PORTLAND, Ore. – Weber State guard Jeremy Senglin buried a contested 25-foot fall-away with 0.8 seconds left to force overtime and the Wildcats went on to defeat the Portland Pilots 92-82 in the opening game of the re-established Far West Classic Friday night at the Moda Center.

Portland junior point guard Alec Wintering scored a game-high 26 points for the Pilots (5-7), while Joel Bolomboy finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Wildcats (6-5).

Weber State led by 12 points with 11:16 left in the second half before Portland used an 18-5 run capped by a D'Marques Tyson three-pointer to take a 61-60 lead. The game would feature three ties and six lead changes in the final five minutes.

Trailing by four, Wintering made a pair of free throws and then Ray Barreno converted a putback to tie the game at 69-69 with 1:36 remaining. Portland forced a turnover and Gabe Taylor made a layup. After another defensive stop, the Wildcats fouled Wintering with 15 seconds remaining. He made the front end of a one-and-one for a 72-69 lead, but missed the back-end following a timeout.

Senglin then hit his fall-away with Wintering draped all over him at the top of the key and the Pilots were unable to get a shot off before the regulation buzzer.

Portland took the early lead in overtime on a Jazz Johnson corner three-pointer, but the Wildcats would rattle off a 9-0 run aided by a pair of Pilot turnovers and two missed free throws. Weber State closed it out with free throws in the final minute.

Jarrel Marshall finished with 13 points off the bench for the Pilots, while Taylor and Bryce Pressley added 11 each.

Ryan Richardson came off the bench to pour in 18 points for the Wildcats, while Senglin finished with 17.

Portland shot just 39 percent overall, while Weber State finished at 49 percent from the field. The Pilots made 7-of-20 three-pointers and the Wildcats finished 11-of-29 from beyond the arc.

The Pilots were able to gain a 26-12 edge in points off of turnovers and were only outrebounded by a 46-45 margin.

The Wildcats carried a 36-29 lead into halftime as both teams struggled offensively in the first half.

Portland will conclude the Far West Classic on Saturday against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at 5:30 p.m. The Pilots will then open West Coast Conference play on Monday night at the Chiles Center against Loyola Marymount with a 6 p.m. tip-off. Portland also hosts Pepperdine on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Kids receive free admission to both games as a Holiday special.

ABOUT THE FAR WEST CLASSIC
The Far West Classic began in 1956 hosted by Oregon State at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. When Memorial Coliseum opened in Portland in 1960, the Far West Classic moved there and quickly became one of the best holiday basketball tournaments in the country. The last eight-team tournament was held in 1989 and returned as a two-night, four-team tourney in 1991. The last Far West Classic was held in 1996. This is the 11^th appearance for the Pilots in the tournament.

Notable players and coaches who participated in the Far West Classic include: Danny Ainge (BYU), Mel Counts (Oregon State), Walter Davis (North Carolina), Dale Ellis (Tennessee), Slats Gill (Oregon State), A.C. Green (Oregon State), Jud Heathcote (Michigan State), Lionel Hollins (Arizona State), Kevin Johnson (California), Magic Johnson (Michigan State), Steve Johnson (Oregon State), Bobby Knight (Indiana), George McGinnis (Indiana), Ralph Miller (Oregon State), Cincy Powell (Portland), Charlie Scott (North Carolina), Charlie Sitton (Oregon State), Jose Slaughter (Portland), Dean Smith (North Carolina) and John Stockton (Gonzaga).