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Reno, Nev. • One down, one to go.

Weber State has already captured the Big Sky Conference regular season championship — its fifth in 10 seasons under coach Randy Rahe — but the Wildcats have to win the league tournament to reach the NCAAs.

Their postseason journey starts Thursday, when top-seeded Weber State faces No. 8 seed Portland State in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament at the Reno Convention Center.

The Wildcats have beaten the Vikings twice already this season, including an 87-78 victory three weeks ago in Ogden.

The win was Rahe's 200th at Weber State, although he didn't think the 'Cats played their best during a second-half rally by Portland State that sliced a 14-point deficit to two.

"For some reason we played back on our heels and allowed them to run good offense," Rahe said. "Some days you've got to find a way when things aren't working right. When our defense wasn't working right, we had to just go find a way. Sometimes you've just got to make enough plays down the stretch to win a game and that's what we did."

Senior forward Joel Bolomboy, who this week was named the Big Sky's Player of the Year, had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the victory before fouling out.

Said Rahe: "… I'm so proud of our team — all season long. They have worked so hard to get to this point and they have earned it."

Portland State advanced to its tournament meeting with Weber by knocking off ninth-seeded Northern Colorado in the first round, 74-67.

Cameron Forte, a 6-foot-7 forward who started his college career at Georgia, scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Vikings, who nailed down their victory by making seven free throws in the final minute.

Weber State and Bolomboy will have to control Forte, who had his 12th double-double of the season in the opening round against the Bears.

"He's pretty good inside 10 feet," said Vikings coach Tyler Geving. "If we can get him the ball down there, he is pretty efficient."

The win was Portland State's fourth straight.

"The attitude and effort of this team has been great all year, even when we were struggling early on," Geving said. "So it's no surprise to me that we have won some games down the stretch." —

Big Sky tourney

At The Events Center, Reno, Nev.

Tuesday's First Round

Portland State 74, Northern Colorado 67

North Dakota 85, Southern Utah 80

Sacramento State 79, Montana State 75

Eastern Washington 74, Northern Arizona 52

Thursday's Quarterfinals

Weber State vs. Portland State, 1 p.m.

Idaho State vs. North Dakota, 3:30 p.m.

Montana vs. Sacramento State, 6:30 p.m.

Idaho vs. Eastern Washington, 9 p.m.

Friday's Semifinals

Weber State-Portland State winner vs. Idaho State-North Dakota winner, 6:30 p.m.

Montana-Sacramento State winner vs. Idaho—Eastern Washington winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday's Championship

Semifinal winners, 6:45 p.m. —

Weber State vs. Portland State

P At the Reno Convention Center, Reno, Nev.

Tipoff • 1 p.m. (MST)

Broadcast • WatchBigSky.com

Radio • 1430 AM

Records • Weber State 23-8, 15-3; Portland State 13-17, 8-10

Last meeting • Weber State, 87-78 (Feb. 13)

About the Wildcats • They have won seven of their last eight games, including a 79-77 victory at Eastern Washington in the season finale that clinched the Big Sky title and No. 1 seed in the tournament. … Their leading scorers are senior F Joel Bolomboy (17.9) and junior G Jeremy Senglin (17.8). … Bolomboy ranks third in the country in rebounding (12.8). … They shoot 37 percent from the 3-point line.

About the Vikings • They have won four straight games, including a 74-67 victory over Northern Colorado in the first round of the tournament. … Their top scorers are senior F Cameron Forte (19.0) and sophomore F Isaiah Pineiro (12.3). … Forte averages 9.4 rebounds. … As a team, they make 32.3 percent of their 3-point shots. … Their uptempo offense averages 77.8 points per game.