Complete Game Notes for Portland State vs. Stanford

The Portland State Vikings will have a week to enjoy their first win of the season - a 92-83 decision over Cal Poly last Saturday - and prepare for an upcoming game with Stanford University. The Vikings will play at Stanford as the holiday weekend concludes Sunday at 7 p.m.

PSU stands at 1-3 on the season after the win over Cal Poly. It was Portland State's home opener and extended a Stott Center winning streak to eight games. PSU is 26-2 at home since the start of the 2007-08 season.

SR G Dominic Waters lit up the Mustangs with 32 points in leading the Vikings to victory. PSU also set a school record for field goal percentage, hitting 31 of 46 shots for a .674 mark.

The Vikings are 0-3 on the road this season as they head to Stanford. Two of those losses were neutral site games.

Stanford of the Pac-10 Conference is 2-2 on the season, including 1-1 at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal is the second of three Pac-10 opponents the Vikings will play in the preseason (Washington, Washington State).

COMING UP
    After the Stanford game, PSU will stay around the Rose City for a couple of weeks. The Vikings have a big crosstown matchup with the University of Portland on Dec. 2 at the Chiles Center. Then the Vikings return home for their Big Sky Conference opener against Eastern Washington (Dec. 5) and a non-conference game with Linfield (Dec. 9).

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-3) vs. STANFORD CARDINAL (2-2)
Sunday, November 29, 2009, 7 p.m., Maples Pavilion (7,329), Stanford, CA

Television: None
Radio: 800 AM KPDQ, www.kpdq-am.com
    Pre-game Show: 6:30 p.m. • Tip-off: 7 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.GoViks.com

STORYLINES
• All-time series: Stanford leads the all-time series 1-0. The then 13th-ranked Cardinal defeated the Vikings 87-63 in the championship game of the Stanford Invitational on Dec. 19, 2001.
• Vikings vs. the Pac-10: Portland State is just 4-41 all-time against Pac-10 teams. The Vikings have played all 10 members of the conference and picked up two wins against both Oregon and Arizona State... the Vikings have already lost to a Pac-10 opponent this year -14th-ranked Washington.
• Seeing 20-20: Stanford will be the fourth Viking opponent out of five played this season that won at least 20 games last year (Stanford, 20-14; Belmont, 20-13; Wright State, 20-13; Washington, 26-9)... the Vikings were also 20-game winners with a 23-10 record last season.
• Something In Common: Portland State and Stanford have both faced Cal Poly this season, both on their home courts and both came away with a win. Stanford beat the Mustangs, 70-53, on Nov. 15. PSU beat Cal Poly, 92-83, on Nov. 21.
• Portland State is 0-3 on the road this season after going 11-9 on the road last year.
• Stanford is 2-1 at home this season. The loss came to Oral Roberts on Nov. 18 on a buzzer beating basket, 83-81.
• Head Coach Johnny Dawkins in his second season at Stanford. He led the team to a 20-14 record last year. The Cardinal was 6-12 and ninth in the Pac-10 Conference. Two starters and 10 letterwinners return from that team.
• Senior forward Landry Fields has been dominant this year for the Cardinal. He averages 22.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Sophomore guard Jeremy Green is averaging 14.8 points and has hit 11 three-point field goals. Sophomore guard Jarrett Mann averages 6.3 assists per game.
• The Cardinal play in the Cancun Challenge on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stanford faces Virginia in the first game, then either Kentucky or Cleveland State in the second game.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON RADIO: All Portland State basketball games can be heard on 800 AM KPDQ and www.kpdq-am.com.The Viking Pregame Show begins one-half hour prior to tipoff with Tom Hewitt calling all the action.
VIKINGS ON TV: Portland State has four regular season games scheduled to be televised in the Portland area: Nov. 15 @ Washington, Dec. 19 vs. Washington State (FSN-channel 34 in Portland); Jan. 17 vs. Northern Arizona, Feb. 28 vs. Weber State (CSN-channel 37 in Portland).
INTERNET STREAMING: Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at www.BigSkyTV.org. Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com.
TYLER GEVING ON WHEELS AT WORK WEEKLY: Portland State Basketball Coach Tyler Geving will be a weekly guest on The Wheels at Work Show on 95.5 FM The Game in Portland. Geving will talk Viking basketball and more with hosts Brian Wheeler, Kenny Vance and Jay Allen every Tuesday at 1:35 p.m. beginning on November 10.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $10 to $15, with youth prices as low as $7. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1.888.VIK.TIKS or 503.725.3307. Special group ticket pricing and season tickets are available by calling Scott Boyd at 503.725.5627. Tickets are on sale at the PSU Ticket Office, located in Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway. You can also purchase tickets on-line at www.GoViks.com, www.TicketMaster.com or at all TicketMaster outlets. 
VIKINGS BASKETBALL BREAKFAST SERIES: The Viking Basketball Breakfast Series takes place on four dates during the course of the basketball season. Head Coach Tyler Geving will speak about Viking basketball at each breakfast event. Dates are Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and Feb. 24 from 7:30-8:45 a.m. at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Cost is $20. RSVP with Scott Boyd (boyds@pdx.edu).

ESPN.COM SAYS VIKING RECRUITS BEST IN BIG SKY
ESPN.com selected the top recruiting classes during the early signing period for each conference in the nation. Portland State, highlighted by Brandon Cataldo, was picked as the best in the Big Sky (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=4675072).

Said ESPN.com: Brandon Cataldo (Rainier, Ore./Rainier), a 6-10 center, has the size and skill to dominate the moment he steps on campus.

Why it's the best: Montana has three solid recruits coming in next season, but when you can snag a center who could have played in the Pac-10 in the massive Cataldo, Portland State gets the nod for the No. 1 class.

Portland State's early signing class for 2010-11
Brandon Cataldo (kuh-TALL-doe), 6-10, C, Rainier (OR) High School
Chehales Tapscott (shuh-HAY-less ), 6-5, F, Clackamas Community College

VIKING FAST BREAKS

WINNING LINES
• The home team has now won five straight in the series between Cal Poly and Portland State. PSU is 4-0 all-time at home against the Mustangs and leads the series 5-3.
• Portland State is 1-0 at home and has won eight straight home games at the Stott Center. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, PSU is 26-2 at home.
• PSU has gone 94-29 in 123 games at the Stott Center since the 1996-97 season. Including home games at Memorial Coliseum (12-6) and the Rose Garden (19-9), the Vikings are 125-44 at home over the past 14 seasons.
• The Vikings are 0-3 in road games this year, with two of those being neutral site games... PSU was 11-9 away from home, 7-7 in road games, 4-2 in neutral site games last season... PSU went 4-4 in Big Sky road games.
• Portland State is 22-20 all-time in overtime games, including 2-1 last year.
• Portland State is coming off back-to-back 23-10 seasons. Those tie for the most wins in a season in school history... with 65 wins over the past three seasons (19, 23, 23), the Vikings have their best three-season win total in school history.

SHOOTING IS WHERE ITS AT...: Portland State went into last Saturday's game needing a dramatic turnaround in opponent shooting (.545) and its own shooting (.413) after three games. The Vikings couldn't have hoped for much more than they got against Cal Poly. PSU hit 31-46 from the field, setting a new school record with a .674 field goal percentage (old mark, 32-54 .654 vs. Idaho State, Feb. 23, 2002). The Vikings also hit 7-13 from three-point range (.538) and 23-29 at the line (.793), including 10-11 free throws down the stretch to seal the win... the Vikings held Cal Poly to 27-67 from the field, a season-best .403 field goal percentage defense.

...BUT REBOUNDING WOULD HELP: Portland State's major weakness in the early season has been obvious; rebounding. The Vikings gave up 20 offensive rebounds to Cal Poly last Saturday which allowed the Mustangs to stay in a game that the Vikings otherwise dominated. Cal Poly scored 20 second-chance points. Through four games this year, PSU has been out-boarded by an average of 11.7 per game. No doubt, with a week to prepare for Stanford, that will be an emphasis in practice for the Vikings.

COOL RUNNING WATERS: SR G Dominic Waters scored 32 points in leading the Vikings to a 92-83 win over Cal Poly. Remarkably, he did it on just 15 field goal attempts. Waters hit 10-15 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range and 10-11 at the line. He also had five assists... the 32 points is just the second-best total of his career. Last season, Waters scored 41 in a four-overtime win at Northern Arizona. However, he scored only 25 points through regulation play in that game... Waters leads the Vikings in scoring (16.8), three-point percentage (8-16, .500) and assists (4.0) this season.

KEEPING UP WITH MELVIN JONES: Fast? Yes. Fastest on the team? Probably. So, it's not easy to keep up with JR G Melvin Jones. He has proven that through four games of his PSU caeer. Jones is averaging 13.5 points, having hit 13-28 from three-point range (.464)... Jones had 16 points in the win over Cal Poly. He rang up 23 points against Wright State on Nov. 14, hitting 7-11 three point field goals... his 13 three-pointers ranks second in the Big Sky Conference.

SPEAKING OF THREE-POINTER SHOOTERS: With 68-150 three-point field goals made in his career, SR G Dominic Waters is shooting .453 from long range - the best of any Viking in school history. His .448 mark last season led the team. He has started this year 8-16 through four games.

BASKETBALL JONES: SR F Jamie Jones averages 11.3 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game. He also blocked six shots. Jones is shooting .618 from the field after a 6-7 performance against Cal Poly... with 36 blocked shots in his career, Jones now ranks ninth in PSU history.

THE SHARP SHOOTERS RETURN: SR F Julius Thomas holds Portland State records for field goal percentage in a season (.643) and a career (.653). He entered the season having missed just 103 shots in 90 games played. So far this year, Thomas is 12-20 from the field (.600)... while Thomas stands as Portland State's all-time best percentage shooter, teammate Jamie Jones rates as second-best all-time at PSU. He is 147-248 for a .593 mark.

JULIUS THOMAS CAREER SHOOTING MARKS
2006-07: 62-97, .639 (set school record)
2007-08: 45-63, .714 (not enough attempts to qualify for school record)
2008-09: 90-140, .643 (broke his own school record)
2009-10: 12-20, .600
Career: 209-320, .653 (school record)

ONE GAME AT A TIME: JR F Phil Nelson has played in all 37 games, starting all 37, since the beginning of the 2008-09 season... SR F Julius Thomas has competed in the most games of any Viking having played in 94 during his career. If he remains healthy, Thomas has a chance to break PSU's games played record of 119.

20 MORE: For the fourth time in five games this season, Portland State will face a 20-win team from 2008-09. The Vikings play Stanford (20-14) on Sunday. They have already played Belmont (20-13), Wright State (20-13) and Washington (26-9). PSU still seeks its first win over a 20-win team this season... PSU will play seven 20-win teams this season (and two 19-win teams).