Almost champs

When it comes to winning and losing, nothing matters more than the score when time expires. For the Vikings this weekend, they did their best to instill that lesson into two teams from the Midwest, relying on solid play and late-game heroics to reach the championship game of the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Even with newcomer junior guard Jeremiah Dominguez struggling to find his shot, the Vikings controlled the championship game, leading Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference for more than 39 minutes Sunday.

With the tournament championship on the line, the Vikings staked an early lead and held a 33-26 advantage at halftime. But the Vikings stumbled down the stretch, going scoreless, expect for two free throws, in the final 4:28.

Senior center Stuart Creason’s basket with 15 seconds left gave the Rams their first lead of the game. Portland State had one last chance to counter, but a shot by senior guard Dupree Lucas failed to fall, and the Rams stole one from the Vikings 64-63.

Lucas led the way with 16 points for the Vikings. Senior center Scott Morrison chipped in 15 points. Dominguez, who was selected to the all-tournament team with senior guard Deonte Huff, finished with four points and no assists.

Portland State (2-2) shot their way into the final versus the Rams (3-1) after dispatching Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (3-2) Friday and Akron (2-1) Saturday, behind great defense and clutch shooting.

The Vikings trailed IUPUI 34-25 at halftime, but caught fire in the second half, shooting 73 percent in the final 20 minutes, including 8 of 12 from beyond the three-point line. Dominguez and Huff drained back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 73 with 45 seconds left.

Then, Dominguez took over, scoring the game-winning basket on a reverse lay-up with five seconds to go and putting Portland State up 75-73 before stealing the inbound pass to seal the victory. Sophomore forward Tyrell Mara led the Vikings with 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting.

Dominguez solidified himself as one of the Viking’s leaders Saturday, dropping 18 points in a 66-63 win over tournament-favorite Akron. Pacing the Vikings, Dominguez hit 7 of 8 field goal attempts, including 4 for 5 from three-point range.

Many of Dominguez’s makes came in key situations, helping to keep the Zips at bay. But it was senior guard Dupree Lucas who would supply the dramatics on this night. Lucas finished with 17 points and several baskets in the final minutes to ensure the Vikings came out on top in a game that featured 17 lead changes.