Broussard, also earning seven rebounds and a career-high six steals, shot 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line in accumulating a career-high 21 points. The last of his three made three-pointers came on a broken play as time ran down, with Broussard launching his shot from the top of the arc. Portland State's desperation attempt to tie the game as time ran out fell short.
In a game with 14 ties and 10 lead changes, Portland State held a 66-60 lead with 9:18 left in the second half before a jumper by Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.) and a three-pointer from Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) brought the Redhawks within one. The two teams traded baskets until the five-minute mark, when Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) hit two free throws after a Viking turnover to put SeattleU ahead, 71-70.
After a Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) steal led to a dunk by Gweth, the Vikings tied the game with a three-pointer by Paul Guede. Dominic Waters made four free throws to put Portland State back up, 77-75, with 1:45 remaining, but Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) drew a foul and made his two free throw attempts with 1:13 left to bring the game even again. On the Vikings' next possession, Gweth stole the ball from Guede, setting up the final play.
Burrell shot 7-of-13 from the field in scoring 15 points along with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Garcia contributed 12 points, Gweth finished with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four steals, and SeattleU big men Gilmore and Jones added eight points apiece, with Jones also pulling down six rebounds, five of them offensive boards.
In the first half, Portland State (10-13) took advantage of its inside play, as big men Julius Thomas and Jamie Jones combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds. Late in the half, SeattleU went on a 9-0 run to turn a six-point deficit into a three-point lead, but a three-pointer by Alonzo Brandon and a steal and bank shot from Dane Johnson in the final five seconds allowed the Vikings to pull ahead, 42-40, at halftime.
Julius Thomas finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots, while Jamie Jones collected 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and five blocked shots in the game. Waters overcame foul trouble, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second half along with four assists and two steals in the game, and Guede contributed 10 points and two steals.
For the game, SeattleU shot 41.1 percent (30-of-73) from the field, including 5-of-18 from behind the three-point line, and a season-best 83.3 percent (15-of-18) from the free throw line. The Redhawks dominated the boards, pulling down 23 offensive rebounds that led to 23 second chance points as they won the rebounding battle, 46-33.
Portland State shot 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field, including just 3-of-19 from the three-point arc, and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the free throw line. Neither team had a good day holding onto the ball, as the Vikings committed 24 turnovers while SeattleU was forced into 22 turnovers.
Seattle University (11-13) returns home to prepare for the final stretch of seven games in three weeks, beginning Saturday, Feb. 13, with a rematch against Sacramento State at KeyArena at Seattle Center. Tip time is set for 1:00 p.m., with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., broadcasting the action from courtside on 710 ESPN Seattle beginning with the pregame show at 12:45 p.m. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.com or at the KeyArena Box Office the day of the game.