SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State outscored Portland State in the second half, 31-22, and limited the Big Sky Conference's top scoring team to just 53 points on the way to a 56-53 victory over the Vikings on Saturday afternoon.

The game marked the Big Sky opener for both teams as the Hornets improved to 5-9 overall and 1-0 in league. Portland State, which had won four straight, dropped to 8-6 overall and 0-1. The Hornets have won a season-high three straight games, and are 3-0 on their current five-game homestand which includes two more Big Sky games next week.

The Vikings, who entered the game as the Big Sky's top scoring (83.4 ppg) and shooting (.498) team, were held to a season low in points. In fact, that point total was the Vikings fewest in more than two seasons, a span of 67 games. In a contest where neither team led by more than eight points the entire way, Sacramento State flipped the script in the second half after a tough shooting start.

In fact, the Hornets opened by going 3-for-17 from the field and 0-of-9 from 3-point range, but trailed by just eight points. Sacramento State, which shot just 28% in the first half, trailed at the break by just six points (31-25). It was a much different second half where the Hornets shot 50% from the field, opened the second half on a 19-6 run, and led the final 12:37 of the contest.

A 7-0 spurt gave the Hornets their largest lead of the game at 44-37, and Portland State cut the deficit to a one-possession game on four occasions over the last nine minutes, but could never get over the hump.

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came with just 13 seconds left. Leading, 54-51, the Hornets took 20 seconds off the shot clock before EJ Neal whipped a perfect 25-foot pass to Emil Skytta who had slipped past the PSU defense for a layup and five-point lead. Portland State converted a putback layup with 1.5 seconds left to provide the final score.

Sacramento State has now won seven of the last eight meetings at home vs. Portland State, and continued to dictate the pace against a very athletic, offensive-minded Viking squad. The Hornets finished the game shooting 37% (19-51), and Portland State shot 41% (21-51). Both teams did not shoot the 3-ball or free throws very well. In fact, the Hornets were 5-for-10 from the line in the second half, or the score could have been less nail biting.

Four Hornets scored in double figures, led by Neal's 12 points and eight rebounds. The senior provided a big spark with 10 second-half points, including a pair of threes.

Jacob Holt posted his second straight double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Bailey Nunn stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals, and Emil Skytta had 10 points while playing the majority of the second half in foul trouble. No other Hornet had more than four points. Skytta and Neal both had a defensive hand in limiting Portland State's leading scorer, Jaylin Henderson (15.0 ppg), to just five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Sacramento State is back in action next week when it concludes the homestand with a pair of conference games. That includes Thursday vs. Idaho at 7 p.m., and Saturday vs. Eastern Washington at 1 p.m.