IDAHO STATE BENGALS (3-13, 1-3) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (8-9, 2-3)
Monday, January 16, 7:05 p.m. @ 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: PSU leads 25-15 • PSU in Portland: 16-5
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 21-11 • PSU in Portland: 12-4
REVITALIZED VIKS SEEK WIN STREAK AS THEY HOST IDAHO STATE
A revitalized Portland State basketball team will host Idaho State on Monday as it attempts to put together a Big Sky Conference winning streak. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at the Peter W. Stott Center. It airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. Live video streaming is available at www.b2tv.com.
Road wins make any team feel better and the Vikings got one at Northern Colorado on Thursday night, 86-75. That improves PSU to 8-9 on the season, 2-3 in the Big Sky Conference. Don't look now, but the Vikings have played well in their last three games (despite a loss to league-leading Weber State) and appear ready to make some noise in the Big Sky Conference race.
Portland State is 5-1 at home this season and has three of its next four games at the Stott Center. The Vikings have a good history against Idaho State, winning 12 of 16 Big Sky games against the Bengals at home and 21 of 32 overall. Currently sitting in sixth place in the Big Sky standings, the Vikings are only one game behind third-place Eastern Washington (3-2).
Idaho State lost its coach, Joe O'Brien, who resigned earlier this season after 10 games and a 2-8 record. Since that time, interim coach Deane Martin, has led the Bengals to a 1-5 mark for 3-13 overall, 1-8 on the road. ISU is 1-3 in Big Sky Conference games.
The Bengals play at Sacramento State on Saturday, prior to facing the Vikings.
STORYLINES
• The series: Portland State leads the all-time series, 25-15, and the Big Sky Conference series, 21-11... the teams have split the season series each of the last three years... PSU had won seven in a row prior to that... the Vikings have won both Big Sky Conference Tournament meetings between the schools - both of which were semifinal games.
• Last year: The teams split the season series last year with each school winning on the other school's home floor... the Vikings won 79-72 in Pocatello behind the 25 points of Chris Harriel (7-11 3-pt FG)... despite being outrebounded 37-20 in the game, PSU shot 53% from the field and made 14 three-pointers... the Bengals won 84-79 in Portland as the Vikings played from behind all night. Deividas Busma led four Bengals in double figures with 20 points... Charles Odum scored 45 points for the Vikings in the two meetings, hitting 16-25 from the field (.640), 5-8 three-pointers (.625) and 8-9 free throws (.889)... Chase Grabau had 30 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the two games for the Bengals.
• The Bengals: Idaho State has won two Big Sky Confererence Championship and two Big Sky Tournament titles... the Bengals have made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament all-time... last year, Idaho State was 9-20 overall, 4-12 and tied for eighth in the Big Sky Conference... two starters and five letterwinners return from that squad... the Bengals rank last in scoring and rebounding margin in the Big Sky Conference... Melvin Morgan leads the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game... Chase Grabau averages 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting .523 from the field... Abner Moreira is the top rebounder at 6.7 per contest.
• Interim Head Coach Deane Martin took over in December following the resignation of previous coach Joe O'Brien. Martin had been one of O'Brien's assistants. Martin is currently 1-5.
VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving is in his third season as Head Coach and seventh season overall with the Portland State program. 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:
• Geving is 35-44 all-time at Portland State.
• 15-24 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents, 20-20 all-time in non-conference games.
• Geving is 23-10 at home. He is 12-34 on the road, including 4-2 in neutral site games.
• Geving is 2-2 all-time against Idaho State, 1-1 at the Stott Center.
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: Portland State has four televised games this year in the Portland area. They are: Nov. 11 against Denver 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.
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.
RECENT GAME:
THREE-POINT BARRAGE LEADS VIKINGS OVER BEARS, 86-75
Greeley, CO - After a long wait, and a lot of misfires, the Viking basketball team finally found the range.
Portland State had easily its best three-point shooting night of the season, making 13-21 from outside on the way to its first road victory, an 86-75 decision over Northern Colorado at Butler-Hancock Pavilion.
Portland State entered the game as the best shooting team in the Big Sky Conference at .480 from the field, but the worst three-point shooting team in the Big Sky at .292. The most threes the Vikings had made in any game all season was seven. But they reached that mark within the first 15 minutes and made 13 for the night. PSU shot .619 from distance and .617 overall.
Portland State's win improved it to 8-9 on the season, 2-3 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings won their first Big Sky road game in a year after losing nine in a row. They also won their first true road game of this season. PSU is 3-8 away from home, but the other two wins were neutral site victories.
The Vikings shot a remarkable 19 for 26 in the first half (.731), including 9-12 from three-point range. At one point, the Vikings had made 17 of their first 21 shots (.810). PSU led 49-36 at halftime.
Lateef McMullan led Portland State's offensive fireworks in the first half, scoring 16 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and 2-3 at the line.
PSU maintained its double digit advantage for most of the second half. A few late turnovers by the Vikings allowed UNC to get within six points briefly but there was little doubt as to the better team on this night.
“That first half we played was as good as we've played all year,” said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. “Coming off a tough loss against (league-leading) Weber State I was worried how we would respond, but we really responded. We shared the basketball and that's how we got open shots.”
McMullan (20) and his backcourt mates Charles Odum (22) and Michael Harthun (18) combined for a big offensive night when the Viking big men were in foul trouble. The three Viking starting guards combined for 60 points and 12 assists, making 18-29 from the field, 9-15 from three-point range and 15-19 at the line.
McMullan's 20 points was a new career high, and he added a game-high six assists and five rebounds.
“Lateef did a phenomenal job making his jump shots and setting up the other guys,” said Odum.
Mike Proctor and Connor Osborne each scored 16 for the Bears. Northern Colorado is now 5-10 on the season, 2-2 in the Big Sky.
GAME NOTES: Portland State shot better than 50% from the field for the third straight game. PSU has made 87-150 (.580) in those three games… Chehales Tapscott had a career-high four blocked shots… PSU's fourth guard, Gary Winston, also had a good game with 11 points and three assists off the bench… PSU leads the all-time series with Northern Colorado, 12-3.
FAST BREAKS
WINNING LINES
• The Vikings are 5-1 at home this year, 1-1 in Big Sky games... PSU was 10-5 at home in 2010-11, 4-4 in Big Sky home games... over the last six seasons, PSU is 60-15 at home, including 30-12 in Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings are 3-8 on the road this season, with two neutral site wins... the Vikings are 1-2 in Big Sky road games... Portland State ended a nine-game Big Sky Conference road losing streak with the win at Northern Colorado... the Vikings were 4-11 on the road in 2010-11, including 2-0 in neutral site games.
• PSU has gone 116-39 in 155 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 147-54 at home over the past 16 seasons.
• PSU is 39-30 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 44-31 including tournament games.
BETTER THAN EVEN: Portland State is now one game over .500 all-time against current members of the Big Sky Conference (146-145). Here are the all-time records: PSU has winning records vs. Idaho State (25-15), Northern Arizona (20-17), Northern Colorado (12-3) and Sacramento State (22-10). The Vikings are .500 against Eastern Washington all-time (18-18). PSU has losing all-time records against Montana (20-28), Montana State (18-26) and Weber State (11-28)... PSU is 123-126 all-time in Big Sky Conference games against current Big Sky schools.
LIGHTS OUT: Portland State has shot the ball brilliantly the last three games, with all three performances over .500, and two over .600. PSU made 31-50 from the floor for a .620 mark against Northern Arizona on Jan. 5, then 27-53 for .509 against Weber State on Jan. 7. In the win at Northern Colorado, the Vikings hit 29-47 for .617, and a season best 13-21 from three-point range (.619)... the Vikings have shot over .500 seven times this season and are 5-2 in those games... PSU has shot over .600 three times this year and are 3-0 in those games... PSU shot .673 (33-49) in a win over CSU Bakersfield (12/15). That was the best shooting by a Viking team in 66 games. The last time PSU shot better was a 33-48 (.688) performance against Eastern Washington on Dec. 5, 2009.
BIG SKY BEST: Not surprisingly, the Viking team leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal shooting (.487) and ranks second in scoring (77.3), free throw percentage (.746) and rebounding margin (+4.0)... SR F Chehales Tapscott leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (8.8) and is second in blocked shots (1.1)... SR G Charles Odum ranks second in scoring (17.6)... SR C Nate Lozeau ranks second in field goal percentage (.580).
NATIONAL RANKINGS: In NCAA statistics released on Friday, Portland State maintained some high rankings among the 338 Division I schools:
• 34th in scoring (77.3)
• 20th in field goal percentage (.487)
• 28th in free throw percentage (.746)
• SR G Charles Odum ranks 49th in free throw percentage, .859
• SR F Chehales Tapscott ranks 51st in rebounding, 8.8
PERILOUS PERIMETER: Portland State is the best shooting team in the Big Sky (.487) but until the last three games, had been struggling mightily from three-point range. The numbers have been edging north gradually, as the Vikings are 26-51 over the last three (.510)... in five league games, PSU is at .427 from three-point range... PSU made a season-high 13-21 in the win at Northern Colorado for a season-best .619 mark... the Vikings had been down in the mid-.200s, but are now up to .317 for the season, and 5.2 made per game - still worst in the Big Sky. Those numbers are way down from a team that has averaged between seven and nine per game over the last four years, while shooting between .352 and .393 each year (and leading the Big Sky in scoring each year).
2 VS. 3: That's right, Portland State is the league's best overall shooting (.487) and two-point shooting team (378-678, .558), and its worst three-point shooting team (89-281, .317)... the only other Big Sky team shooting better than .500 from two-point range is Sacramento State (.504).
GUARD GLORY: Portland State's three starting guards dominated the win at Northern Colorado, and that was key as the Viking big men were all in foul trouble for most of the night. JR G Lateef McMullan scored a career-high 20 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. SR G Charles Odum scored a game-high 22 points with five assists and four rebounds, while JR G Michael Harthun added 18 points and four rebounds... those three combined for 60 points and 12 assists, making 18-29 from the field, 9-15 from three-point range and 15-19 at the line... in addition, PSU's main guard off the bench, FR Gary Winston, had 11 points and three assists... the Viking guards had a similar performance in the win against Northern Arizona (1/5). Odum, McMullan and Harthun combined for 42 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals. They made 16-23 field goals (.696), 5-9 from three-point range (.556) and 5-5 at the line (1.000).
HE LIKES THE ROAD GAMES: SR G Charles Odum has scored 20 or more points six times this season - all on the road. In those six, Odum is 46-76 from the field (.605), averaging 24.2 points and the Vikings are 3-3.
EMERGING: JR G Lateef McMullan's game is getting better as the season progresses. He scored a career-high 20 points and tied his career-high with six assists in the win at Northern Colorado. That performance continues the trend of recent week's for McMullan... averaging 7.0 points and 2.3 assists after eight games, McMullan has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine contests, averaging 12.6 points and 2.6 assists.
THUN-ING UP: JR G Michael Harthun is getting more and more comfortable at shooting guard for the Vikings as the season goes along. “Toon” is now shooting .472 from the field, .433 from three-point range, averages 9.5 points and has a team-high 26 three-pointers made... over the last nine games, he has made 17-33 from three-point range (.515)... over the last three he is 8-13 (.615).
