Complete notes and stats in pdf

The Portland State Vikings take a three-game winning streak to Eugene this Sunday as they face the University of Oregon in a non-conference game. PSU and the Ducks meet in a 3 p.m. game that will be televised on Comcast Sports Net. The radio broadcast airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am with a pregame show at 2:30 p.m.
   
The Vikings come off an 83-76 Wednesday night win over Seattle University. That raised Portland State's record to 4-1 on the season and extended its winning streak to three. PSU now faces an Oregon team it has not seen in four years.
   
PSU is just 4-43 all-time against teams from the Pac-10, but the Vikings have had some success against the Ducks. PSU is 2-7 all-time against Oregon, 2-4 in McArthur Court, with wins in 1997 and 2005. Sunday's game at Mac Court will be one of the last in the fabled venue as Oregon will move to new Matt Arena in January.
   
Portland State hosts two home games next week, facing George Fox (Dec. 9) and Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 12), at the Stott Center.

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-1) vs. OREGON DUCKS (4-2)
Sunday, December 5, 2010, 3 p.m. @ McArthur Court (10,000), Eugene, OR
Television: Comcast Sports Net (ch. 37/HD 737) • Play-by-Play: Joe Giansante • Analyst: Rob Closs
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 2:30 p.m.
Live Stats: www.GoViks.com

All-Time Series: Oregon leads 7-2
Streak: The Ducks have played every game this season in the state of Oregon - six in Eugene, one in Portland.

STORYLINES
• The series: Portland State and Oregon have met nine times previously. All nine games occured between 1996-97 and 2006-07. The Ducks leads the series, 7-2, and are 4-2 against the Vikings at McArthur Court... PSU's last win against Oregon was a 54-52 decision on Dec. 27, 2005. The Ducks came back the next year to beat the Vikings, 116-68, on Nov. 12, 2006. That was the most recent meeting... PSU's other win over Oregon came on Nov. 25, 1997 when Derek Nesland hit a three-pointer with three seconds remaining for a 56-54 decision.
• Vikings vs. the Pac-10: Portland State is 4-43 all-time against teams for the Pac-10 team. The Vikings are 2-7 against the Ducks, 2-3 against Arizona State and winless against everyone else (Arizona, 0-1; California, 0-1; Oregon State, 0-11; Stanford, 0-2; USC, 0-1; Washington, 0-9; Washington State, 0-7; UCLA 0-1)... Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 0-3 against the Pac-10 with losses to Washington, Washington State and Stanford last year.
• The Ducks: Oregon comes off a 16-16 season in 2009-10 under former coach Ernie Kent. The Ducks were 7-11 and placed eighth in the Pac-10. One starter and seven letterwinners return from that team... in the off-season, Oregon replaced Kent with new Head Coach Dana Altman.
• Quality Quack: Oregon has had a solid start in a transition season. The Ducks are 4-2 overall and 4-1 at McArthur Court... Oregon hosts Missouri on Thursday in the Big-12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series... SR F Joevan Catron has led the Ducks in scoring (18.8), rebounds (6.3) and shooting percentage (.569) this season. SO F EJ Singler averages 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and shoots .523 from the field.
• Head Coach Dana Altman: First-year Head Coach Dana Altman has led Oregon to a 4-2 record early in the season. Altman has compiled a 414-245 record in 22 years of coaching (Creighton, Kansas State, Marshall).

VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving is in his second season as Head Coach and sixth season overall with the Portland State program. Geving has a 17-20 record with the Vikings. He was 13-19 in 2009-10 and led PSU to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals. Geving is a 1996 graduate of Central Washington and has been in collegiate coaching for 16 years.
   
Geving has never faced Oregon as a Head Coach. He is 0-3 against the Pac-10, with losses to Washington, Washington State and Stanford last season. Geving is 9-10 all-time in non-conference games.
   
The second-year Head Coach is assisted by Andy McClouskey (1st year, Oregon State, 1982), Eric Harper (6th year, Central Washington, 1995) and Anthony Owens (2nd year, Great Falls, 2006). Former Viking player Mickey Polis is the Director of Operations (2nd year, Portland State, 2009).

RADIO BROADCAST CHANGE FOR VIKINGS vs. PILOTS
Portland State's Dec. 18 game with the University of Portland will air on Freedom 970's sister station, 750 AM KXL and www.kxl.com. The move to KXL for one game is to provide a stronger signal for the intra-city rivalry game between the Pilots and the Vikings. Tip-off is scheduled at 7:05 p.m. at the Peter W. Stott Center. The pregame radio show with Tom Hewitt begins at 6:30 p.m. All other Viking basketball games will air on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON RADIO: All Portland State basketball games can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am. The Viking Pregame Show begins one-half hour prior to tipoff with Tom Hewitt calling all the action.
VIKINGS ON TV: Portland State has three regular season games scheduled to be televised in the Portland area. Two are on Comcast Sports Net: Dec. 5 at Oregon (3 p.m.) and Jan. 2 at Idaho State (1:05 p.m.), while one will be on Altitude TV: Jan. 22 vs. Northern Arizona (6:05 p.m.).
INTERNET STREAMING: Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at www.b2TV.com. Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com.

VIKINGS REWIND: PORTLAND STATE 83, SEATTLE 76
Portland State extended its winning streak to three and improved its home record to 2-0 with an 83-76 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night. In addition, the Vikings avenged a pair of losses to the Redhawks in 2009-10... the Vikings broke open a close game midway through the first half. Trailing 18-17, PSU was sparked by a series of five steals and went on a 16-2 run. PSU led 33-20 with 7:22 left in the half... forcing the Redhawks into 13 first-half turnovers, the Vikings took a 40-30 lead into the halftime locker room. Only a 14-point effort by Cervante Burrell in the first half kept Seattle alive... Seattle used a 1-3-1 trapping zone to try to disrupt the Viking offense in the second half. PSU Coach Tyler Geving answered with a small lineup for much of the game, playing the 6-5 Chehales Tapscott and Paul Guede inside with three guards outside.  Some shaky ball-handling moments allowed the Redhawks back into the game. They closed the Viking lead to two on two occasions but never led... PSU capitalized at the foul line, making 21 of 27 in the second half and 26 of 32 overall... Melvin Jones led the Vikings with 23 points. Tapscott had his second double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Harriel added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Charles Odum came off the bench for 12 points... Burrell led five Redhawks in double figures with 20 points... PSU won the battle of the boards, 42-33, including 21 on the offense glass... the Vikings had only nine healthy bodies available. They played without Terry Coleman, who sat out with a lower left leg injury. Phil Nelson remains out with a left foot injury.

FAST BREAKS
WINNING LINES 
• PSU is 2-0 at home this year... the Vikings have won four straight home games dating to last season.
• With a three-game winning streak, PSU has its second-longest streak under Head Coach Tyler Geving. The Vikings won four straight games Dec. 2-13, 2009.
• The Vikings are 2-1 on the road this season, including 1-1 in neutral site games... PSU was 5-15 in road games in 2009-10, including 2-6 in Big Sky road games.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Portland State is 35-6 at home, including 22-4 in Big Sky Conference games.
• PSU has gone 103-33 in 136 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 134-48 at home over the past 15 seasons.
• PSU is 32-16 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 37-17 including tournament games.
• Portland State is 22-22 all-time in overtime games, including 0-2 last season.
• The Vikings are 2-14 against nationally-ranked teams since reinstating the program and joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes wins each of the last two years over ranked teams (Gonzaga in 2008-09, Portland in 2009-10).

FREE IS A GOOD PRICE: It's early in the season, but the Vikings are making frequent trips to the free throw line thanks in part to the slashing styles of SO G Chris Harriel, JR F Chehales Tapscott, JR G Charles Odum, and the physical play of SR F Tree Thomas. The Vikings have shot 136 free throws, making 106, an average of 21.2-27.2 shooting per game for a .779 mark (last year PSU averaged 14.4-20.1, .717)... meanwhile opponents have attempted fewer FTs than the Vikings have made (60-91), an average of 12-18.2 per game for a .659 mark... free throws were particularly important against Seattle as the Vikings struggled with their second-half shooting (.333), but made 21-27 at the stripe and 26-32 overall (.813).

MISSING THE THREE: The Vikings are averaging 6.4 three-point field goals per game and shooting .360 from distance this season. Both marks are respectable, but don't match what PSU has done in past years. The 6.4 made per game is the lowest rate since 2004-05 and the .360 mark is the lowest since 2006-07. In fact, the Vikings led the Big Sky in three pointers in 2007-08 and 2008-09... PSU went just 5-18 from long range on Wednesday against Seattle... a big part of what is missing is SR F Phil Nelson, who has yet to play this year due to a foot injury. Nelson averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game last year while shooting .387 from the arc... fortunately, PSU is averaging exactly the same number of points as it did last year (78.0), mainly because it is making exactly seven more points per game at the free throw line.

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE...: Portland State dressed just nine healthy players for Wednesday's game against Seattle. JR G Terry Coleman did not suit up due to a lower left leg injury. His status for Sunday's game at Oregon is doubtful. Without Coleman, the Vikings are thin at point guard, needing SR G Melvin Jones to handle a lot of the duty... SR F Phil Nelson remains out with a left foot injury. He will be re-evaluated next week. It is hoped he can return later this month.

KEEPING UP WITH MELVIN JONES: With the loss of SR F Phil Nelson for the time being, the play and leadership of SR G Melvin Jones has become even more important for the Vikings. Jones has certainly answered the call, averaging 15.2 points per game, 2.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He also has a team-high 14 three-point field goals and is shooting .900 at the line. His scoring is up 3.4 points over last year and his assists are up 1.3 over last year.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Melvin is averaging 23.0 points in two home games.
• He now has seven 20-point games in his career.
BIG GAMES
• Melvin had a game-high 23 points, hitting 6-11 FGs, 5-9 3-pt FGs, 6-6 FTs, in a win over Pepperdine (11/12). He added five assists and two rebounds... Jones had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in a win over Lamar (11/20)... scored 23 points (7-14, 4-10, 5-6) in a win over Seattle (12/1).

CHRIS-TMAS COMES EARLY: The play of SO G Chris Harriel has been an early Christmas present for Vikings Head Coach Tyler Geving. While the coach knew his talented sophomore was much improved, he probably didn't count on quite this much production. In five games, Harriel has already set two new career scoring highs and a career rebounding high. Harriel leads the Vikings with 15.4 points per game. He is also shooting .893 at the line and averages 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.8 assists.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Harriel was named All-Tournament at the SMU Invitational after averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, shooting 13-26 from the field, 7-13 from three-point range and 13-15 at the line. He also had six assists and five steals.
BIG GAMES
• Harriel scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and made two steals in the season-opening win over Pepperdine (11/12)... posted a career-high 23 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in a victory over Lamar (11/20)... had 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in beating UC Riverside (11/21)... had 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over Seattle (12/1).

GREAT TAP-SCOTT!: JR F Chehales Tapscott has been as big an impact player as Head Coach Tyler Geving expected through five games. The former NWAACC Player of the Year from Clackamas CC is averaging 11.6 points, a team-high 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Chehales leads the Vikings with two double-doubles in five games.
• Tapscott was named All-Tournament at SMU with 31 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists in three games.
BIG GAMES
• Tapscott had 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in the Vikings' win over Lamar (11/20)... posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Seattle (12/1).

MINI-MICROWAVE: JR G Charles Odum is reminiscent of former Detroit Pistons star Vinnie Johnson (aka The Microwave) in both game and physique. In fact, in a role as the Vikings' sixth man, Odum definitely heats up quickly. As a result, the 6-foot, 205-pounder averages 10.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, shooting .500 from the field and .739 at the line for the Vikings despite not having a start.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Odum had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Vikings three games at SMU, hitting 13-23 FGs, 3-8 3-pt FGs and 11-15 FTs while playing less than 25 minutes per game.
BIG GAMES
• Scored a season-high 17 points against SMU (11/19).. had 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in a win over Lamar (11/20).

LONDON CALLING: SR F Paul Guede has been a solid defender for the Vikings and efficient on the offensive end as well, averaging 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and shooting .476 from the floor and .833 at the line. The London, England native also hit a game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left in the Vikings' 83-81 win over Pepperdine (11/12). Guede had 10 points, two rebounds and two steals in the game.
BIG GAMES
• Had 10 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left in an 83-81 win over Pepperdine (11/12)... scored nine points with seven rebounds and a steal in the win over Seattle (12/1).

LOZEAU=HIGH PERCENTAGE: JR C Nate Lozeau has been a solid addition to the team this season after being a redshirt in 2009-10. Lozeau has shot .625 from the field through five games (20-32) and is averaging 8.2 points per game... the 6-10 post is 15-19 form the field in his last three games (.789).

A TREE GROWS IN PORTLAND: The other half of the post tandem for the Vikings this season has been SR F Phillip “Tree” Thomas. In just 15 minutes per game, Tree is averaging 8.4 points per game while shooting .536 from the field and .750 at the line. That is a big upgrade from last year's 3.9 points per game.

WEST COAST KILLERS: With the Vikings' 83-81 win over Pepperdine of the West Coast Conference (11/12), Portland State is now 3-1 against WCC teams in Tyler Gevings' two seasons as Head Coach. PSU is 6-1 against the WCC dating to the start of the 2007-08 season, including 3-0 vs. Portland, 2-0 vs. Pepperdine, 1-0 vs. Gonzaga and 0-1 vs. Saint Mary's. Wins over #7 Gonzaga (2008-09) and #25 Portland (2009-10) came against nationally-ranked teams... the Vikings have another chance against the WCC when they play Portland again on Dec. 18 in the Stott Center.

PHIL'S FOOT: For the second time since last January, SR F Phil Nelson has suffered a broken left foot. The loss is a big one for the Vikings, as Nelson was the top returning scorer at 12.9 points and 48 three-point field goals through 20 games last year when he suffered the injury the first time. Nelson reinjured the foot on Nov. 8. It is anticipated he can return in six to eight weeks... PSU is now 9-8 in the 17 games Nelson has missed since Jan. 30... Nelson has started all 53 games he has played in as a Viking. PSU is 31-22 in those games. The Vikings also lose much-needed size on the floor as Nelson stands 6-8.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• SR F Paul Guede hit a game-winning three-pointer with five seconds to play as the Vikings defeated Pepperdine, 83-81, in the season opener (11/12). SR G Melvin Jones scored 23 points, while SO G Chris Harriel (16) and SR F Tree Thomas (13) each had career-highs.
• SO G Chris Harriel scored a career-high 23 points with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 102-98 win over Lamar (11/20). JR F Chehales Tapscott added a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. SR G Melvin Jones had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds as the Vikings shot a season-high .548 from the field.
• The Vikings held UC Riverside to just 7-28 from the field in the second half as they broke away from a halftime tie and beat the Highlanders, 69-58 (11/21). SO G Chris Harriel had a game-high 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• PSU made 21-27 second-half free throws, and 26-32 overall in an 83-76 win over Seattle (12/1). SR G Melvin Jones led four Vikings in double figures with 23 points. JR F Chehales Tapscott had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while SO G Chris Harriel added 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.