complete notes, stats and updated bios in pdf

Big Sky Tournament audio mix

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (17-13, 10-6) vs. WEBER STATE WILDCATS (23-5, 14-2)
Big Sky Conference Tournament Semifinal
Tuesday, March 6, 4:37 p.m. PT @ Dahlberg Arena (7,500), Missoula, MT
Television: Altitude/CSN (ch. 37/HD 737) in Portland
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 4:30 p.m. PT
Live Video Stream: www.b2tv.com • Live Stats: www.GoViks.com
All-Time Series: WSU leads 29-11
Big Sky Series: WSU leads 25-11 • Big Sky Tourney: WSU 4-0

Portland State has advanced to the Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinals following a decisive 75-53 win over Montana State on Saturday night. The third-seeded Vikings (17-13) will face number-two seed Weber State (23-5) in a semifinal game on Tuesday night in Missoula, MT. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT, and the game will be followed by an Eastern Washington (#4, 15-16) vs. Montana (#1, 23-6) semifinal at 7 p.m. PT.
    
The PSU-Weber State game will air on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. It will be televised in the Portland area on Altitude TV and Comcast SportsNet.
    
Portland State is making its fifth straight appearance in a Big Sky Tournament semifinal (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 - in 2011, PSU was not eligible to participate in the tournament due to APR deficiencies). The Vikings went on to win Big Sky titles in 2008 and 2009. PSU is 2-4 all-time in tournament semifinal games.
    
Portland State is 8-7 all-time in Big Sky Tournament games, including wins in six of their last seven tournament games. This is PSU's 10th trip to the Big Sky Tournament.
    
Tuesday's game will be formidable as the Vikings take on a powerful Weber State program that beat PSU twice this year (88-81 in Portland, 92-79 in Ogden). The Wildcats were in first place for much of the season before losing the season finale - and the right to host the tournament - to Montana last Tuesday.
    
The Wildcats feature superstar Damian Lillard, who ranks second in the nation in scoring at 24.8 points per game after leading the nation for much of  the season. He did extensive damage to the Vikings this season, scoring 38 and 40 points in the two wins, shooting well over 60% from the field and making 14 three-point field goals.
    
In addition, Weber State has been Portland State's white whale, beating the Vikings in 29 of 40 all-time meetings, including 11 of the last 14. Moreover, WSU is 4-0 all-time against the Vikings in Big Sky Tournament games.
    
On the lighter side, with PSU's win over Montana State on Saturday, the Vikings have won seven in a row against Big Sky Conference opponents, and four in a row overall. The Vikings have also won three of their last four road games (losing a non-conference game at Idaho on Feb. 18).
    
Portland State Head Coach Tyler Geving is 2-1 all-time in Big Sky Tournament games (he was 5-2 as an assistant at PSU). No current Viking had played in a Big Sky Tournament game prior to Saturday's win.

STORYLINES
• The series: Weber State has won 11 of the last 14 meetings and swept the season series against the Vikings this year... the Wildcats lead the all-time series, 29-11, holding the best record against Portland State of any Big Sky school... WSU is also 4-0 all-time against the Vikings in Big Sky Tournament games... the last three have been quarterfinal round elimination games.
• Nemesis, Thy Name Is Damian: Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player Damian Lillard has done his best work against Portland State this season. Lillard has games of 38 and 40 points in the two meetings. He has made 25-41 field goals (.610), 14-22 three-pointers (.636), and 14-16 free throws (.875). For good measure, Lillard also has 10 assists and six rebounds against the Vikings.
• Jan. 7 - WSU 88, PSU 81: The teams combined to shoot over 65% with just five turnovers in the first half... Lillard scored 23 of his game-high 38 in the first half, hitting 7-8 three-pointers. He had 15 and Scott Bamforth added 19 in the second half to bring WSU all the way back from a 15-point deficit... Chehales Tapscott had a season-high 26 points with eight rebounds and three steals for the Vikings.
• Feb. 2 - WSU 92, PSU 79: Another Lillard-led victory for Weber State, as the Wildcats shot .544 from the field, .536 from three-point range and .833 at the line. Lillard scored 40 points (13-18 FG, 6-8 3-pt, 8-10 FT) with five assists. Scott Bamforth added 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists... WSU made 15 three-pointers in the game... Charles Odum scored 26 points (9-12 FG, 2-5 3-pt, 6-7 FT) and had four assists for the Vikings.
• The Wildcats: Weber State has won 20 Big Sky Conference regular season titles, the most of any school in the 49-year history of the league. The Wildcats have won eight Big Sky Tournament Championships and made 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament... last year, WSU was 18-14 overall, 11-5 and third in the Big Sky Conference... three starters and eight letterwinners return from that team... Damian Lillard averages 24.5 points per game to rank second in the nation. He is eighth in the nation in three-pointers made (88), while averaging 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists... Scott Bamforth averages 15.0 points and has made 71 three-pointers... WSU leads the Big Sky in scoring (78.1), scoring margin (+10.0) and lead the nation in free throw percentage (.810), while committing the fewest turnovers in the league.
• Head Coach Randy Rahe is in his sixth year at Weber State and has a 118-66 record.... he is 11-3 all-time against the Vikings, including 2-0 in Big Sky Tournament games.

PORTLAND STATE vs. THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT TEAMS
vs. #1 Weber State (0-2): lost at Portland, 88-81 (1/7); lost at Ogden, 92-79 (2/2)
vs. #2 Montana (0-2): lost in Missoula, 75-64 (12/28); lost in Portland, 69-67 (1/29)
vs. #4 Eastern Washington (2-0): won in Cheney, 78-76, in OT (1/21); won in Portland, 69-64 (2/25)
vs. #5 Idaho State (2-0): won in Portland, 80-68 (1/16); won in Pocatello, 67-54 (2/9)
vs. #6 Montana State (1-2); lost in Bozeman, 86-73 (12/30); lost in Portland, 70-65 (1/25);
        won in Portland, 75-53 (3/3)

PORTLAND STATE's ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD vs. THIS YEAR'S FIELD
vs. Eastern Washington (1-1)
vs. Idaho State (2-0)
vs. Montana (0-0)
vs. Montana State (4-0)
vs. Weber State (0-4)

PORTLAND STATE vs. WEBER STATE IN THE BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
Mar. 7, 2002: Weber State 84, PSU 62 (quarterfinal) at Bozeman, MT
Mar. 5, 2005: Weber State 71, PSU 61 (semifinal) at Portland (Memorial Coliseum)
Mar. 6, 2007: Weber State 77, PSU 74 (semifinal) at Ogden, UT
Mar. 9, 2010: Weber State 69, PSU 60 (semifinal) at Ogden, UT

THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The top six teams in the Big Sky Conference earned berths in the Big Sky Conference post-season tournament. Montana hosts the Tournament final four on Mar. 6-7. Portland State and Eastern Washington have advanced to the final four following quarterfinal round wins on Saturday.The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year's Big Sky Champion, Northern Colorado, did not qualify for the tournament, finishing seventh in the league standings.

Saturday, March 3, Quarterfinals
Portland State 75, Montana State 53 (Portland, OR)
Eastern Washington 81, Idaho State 75 (Cheney, WA)

Tuesday, March 6, Semifinals (Televised by Altitude/CSN at the University of Montana)
No. 2 Weber State (23-5, 14-2) vs. No. 3 Portland State (17-13, 10-6), 4:30 p.m. PT
No. 1 Montana (23-6, 15-1) vs. No. 4 Eastern Washington (15-16, 8-8), 7 p.m. PT

Wednesday, March 7, Championship (Televised by ESPN2 at the University of Montana)
Semifinal Winners, 6 p.m. PT

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 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 44-48 all-time at Portland State.
    • 24-27 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents, 20-21 all-time in non-conference games.
    • Geving is 28-12 at home. He is 16-36 on the road, including 4-2 in neutral site games.
    • Geving is 2-5 all-time against Weber State, including 0-1 in Big Sky Tournament games.
    • Geving is 2-1 in all Big Sky Tournament games.

Geving in 2011-12
• Most Season Wins (17)
• Most Big Sky Wins (10)
• Best Big Sky Finish (3rd)
• Best Home Winning Percentage (.769)
• Best Road Winning Percentage (.412)

PORTLAND STATE'S BEST RECORDS SINCE JOINING THE BIG SKY
Portland State is creeping up the best record list since joining the Big Sky Conference 16 years ago. With 17 wins so far this season, the 2011-12 Vikings rank fifth-best on that list. With 10 Big Sky wins, PSU ranks fourth.

TAPSCOTT'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADS VIKINGS TO TOURNEY WIN
Portland, OR - Chehales Tapscott made his final basketball game at the Stott Center a memorable one, leading the Portland State Vikings to a 75-53 Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal win over Montana State.
    
Tapscott posted his Big Sky-leading 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading four Vikings in double figures. Tapscott went 7-11 from the field, including pair of three-pointers, and 4-4 at the line.
    
The win allows the Vikings to advance to a Big Sky Tournament semifinal against Weber State on Tuesday night in Missoula, MT. Tip-off is 4:30 p.m. PT as the 17-13 Vikings will take on the league's number-two seeded Wildcats, who are 23-5.
    
Tapscott got a lot of help from fellow senior Charles Odum, who scored 16 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Renado Parker scored 13 points with nine rebounds off the bench, and Lateef McMullan added 14 points and four assists.
    
Early on, the Bobcats tried to shorten the game by lengthening their possessions and sitting back in a zone against the Vikings. It worked with one exception. MSU had trouble hitting shots. The Vikings built a 23-15 lead in the first half as the Bobcats made only 7 of their first 21 from the field.
    
Portland State took a 31-23 lead into halftime. The Vikings shot .481 from the field and outrebounded the Bobcats, 24-10. But eight turnovers prevented a larger lead.
    
Odum sparked a 9-0 run early in the second half, scoring seven in the rally. That gave the Vikings a comfortable 45-29 lead. Another 10-0 run later in the half was capped off by a Tapscott put-back and three-pointer. That got the Vikings to a 57-37 advantage with just over eight minutes to play. From there the Vikings cruised to the victory.
    
Portland State shot .522 from the field, .571 from three-point range and .792 at the line. Montana State finished at .367/.181/.545.
    
Montana State, the sixth seed in the Big Sky Conference, finished its year at 12-17 overall. Mohammed Fall had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Bobcats. Christian Moon added 12 points and five assists.
    
GAME NOTES: Portland State has won seven games in a row against Big Sky Conference opponents… the 53 points allowed were the fewest to a Big Sky Conference opponent this season... Montana State had beaten the Vikings twice during the regular season, 86-73, in Bozeman, and 70-65, in Portland.

THE 2011-12 ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE TEAMS
Most Valuable Player: Damian Lillard, Weber State
Defensive Player of the Year: Will Cherry, Montana
Freshman of the Year: Dylan Garrity, Sacramento State
Newcomer of the Year: Collin Chiverton, Eastern Washington

FIRST TEAM
Damian Lillard, Weber State, G, 6-3, JR (MVP)
Charles Odum, Portland State, G, 6-0, SR
Chehales Tapscott, Portland State, F, 6-5, SR
Cliff Colimon, Eastern Washington, G, 6-0, SR
Will Cherry, Montana, G, 6-1, JR
Kareem Jamar, Montana, G/F, 6-5, SO

SECOND TEAM
Chase Grabau, Idaho State, G, 6-5, SR
Kenny McGowen, Idaho State, G, 6-0, SR
Derek Selvig, Montana, F, 7-0, SR
Art Steward, Montana, F, 6-4, SR
Scott Bamforth, Weber State, G, 6-2, JR
 
HONORABLE MENTION
Collin Chiverton, Eastern Washington, F, 6-6, JR
Shawn Reid, Montana State, G, 6-5, SO
Mike Proctor, Northern Colorado, F/C, 6-8, SR
Dylan Garrity, Sacramento State, G, 6-2, FR
Kyle Tresnak, Weber State, C, 6-10, SO

FAST BREAKS

• THE BROOM: Every Big Sky Conference season series that Portland State played in resulted in a sweep. PSU swept five opponents this year going 2-0 against Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. PSU was swept by Weber State, Montana and Montana State.
• BETTER ALL THE WAY AROUND: Portland State's 10-6 Big Sky Conference record was five wins better than last season (5-11). PSU now has third-year Head Coach Tyler Geving's best Big Sky record and season record (17-13). Portland State was picked in preseason polling to place fifth, but finished third.
• Portland State's 17 wins and 10 Big Sky wins are the most since going 23-10/11-5 in 2008-09.
• The Vikings are 10-3 at home this year, 5-3 in Big Sky games... over the last six seasons, PSU is 65-17 at home, including 35-14 in Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings are 7-10 on the road this season, including two neutral site wins... the Vikings went 5-3 in Big Sky road games -the second-most Big Sky road wins in history (6-2 in 2007-08).
• PSU has gone 121-41 in 162 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 152-56 at home over the past 16 seasons.
• PSU is 47-33 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 52-34 including tournament games.

ROAD RECOVERY: Portland State began the season with some real struggles on the road, losing eight straight road games (but winning two neutral site games). However, in the last six weeks, the Vikings have won five out of seven on the road, improving to 5-10, 7-10 including the neutral site games.
• Now at 5-3 in Big Sky Conference road games, Portland State has the second-most Big Sky road wins in school history (6-2 in 2007-08).
• In addition, at 7-10, Tyler Geving has his most away-from-home wins in three years as head coach (5-15 in 2009-10, 4-11 in 2010-11).

BIG SKY BEST: The Viking team leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal shooting (.484), and ranks second in scoring (76.4) and free throw percentage (.737)... SR F Chehales Tapscott leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.3), blocked shots (1.3) and double-doubles (12). He is also third in steals (1.8)... SR C Nate Lozeau ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in field goal shooting percentage (.579)... SR G Charles Odum ranks second in scoring (19.0). He is third in free throw percentage (.838)... in Big Sky Conference only games, the Vikings led in field goal shooting (.492)... Tapscott leds in blocked shots (1.8) and rebounding (9.6)... Odum averaged 21.0 points to rank second.

LIGHTS OUT: The Vikings have shot over .500 11 times this season and are 9-2 in those games... PSU has shot over .600 four times this year and are 4-0 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... the Vikings also missed just 16 shots in 40 minutes in a win over Sacramento State (85-67 on Feb. 15), going 30-46 (.652).

SHOOTING IS EVERYTHING FOR THIS TEAM: The Vikings are 16-1 when shooting a higher percentage than their opponents, 1-12 when opponents outshoot them. The Feb. 28 win over Northern Colorado marked the first time all year the Vikings have beaten a team while shooting a worse percentage (.508/.451).

MILLENIUM FALCON: It is fair to say few players swoop to the hoop like SR G Charles Odum. All you have to do is look at his scoring average, and the number of free throw attempts he gets by taking it to the rim. The result has been a lot of points, and Odum now needs just 10 points to be the 17th Viking in history to reach 1,000 in his career. In just two seasons (60 games), he has 990 points (16.5 ppg). Only two other two-year players in Portland State history have reached 1,000 points (Jason Hartman, 1997-99, 1,060, and Leon Edmonds, 1968-70, 1,024), though two other big scorers in PSU history reached 1,000 points in their first two seasons - Freeman Williams and Willie Stoudamire - and went on to have longer careers.

CHUCK WAGON: SR G Charles Odum has been the Vikings' offensive leader this season, averaging a team-high 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He is shooting a stellar .529 from the field and .838 at the line. Odum is shooting 139-226 on two-point attempts, a remarkable .615 percentage. Season highlights:
• Odum averaged 21.0 points and shot .567/.464/.806 in Big Sky Conference games.
• Odum has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games this season. He has 12 20-point games and one 30-point game.
• Odum ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in scoring, third in free throw percentage and sixth in field goal percentage.
• He posted a career-high 38 points in a win over Sacramento State (2/23), making 11-16 field goals, 5-8 three-point field goals and 11-12 at the line, to go with five rebounds and two assists.
• Odum earned All-Tournament honors at the Wyoming Jim Thorpe Classic, scoring 27 points in a win over Louisiana Tech, then following it with 25 points in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
• Odum has been named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week three times.

TAP-INS: SR F Chehales Tapscott is a double-double waiting to happen. He is averaging 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds this season with a Big Sky best 12 double-doubles... Tapscott also leads the Vikings in steals, rebounds and blocked shots... Highlights this year:
• Tapscott set a new career-high with five blocks against Sacramento State (2/15)... he set a career high with five steals against Idaho State (1/16).
• Tapscott grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against Montana (1/29) - the most by a Viking in five seasons... he matched that with 16 rebounds at Idaho State (2/9).
• Tapscott is shooting .531 from the field and .731 at the line.
• Tapscott has 12 double-doubles this year to lead the Big Sky, and 18 in 54 career games at Portland State. He has been the team's leading rebounder in 41 of 54 career games... his 12 double-doubles is the most ever by a Viking since joining the Big Sky Conference.
• Tapscott was named to the Wyoming Jim Thorpe Classic All-Tournament team (11.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, five assists, four blocks, four steals).

STRAIGHT SHOOTER: JR F Renado Parker has scored in double figures in his last eight games (12.6 ppg), and for good reason - he is having trouble missing his shots. Parker is 41-63 over those five games (.651)... Parker was a perfect 6-6 against Sacramento State on Feb. 15, 7-11 at Idaho on Feb. 18, then 7-12 against Sacramento State on Feb. 23... though only 6-5, Parker is a powerful post player who has performed well as the Vikings' sixth man. Parker averages 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds and is shooting .578 from the field this season. Parker ranks second in the Big Sky Conference behind teammate Nate Lozeau in field goal percentage, 27th in scoring and 16th in rebounding despite not having started a game this year.

EMERGING: JR G Lateef McMullan's game is getting better as the season progresses. He scored a career-high 20 points and along with six assists in the win at Northern Colorado (1/12)... McMullan handed out a season-high seven assists against Montana State (1/26)... averaging 7.0 points and 2.3 assists after eight games, McMullan has improved to 9.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.

THUN-ING UP: JR G Michael Harthun has had a good year at shooting guard for the Vikings. “Toon” is now shooting .469 from the field, .438 from three-point range, averages 8.9 points and has a team-high 46 three-pointers made... Harthun ranks ninth in the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage, 14th in three-pointers made... his percentage also ranks third-best for a season in PSU history.

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 .579 from the field to rank second in the Big Sky Conference. He is averaging 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds, up dramatically from 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds last year.
• Lozeau has posted three double-doubles (four career).

THE VIKINGS ON TELEVISION: Portland State is 17-35 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-6 home record and 8-29 road record. PSU is 0-4 on TV this year losing at Denver (69-61), Oregon (79-70), Oregon State (101-68) and at home to Montana (69-67)... the Vikings are 7-3 in the Altitude/Big Sky Conference Game of the Week over the last four seasons, including 4-2 at home, 3-1 on the road.