. "They are everything that is great about college athletics. They are two exemplary young men that I am happy to have been able to coach."
The Vikings made 17 of 28 shots (61 percent) in a breakaway second half.
