PORTLAND STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO
Thursday, January 17, 6:05 p.m. PT • Butler-Hancock Pavilion (2,992), Greeley, CO

PORTLAND STATE: 5-8 • Big Sky: 3-3 • Home: 5-2 • Road: 0-6
NORTHERN COLORADO: 3-11 • Big Sky: 1-5 • Home: 2-3 • Road: 1-8

Television: None
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 5:30 p.m. PT
Live Video: www.BigSkyTV.org • Live Stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/uncbears/

All-Time Series: PSU leads 13-3 • PSU is 6-2 in Greeley
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 9-3 • PSU 4-2 in Greeley
Last Year: PSU 86-75 at UNC; PSU 75-74 at PSU

THE OPENING TIP
Having won their last two home games, the Portland State Vikings will seek out their first road win of the season Thursday at Northern Colorado. The Vikings hope to start a trend as they play four straight on the road, leading off with the Bears.

Tip-off for Thursday's game is 6:05 p.m. PT at Butler-Hancock Pavilion in Greeley. The game airs on Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com, and a live video stream is available at www.BigSkyTV.org.

Now at 3-3 in the Big Sky, PSU (5-8 overall) is in a four-way tie for third place with a whopping 14 games left in the new 20-game league schedule. The Vikings need to survive the next two weeks on the road before returning to play seven out of nine at the Stott Center beginning on Jan. 31.

PSU has played well in conference and had solid home wins over Sacramento State (87-69) and Northern Colorado (79-74) last week.

However, the Vikings are 0-6 on the road as they head to Northern Colorado. The good news is PSU has had success at Greeley winning four of six conference meetings there, including an 86-75 win last year.

Northern Colorado, just two seasons removed from a Big Sky Conference Championship, is currently in last place in the league at 3-11, 1-5. UNC has lost five in a row, and is 2-3 at home.

PSU vs. UNC LAST YEAR: Portland State shot 62% in Greeley last year, including 13-21 from three-point range, in an 86-75 win. Guards Lateef McMullan, Charles Odum and Michael Harthun combined for 60 points, hitting 18-29 shots, 9-15 from three-point range... Odum made two free throws with three seconds left to seal a 75-74 PSU win in Portland. The Vikings had trailed for the last 10:37 of the game. Odum scored 22 in the game as PSU had a huge advantage at the free throw line (20-30 vs. 1-6 for the Bears).

THE COACHES: Portland State Head Coach Tyler Geving has a 49-58 record in his fourth season. Geving has a 27-31 Big Sky Conference record. He is 3-3 against the Bears... Northern Colorado Coach BJ Hill is 33-41 in his third season. Hill is 2-2 against the Vikings.

THE BEARS: Northern Colorado won the 2011 Big Sky Conference Championship under then-first-year coach BJ Hill. It marked the Bears first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament as a Division I member... last season, UNC dropped to 9-19 overall, 5-11 and tied for seventh in the Big Sky... four starters and eight letterwinners return from that team... guard Tate Unruh has made the most three-point field goals in the Big Sky Conference (41) and leads the Bears in scoring this year at 11.9 points per game. He shoots 41% from distance... big man Derrick Barden also averages 11.9 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field... Tevin Svihovec averages 11.1 points and 2.7 assists.

COMING UP: The second game in Portland State's four-game road trip will be a first-ever Big Sky meeting with North Dakota (5-10/2-4) on Saturday. The Vikings also play at Southern Utah (Jan. 24) and Eastern Washington (Jan. 28) over the next two weeks... PSU's meeting with Southern Utah will be the first Big Sky confrontation with the first-year league member. PSU has not played North Dakota since 1980 (2-0 all-time vs. UND) and has not faced Southern Utah since 1969 (1-0 all-time vs SUU).

FAST BREAKS

WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 5-8 this season. The Vikings are 5-2 at home, 0-6 on the road.
• PSU has won nine of 11 at home dating to last season.
• The Vikings have lost their last eight road games dating to last season.
Stott Stuff
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 70-19 at home, including 41-15 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• PSU has gone 126-43 in 169 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 156-58 at home over the past 18 seasons.
• Portland State has lost only four non-conference home games since the start of the 2006-07 season (29-4). PSU is 17-4 against Division I schools, and 12-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 135-133 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the tournament (8-8).
• PSU is 91-40 in home games, 41-89 in road games and 3-4 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 50-36 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 56-38 including tournament games.

HOT SHOTS: 
• Portland State scored a season-high 87 points, hitting a season-best 12 three-pointers in the win over Sacramento State. The Vikings also had season-highs of 25 assists and seven blocked shots.
• Portland State made a season-high 13 steals in the win over Northern Arizona.
• PSU shot .561 against Sacramento State and .500 against Northern Arizona in last week's two wins (.532).
• The Vikings were 20-31 (.645) from three-point distance in the two wins.
• SR F Renado Parker tied his career-high with 20 points, grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and made two steals in the win over Northern Arizona.
• JR F Aaron Moore has five straight double-figure scoring games - the longest stretch on the team - and has averaged 15.6 points during that span.
• SR PG Lateef McMullan turned in two brilliant performances last week, totaling 27 points and 16 assists. He had 14 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 1-2 FT), nine assists and zero turnovers against Sacramento State. He then went for 13 points (4-7 FGH, 2-3 3-pt FG, 3-5 FT), seven assists and three steals against Northern Arizona. He has 47 assists and only 14 turnovers in the last nine games.
• SR G Michael Harthun scored a season-high 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 3-pt FG) against the Hornets, tieing his career-high with four three-pointers. He added 13 points and four assists against Northern Arizona, finishing 7-9 from three-point range in the two games.
• SO C Brandon Cataldo tied a career-high with four blocked shots, scored eight points and had two rebounds in 13 minutes against the Hornets.
• SR G Martin Whitmore posted a career-high 11 points (3-3 3-pt FG, 2-2 FT) with two rebounds and a steal in 10 minutes against Sacramento State.
• SO G Gary Winston scored 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG) and made a career-high four steals against NAU.
• The Vikings shoot .523 from the field, .495 from three-point range, in the Stott Center.
• PSU leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games (87/60 - 1.5 ast/to). The Vikings are also tops in three-point shooting (.449).
• Portland State ranks 27th in the nation in free throw shooting (.745) and 31st in three-point shooting (.383) among 345 Division I schools.

ALL ABOUT THE SHOOTING: The collective shooting eye of the Portland State Vikings returned last week in two home wins. On Thursday night against Sacramento State PSU shot .561 from the field, including 12-18 from three-point range, in an 87-69 win... the Vikings shot .500 from the field, including 8-13 from three-point land, in a 79-74 win over Northern Arizona... the Vikings had shot only .375 from the field and .250 from three-point range the previous week in two road losses... not surprisingly, PSU has shot .565, .492, .532, .561 and .500 in its five wins this season, but not better than .456 in any loss.

HOME AND ROAD? NIGHT AND DAY: The difference in home and road shooting statistics for the Vikings mirrors Portland State's home (5-2) and road (0-6) records. The Vikings shoot .523 from the field and .495 from three-point range at home. On the road, they shoot just .394 from the field and .287 from three-point range. The free throw shooting numbers are consistent at .746 at home and .745 on the road.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SHOOTING?: Although the Vikings did shoot .456 against Weber State, just slightly better shooting in any of PSU's three league losses likely would have meant a “W”. Though the Vikings are 3-3 in the Big Sky, they lost to the top two teams (Montana, Weber State in OT), and the three losses are by a combined 14 points.

THE DEFENSE SHOULD NOT REST: Head Coach Tyler Geving touted an improved defensive team for 2012-13, and that may come to fruition. A strong effort against Idaho State (12/20) has the Vikings headed the right way. PSU held Idaho State to 49 points on Dec. 20, the fewest by an opponent in 34 games... the 69.8 points allowed is down from last year's 73.3 by opponents. Conference opponents are averaging just 64.8 points per game. But there is a lot of room for improvement as the Vikings are allowing opponents to shoot .487 from the field and .370 from three-point range... the Vikings are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game, up from 11.4 forced last season.

BALANCE? YUP: Portland State expected a more balanced offensive attack this season after scoring stars Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott graduated. As it happens, five Vikings are averaging between 8.4 and 12.3 points per game. And, all five have led the team in scoring at least three times each (including ties): Renado Parker, Michael Harthun, Aaron Moore, Lateef McMullan and Dre Winston.

5x10: Speaking of balance, the Vikings had five players score in double figures in each game last week: Renado Parker, Michael Harthun, Aaron Moore, Lateef McMullan and Martin Whitmore against Sacramento State, then Parker, Harthun, Moore, McMullan and Gary Winston against Northern Arizona.

GOOD HANDLE: JR PG Lateef McMullan has turned in a remarkable stretch of ball handling over the last month, highlighted by his career-high nine assists with no turnovers against Sacramento State. In his last nine games, McMullan has 47 assists against just 14 turnovers. For the season, his ratio is 52/23 (2.3 ast/to). That ranks third-best in the Big Sky Conference. He is third in the Big Sky in assists... McMullan has averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 assists in the last eight games... for the year, the 5-11 ball-handler averages 10.5 points and 4.0 assists. 

BIG GAMES
• Scored 16 points with four assists in the loss to Oregon State (12/12).
• Handed out eight assists with no turnovers in the win over George Fox (12/15).
• McMullan had one of his best games as a Viking, tying a career-high with 20 points (7-9 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 3-5 FT) and adding four assists and four steals in the win over Idaho State (12/20).
• Made a career-high five three-pointers, scoring 17 at Montana State (1/3).
• Posted a career-best nine assists with no turnovers, scoring 14 points, in the win over Sacramento State (1/10).
• McMullan had 13 points, seven assists and three steals in the win over Northern Arizona (1/12).

MOORE, MOORE, MOORE: JR F Aaron Moore has played as well as any Viking this season and is in the midst of a hot stretch. In his last five games, Moore has posted three double-doubles and averaged 15.6 points....  currently, Moore is sixth in field goal percentage (.539) and fifth in rebounding (6.8) in the Big Sky Conference. He averages 11.0  points and shoots .786 at the line. 

BIG GAMES
• Moore posted 14 points on 7-7 shooting against Oregon State (12/12), matching the best shooting night by a Viking since the program joined the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97 (Anthony Washington, 7-7 vs. Eastern Washington, Mar. 4, 2006).
• Moore has three double-doubles: A career-high of 19 points and 10 rebounds against Weber State (12/22); 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at Montana State (1/3); 14 points and 11 rebounds at Montana (1/5).
• Against Sacramento State (1/10) Moore had 16 points, six rebounds, three steals, three assists and a blocked shot.
• Moore is one of only two Vikings in PSU's Big Sky history to post three straight double-doubles (Seamus Boxley).

PARKER'S PART: SR F Renado Parker put in his best performance of the year with a career-high tieing 20 points (7-13 FG, 6-8 FT), along with a season-high 11 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot against Northern Arizona (1/12)... Parker averages a team-leading 12.3 points and is second in rebounding at 5.2 per game... he is shooting .466 from the field and .760 at the line... he has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games... Parker has led the team in scoring a team-high four times.
BIG GAMES
• Parker scored 18 points against Weber State (12/22).

THUN-ING UP: SR G Michael Harthun is heating up, having made 7-9 three-pointers in the last two games. His season-high 18 points on Thursday was a welcome effort. Harthun shot it well, hitting 7-11 from the field and 4-5 from three-point range. That was followed by 13 points (3-4 3-pt FG) and four assists against Northern Arizona... Harthun's increased production this season has been - and will be - vital to the Vikings' success. He is averaging 11.1 points per game, up from 8.6 last year. Harthun is shooting .481 from the field, .426 from distance, and .800 at the line... he ranks 12th in field goal percentage and ninth in three-point percentage in the Big Sky Conference.
BIG GAMES
• Harthun hit 7-11 from the field and 4-5 from three-point range, scoring 18 points in the win over Sacramento State (1/10).

NICE COMEBACK: SO G Gary Winston has made a nice comeback from a nightmare shooting game at Montana State on Jan. 3. Winston was 0-9 in that game, 0-8 from three-point distance. In the three games since, he is 10-16 from the field and 6-9 from three-point range... Winston scored a season-high 13 (5-6 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG) with a career-high four steals in the win over Northern Arizona (1/12)... Winston was inserted into the starting lineup last week which, coincidently, were both Viking wins.

BENCH PRODUCTION: In addition to excellent shooting, Viking Head Coach Tyler Geving was happy to see increased bench production from the Vikings last week, especially in light of having to redshirt JR G Marcus Hall. Against Sacramento State Geving got a career-high 11 points from SR G Martin Whitmore (3-3 3-pt FG), a career-best four blocked shots and eight points from SO C Brandon Cataldo, and four points, four assists and solid defense from SO G Dre Winston... Cataldo had four more (2-2 FG) points and three rebounds against Northern Arizona... this season, Whitmore shoots .600 from the field and .545 from three-point range. Cataldo shoots .579 from the field and has a team-leading nine blocked shots.

HALL WILL REDSHIRT: After dealing with a nagging calf injury all season, it has been decided that JR G Marcus Hall will take a medical redshirt season. Hall missed four games and played limited minutes in several others due to the injury which occured in the preseason. Hall was averaging 3.5 points in 11.5 minutes per game. He has played in eight games, which is less than one-third of the season schedule and will allow him to redshirt.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• SO G Dre Winston Jr. starts his Viking career off right, scoring 16 points (5-6 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 3-4 FT) with three assists in Portland State's season opening win over Pacific (11/9), 77-58.
• Portland State signed 6-6, 220-pound forward Kyle Benton to a National Letter of Intent (11/16). Benton is a senior at St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, CA.
• Portland State sells out the Stott Center against Oregon State (12/12), marking the first sellout since the 2008-09 season.
• JR F Aaron Moore was perfect against Oregon State (12/12), hitting 7-7 from the field for 14 points. That 7-7 mark matched a PSU record since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97 (also accomplished by Anthony Washington vs. Eastern Washington, Mar. 4, 2006).
• SR G Lateef McMullen dished out a career-high eight assists to go with 14 points as the Vikings beat George Fox, 85-74 (12/15), ending a five-game losing streak. SR G Michael Harthun (16 pts) and SO G Gary Winston (14 pts) combined for 30 points, hitting 11-17 from the field and 6-7 from three-point range.
• SR G Lateef McMullan tied a career-high with 20 points (7-9 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 3-5 FT), had four assists and four steals as the Vikings opened Big Sky Conference play with a 63-49 win over Idaho State (12/20). PSU shot .532 for the game, winning its' second straight at home.
• JR F Aaron Moore posted the first double-double of the season by a Viking with career-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss to Weber State (12/22). Parker made 8-12 field goals and added two assists and a blocked shot.
• Despite a loss at Montana State (1/3), JR F Aaron Moore had his second straight double-double with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. SR G Lateef McMullan scored 17 points as well, hitting a career-high 5-9 three-point field goals.
• JR F Aaron Moore posted his third double-double in a row wiht 14 points and 11 rebounds at Montana (1/5).
• Five Vikings scored in double figures as Portland State hit a season-high 12-18 three-pointers in an 87-69 win over Sacramento State (1/10). SR G Michael Harthun scored a season-high 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 3-pt), while SR G Lateef McMullan scored 14 points with a career-high nine assists. SR G Martin Whitmore scored a career-high 11 points and SO C Brandon Cataldo blocked a career-high four shots.
• SR F Renado Parker tied his career high with 20 points (7-13 FG, 6-8 FT) and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds in a 79-74 win over Northern Arizona (1/12). Once again the Vikings had five players score in double figures, including 13 points and seven assists from Lateef McMullan.