WSU 92, PSU 79
PORTLAND -- Weber State survived a late push by Portland State and climbed back into the Big Sky championship race with a 92-79 win over the Vikings. The Wildcats (15-6, 6-3 Big Sky) knocked the Vikings out of a share for first in the Big Sky as Harold Arceneaux scored 32, and Eddie Gill chipped in 23. Arceneaux's night included another stellar game at the free-throw line where he nailed 14 of 16.Portland State was led by Derek Nesland's 23.
The big performances out of Gill and Arceneaux were needed as post players Ivan Gatto and Stephan Bachmann both fouled out with a combined nine points in 40 minutes. Bachmann had become a dependable threat on the post but played only 13 minutes before earning a seat on the bench with his fifth foul. Gatto, on the other hand, didn't do much scoring, but when he was in the game, he made the most of it by grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds, including five off the offensive glass.
Weber State led throughout the game but saw PSU chip away at the lead and close the gap to just 6 points with less than two minutes to play, but the Cats hit clutch free throws down the stretch to pull away for the win.
The Vikings used a 13-4 run after Weber had grabbed a 54-40 lead. But that PSU rally was answered by a 8-0 spurt to pull away down the stretch. WSU's offense was in fine fashion, but the defense was almost as good. The Wildcats limited the Vikings to just 34 percent shooting.
Arceneaux's big offensive night is his second straight 32-plus point game.
He scored 36 against Cal State Northridge last week and scored 33 points in consecutive games the week before.
Weber State plays at Eastern Washington with first place in the Big Sky on the line.