complete notes and stats in pdf

CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (5-3) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-4)
Thursday, December 15, 2011, 7:05 p.m. @ The Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR
Television: None
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Video Stream: www.b2tv.com • Live Stats: www.GoViks.com
All-Time Series: CSUB leads 1-0

The Portland State Vikings will play their final non-conference home game on Thursday when they host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at the Peter W. Stott Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the  game also airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com.
    
The 5-4 Vikings will try to end a two-game losing streak. Home would be the place to do so as Portland State is 3-0 at home this year and has won four straight at home dating to last season.
    
The Vikings are in a stretch of four games in nine days. PSU has already lost the first two on the road in relatively close fashion, 93-87 at Utah Valley and 79-70 at Oregon. The Vikings travel to a game at Oregon State on Sunday, playing the Beavers for the first time in nine years. A game at Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 22) wraps up the preseason schedule.
    
After Christmas the Portland State steps into Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings also have two non-conference games later this season: at an ESPN Bracketbuster opponent to be named (Feb. 18) and at Seattle (Mar. 10).
    
Cal State Bakersfield is 5-3 this year, including 3-3 on the road, with losses in their last two road games at Montana State and Northern Arizona. The Roadrunners have road wins at Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge.
    
The Vikings and the Runners have no common opponents this season.
     
PSU opens conference play on the road at Montana (Dec. 28) and Montana State (Dec. 30).

STORYLINES
• The series: Cal State Bakersfield and Portland State met for the first time ever last season in Bakersfield. The Roadrunners won that game, 92-77.
• Last year: The Vikings led 45-40 at halftime in Bakersfield, but the Roadrunners shot 68% in the second half to blitz PSU by 15, 92-77. PSU was outscored 19-4 down the stretch and gave up 27 points on turnovers. The Vikings shot 50% from the field, but the Runners finished at 59%... Charles Odum scored 18 points and Chehales Tapscott grabbed 11 rebounds for PSU... Stephon Carter scored 30 points, hitting 14-18 shots from the field. Rashad Savage grabbed 17 rebounds for the Runners.
• The Roadrunners: Cal State Bakersfield is an NCAA I independent. The Roadrunner program won NCAA II National Championships in 1993, 1994 and 1997. CSUB moved up to the Division I level for the 2007-08 season... last year, CSUB was 9-19 overall. Two starters and six letterwinners return from that team... Issiah Grayson is the team's leading scorer at 11.9 points per game. He also averages 4.8 assists and shoots .525 from the field... Tyrone White averages 9.8 points and has team-leading 19 three-point field goals... Rashad Savage leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and shoots .667 from the field.
• Head Coach Rod Barnes is in his first season at Cal State Bakersfield. In eight previous years as a collegiate head coach, Barnes has a 141-109 record... Barnes has never faced the Vikings.

VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving is in his third season as Head Coach and seventh season overall with the Portland State program. Geving has a 32-39 record with the Vikings. He was 13-19 in 2009-10 and led PSU to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals. In 2010-11, his Vikings were 14-16 overall.
    
Geving is a 1996 graduate of Central Washington and has been in collegiate coaching for 17 years.
    
The third-year Head Coach is assisted by Andy McClouskey (2nd year, Oregon State, 1982), Eric Harper (7th year, Central Washington, 1995) and Anthony Owens (3rd year, Great Falls, 2006). Former Viking player Mickey Polis is the Director of Operations (3rd year, Portland State, 2009).
    
Geving's record breakdown:
    • 19-18 all-time in non-conference games, 13-21 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents.
    • Geving is 21-9 at home. He is 11-30 on the road, including 4-2 in neutral site games.
    • Geving is 0-1 all-time against Cal State Bakersfield losing 92-77 last season in Bakersfield.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: All Portland State basketball games can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. The Viking Pregame Show begins one-half hour prior to kickoff each week. Tom Hewitt does the play-by-play.
VIKINGS ON TELEVISION: Currently, Portland State has four games that are scheduled to be televised in the Portland area. They are: Nov. 11 against Denver (tape delay at 10:30) on Root Sports; Dec. 12 at Oregon on CSN; Dec. 18 at Oregon State on Root Sports; and Jan. 29 vs. Montana on Altitude/CSN. Other televised games are TBA.
VIKINGS ON THE INTERNET: 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.
TYLER GEVING WEEKLY ON 750 AM THE GAME: Viking Basketball Coach Tyler Geving can be heard every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. on the Dave Smith Show on 750 AM The Game. Geving will review and preview Viking basketball games.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games are available for $15 (reserved) and $10 (general admission). Youth prices are $10 and $7. Groups of 15 or more get special admission prices. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1.888.VIK.TIKS or 503.725.3307. Tickets are on sale at the PSU Ticket Office, located in Smith Memorial Student Union. Tickets are also available at the Stott Center beginning 90 minutes prior to tipoff.

FAST BREAKS
WINNING LINES  
• Portland State has lost two in a row overall and three in a row to the Ducks... the Vikings are 4-45 all-time against Pac-12 teams.
• The Vikings are 3-0 at home this year... PSU was 10-5 at home in 2010-11, 4-4 in Big Sky home games... over the last five seasons, PSU is 58-14 at home, including 29-11 in Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings are 2-4 on the road this season... the Vikings were 4-11 on the road in 2010-11, including 2-0 in neutral site games... PSU was 1-7 in Big Sky road games.
• PSU has gone 114-38 in 152 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 145-53 at home over the past 16 seasons.
• PSU is 37-27 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 42-28 including tournament games.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: In NCAA statistics released on Monday (prior to the Oregon game), Portland State maintained some high rankings among the 338 Division I schools:
• 7th in three-point field goal percentage defense, .244
• 29th in free throw percentage, .744
• 11th in rebounding margin, +9.6
• 20th in fewest personal fouls per game, 15.6
• SR C Nate Lozeau ranks seventh in field goal percentage, .662
• SR G Charles Odum ranks 30th in free throw percentage, .902
• SR F Chehales Tapscott ranks 31st in rebounding, 9.6
• SR F Cheheles Tapscott ranks 22nd in double-doubles, 4

BIG SKY BEST: JR F Chehales Tapscott leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.1)... SR G Charles Odum ranks second in scoring (17.6) and free throw percentage (.909)... SR C Nate Lozeau ranks second in field goal percentage (.657).

FREE IS A GOOD PRICE: For the second year in a row, Portland State is doing a great job of getting to the free throw line. So far, PSU has made 34 more free throws than its opponents have attempted (PSU 166-220, .755; Opponents 99-132, .750).

STAYING ALIVE: Despite losing their last two games, the Vikings have made 41-50 free throws (.820) in the two games to aid late rallies... PSU ranks in the top 30 in the nation in free throw shooting.

PERILOUS PERIMETER: On the other hand, Portland State is struggling mightily from three-point range this season. And, considering how well the Vikings have done in virtually every other facet of the game, imagine where they might be with some solid three-point shooting. The Vikings made a season-worst 1-14 (.071) from three-point range in a six-point loss at Utah Valley. The Vikings were just 5-19 at Oregon (.263). For the year, the Vikings are only 37-157, .236. Making just 4.1 threes per game, PSU is way down from a team that has averaged between seven and nine per game over the last four years, while shooting .352 or better each year (and leading the Big Sky in scoring each year)... the most the Vikings have made in any game this season is seven, and the highest game percentage has been only .318.

D-ING UP: Portland State has not been a strong defensive team the past few seasons. The caveat is the Vikings have always been a strong offensive team, leading the Big Sky Conference in scoring the last four years. This season, Head Coach Tyler Geving has placed an emphasis on defense and, prior to the last two losses, it had been paying off. The Vikings were allowing just 61.0 points through seven games to rank first in the Big Sky, and the most any opponent had scored was 69 points. Aiding the effort was a +10.0 rebounding margin - which led the Big Sky as well... Utah Valley changed that, shooting an opponent high .538 from the field and .943 at the line, and totaling 93 points... Oregon scored 79 points on Monday... both teams' scoring totals were aided by numerous late free throws... the Vikings still allow a respectable 66.6 points per game, .414 field goal shooting and .256 three-point shooting.

TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO: The Vikings got another player on the court at Utah Valley. JR F Renado Parker became eligible when fall term ended due to his transfer status (arriving for winter term last year). The 6-5 post has made a big impact in his first two games. He scored 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-4 FT) with eight rebounds in 23 minutes at UVU. Parker followed that with nine points (4-5 FG, 1-2 FT) and four rebounds in 25 minutes at Oregon. He is 9-11 from the field in two games (.818)... the Vikings had gotten NCAA clearance for FR G Gary Winston in game three. He averages 6.7 points and shoots 44% from three-point range... Parker and Winston are the Vikings' sixth and seventh men. JR F Martin Whitmore will likely be their eighth man, but he has been out with an elbow injury suffered in the preseason exhibition game with Western Oregon. A strong perimeter shooter, Whitmore is expected to be back for the Cal State Bakersfield game on Thursday.

CHUCK WAGON: Despite an off night at Oregon, SR G Charles Odum has been the Vikings' offensive leader this season. Odum averages a team-high 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals. He is shooting a stellar .481 from the field and .909 at the line. Odum's shooting would be even better if he could find the range from three-point distance. After hitting .395 from three-point range in 2010-11, Odum is just 4-34 (.118) so far this year. That means he is shooting 48-74 on two-point attempts, a remarkable .647 percentage. Season highlights:
• Odum has scored in double figures in eight games this season and has three 20-point games.
• In his last four road games, Odum is averaging 22.0 ppg.
• He was at his best at the Wyoming Jim Thorpe Classic, earning All-Tournament honors. Odum scored a career-high 27 points in a win over Louisiana Tech, then followed it with 25 points in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. He shot 16-28 from the field (.571) in those two games and 18-20 at the line (.900).
• Odum ranks second in scoring and free throw percentage, and fifth in steals in the Big Sky.

INSIDE PRESENCE: Portland State's starting big men have dominated during the first nine games of the season. SR C Nate Lozeau and SR F Chehales Tapscott have combined to average 26.2 points, 16.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 2.2 steals per game. They are shooting 83-148 from the field (.561). Tapscott (9.1) and Lozeau (7.7) rank first and third in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding. Lozeau ranks second in field goal percentage (.657), and Tapscott is second in blocked shots (9).... add in JR F Renado Parker's two-game numbers and the three big men average 36.7 points and 22.8 rebounds. They shoot 92-159 (.579).
 
TAP-INS: SR F Chehales Tapscott is a double-double waiting to happen. He is averaging 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds this season with four double-doubles... he grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the win over Louisiana Tech - the most by a Viking in four seasons - to go with 11 points... Tapscott also leads the Vikings with nine blocked shots. Highlights this year:
• Tapscott leads the team in rebounding (9.1), blocks (9) and steals (16). He ranks second in scoring (13.9) while shooting .481 from the field and .746 at the line.
• The 6-5 forward scored six of the final eight points in a win over Seattle (11/15), bringing PSU back from a seven-point deficit with 1:39 to play. He hit the game-winning shot with 4.6 seconds to play.
• Tapscott has four double-doubles this year to lead the Big Sky, and 10 in 33 career games at Portland State.
• Tapscott was named to the Wyoming Jim Thorpe Classic All-Tournament team (11.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, five assists, four blocks, four steals).
• Tapscott ranks first in rebounding, fourth in blocked shots and sixth in scoring in the Big Sky.

NATE'S NOTES: SR C Nate Lozeau scored a career-high 19 points at Denver. He followed that with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the win over Seattle... Lozeau then had another career high with 12 rebounds against Linfield. Highlights this year:
• Lozeau is shooting .657 from the field (44-67) to rank second in the Big Sky Conference and seventh in the nation. He is averaging 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds (15th and 4th, respectively, in the Big Sky). Those numbers are up dramatically from 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds last year.
• Lozeau has posted three double-doubles (four career).

WAITING THEIR TURN: Portland State has five freshmen on its roster for the first time since the mid-90s. With the exception of G Gary Winston, the other four have seen limited minutes. C Brandon Cataldo, F Kidus Ephrem and G Jerron Smith have all shown promise when given the opportunity, but are presently the victims of something Portland State hasn't had a lot of in recent years: depth. The Viking depth will give the freshmen a chance to develop as they become the key players in years to come. That's a good thing for PSU in the short term and the long run.... talented JR F Renado Parker has taken a lot of minutes away from the other Viking big men (including JR F Michael Harvey) since he became eligible. When JR F Martin Whitmore, a good perimeter shooter, returns, he should also get his share of playing time... however, in a long basketball season, all the freshmen will see chances down the line to contribute again.