By DAVE GUFFEY
Junior guard Gary Winston made a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds to go, as the Portland State Vikings defeated the visiting University of Montana Grizzlies 81-78 in triple overtime in a Big Sky Conference game Saturday evening in PSU’s Stott Center.
The Griz are now 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the league, while PSU goes to 6-7/1-3.
“Our key guys just couldn’t make shots when we needed one, and we should have had this one, but just made too many mistakes on offense and defense,” said an obviously disappointed Griz head coach Wayne Tinkle on KGVO Radio’s post-game interview. “Our veterans need to step up for us and we just needed to make more big plays. We still have so far to go.”
The last time Montana played in a three overtime contest occurred twice in the 1993-94 season. The first was an 80-73 three win at Washington, while the second was a 97-91 setback at Weber State.
Montana took a 78-77 lead with 1:08 remaining in the third extra period on 14-foot jumper in the lane by junior guard Jordan Gregory. Winston then made one-of-two free throws to tie the game up for the 15th and final time at 78-78 with 54 seconds left to play in the third OT.
The Griz had a chance to take the lead in the third OT, but senior guard/forward Kareem Jamar missed a long-range 3-pointer, giving PSU got the last possession, which led to the game-winning trey by Winston, giving the Vikings their first league win of the young season.
Junior guard Keron DeShields tied the game up at 57-57 in regulation with 16.6 seconds left, and the Vikings did not get off a potential game-winning shot, and the Griz were forced to play in their first overtime contest of the 2013-14 season.
Gregory nailed a 3-pointer with 1:00 left in the first overtime, but junior center Brandon Cataldo knotted the game up 62-62 on an offensive rebound and a subsequent lay-up the closing seconds of the first extra period, and the first OT ended deadlocked at 62-all.
Each team scored 10 points in the second OT, and senior center Eric Hutchison tied the game up at 72-72 on a conventional three-point play with about 25 seconds left, and neither team scored after that to force a third and decisive extra period.
Gregory scored a game-high 25 points (and played 51 minutes), while Kareem Jamar added 19 points (and played a career-high 54 minutes), and DeShields scored 17.
Griz guard Mario Dunn, 6-0 true freshman, had game and career-highs of 9 rebounds 7 assists, and also chipped in 6 points, and logged 47 minutes.
DeShields, starting junior forward Mike Weisner, and Hutchison all fouled out for UM.
Winston and senior guard Marcus Hall led the Vikings with 21 points each, while junior guard Tim Douglas added 18 points.
Montana is home next week, hosting North Dakota on Thursday, Jan. 16, and first-place Northern Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 18.
