FRESNO, Calif. – A contested 3-pointer from the wing by KJ Allen with 0.2 seconds left gave Portland State a 75-72 overtime win over Fresno State on Monday night at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs rallied back from 15 down late in the first half to force the extra period.
Isaiah Pope led the 'Dogs with a season-high 14 points off the bench, all coming after the first half. Enoch Boakye added a career-high 12 points.
Allen paced the Vikings with 15 points, going 3-of-3 from the 3-point line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Holding a slim lead through the opening five minutes, Fresno State saw it disappear through an 8-0 run that gave Portland State a 16-10 lead. It forced the 'Dogs to call a timeout with 12:14 on the clock. A layup from Isaac Taveras out of the break ended the run. But after one for Eduardo Andre pulled them back within two, the Vikings scored seven unanswered. A triple from the wing by Bobby Harvey with 9:16 on the clock gave PSU a 23-14 advantage.
Trailing by six, an 8-2 stretch by the Vikings in less than two minutes extended their lead to 12 with 5:44 left in the half. That advantage increased to 15 after a 3-pointer from Jorell Saterfield with 1:01 to go. Andre got two back with a layup just before time expired as the 'Dogs trailed 41-28 heading into the locker room.
After 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes led to 19 Viking points, the Bulldogs cleaned things up with just three the remainder of the game.
Down by 12 five-and-a-half minutes into the second, Isaiah Pope began putting the Vikings defense under pressure. The senior scored 10 points during a near eight-minute 18-4 run that gave the Bulldogs their first lead in 26 minutes. Part of the run was aided by the 'Dogs forcing the issue and getting into the bonus with 12:51 on the clock.
PSU responded from the 3-point line. A triple from KJ Allen with 3:45 remaining put the Vikings up 61-57 but Xavier DuSell quickly answered at the other end with one of his own as the 'Dogs rattled off six unanswered to regain the lead.
Knotted up at 65-65 with under 30 seconds, Isaiah Hill had a layup attempt rim off. The Vikings called a timeout with 25.1 remaining but the Bulldog point guard forced Ismail Habib into a contested deep 3-pointer just before time expired.
Fresno State opened overtime with seven answered points beginning with a layup and-one from Hill. Allen then scored eight of the game's final 10 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left on the clock.
NOTES
Fresno State is 54-54 all-time in overtime, 1-1 in 2023-24.
Fresno State held Portland State to 24 points in the second half, the lowest an opponent has scored in a second half this year.
Fresno State dropped to 1-4 when trailing at the half this season.
Fresno State dropped to 1-4 when being outscored in points off turnovers.
Fresno State lost its first game of the season when at least four Bulldogs scored in double figures.
Enoch Boakye recorded a career-high 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the field.
Isaiah Pope reached double figures with a season-high 14 points, with all of them coming after the 12:51 mark in the second half.
Pope surpassed 1,000 points in his collegiate career. He had 252 at D-II Humboldt State, 711 at D-I Utah Tech and currently has 45 at Fresno State.
Eduardo Andre grabbed 10 rebounds for the second-straight game he has appeared in.
Isaiah Hill dished out at least eight assists for the third game this year.
UP NEXT
Fresno State will be on the road for its next three games beginning with a trip to San Francisco on Friday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. PT and will air on ESPN+.