complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-3) vs. SAN FRANCISCO DONS (5-4)
Thursday, December 18, 2014, 7 p.m. • War Memorial Gym (4,000), San Francisco, CA
 
Live Video Stream: www.thew.tv/live
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:45 p.m.
Live Stats: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
Portland State plays its final preseason road game on Thursday night when the Vikings meet the University of San Francisco. Remarkably, PSU and USF will meet for the first time in history when they tip it off at War Memorial Gym at 7 p.m.
     
The Vikings (5-3) got back in the winning mode with a 65-59 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. However, they want to stop a three-game road losing streak at USF. Portland State is 2-3 on the road this season.
     
Getting that win won't be easy as the Dons are one of the stronger oppoents this Vikings will face in the preseason. USF is currently 5-4 with a Monday-night home game against Cal Poly. The Dons are 4-1 at War Memorial Gym this season.
     
San Francisco was 21-12 last season, reaching the NIT in the post season where the Dons lost in the first round to LSU.
     
Thursday night's game is available via live video stream at www.thew.tv/live. Links to live video, audio and statistics can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
     
Portland State and San Francisco have no common opponents this season. However, the Dons have matched up with a pair of Big Sky Conference teams. USC has beaten Montana, 76-57, but lost to Eastern Washington for their only home loss, 81-76, last Thursday.
     
The Eagles, who lost a close game to 17th-ranked Washington on Sunday, maintain the best preseason record in the Big Sky Conference (8-2). PSU has the second-best record (5-3), followed by Sacramento State (5-4).
     
PSU's preseason schedule concludes with Dec. 22 game against Walla Walla at 6:05 p.m. at the Stott Center. Big Sky Conference play begins on Jan. 1 with a home game against Southern Utah.
 
THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. SAN FRANCISCO
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State and San Francisco have never met in basketball.
• VIKINGS vs. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Portland State is 33-69 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference. The Vikings have already played Portland this season, losing 83-71. San Francisco is the only member of the WCC that PSU has never played.
• COACHES:  Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (74-88, 6th season) has never faced San Francisco. Dons Head Coach Rex Walters (103-98, 7th season) has never faced the Vikings.
 
SAN FRANCISCO DONS
• The University of San Francisco is a member of the West Coast Conference. The Dons were 21-12 last season, 13-5 and tied for second in the WCC. They earned a berth in the National Invitational Tournament at the end of the season, losing 71-63 to LSU in the first round. Three starters and eight letterwinners return from that team.
• USF won NCAA National Championships in 1955 and 1956 behind Hall of Famer Bill Russell. The Dons also won the 1949 NIT Championship.
• San Francisco is 5-4 this season, 4-1 at home. The Dons have a Monday night game against Cal Poly prior to facing the Vikings.
• USF has outscored opponents by an average of 11.1 points per game this season, and outrebounded them by more than 10 per game.
• The achilles heel of the USF team is free throw shooting, where it has just a .570 mark on the season - ranking 342nd out of 345 teams nationally.
• SR F Kruize Pinkins leads the Dons in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (7.1) this season. He shoots .549 from the field.
• JR F Mark Tollefsen averages 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He shoots .532 from the field.
• JR G Tim Derksen (12.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and SR G Matt Glover (7.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg) also offer strong support in the starting lineup.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 5-3 this season, 3-0 at home, 2-3 on the road.
• The Vikings have won five straight home games dating to last season.
• PSU has lost three straight games on the road after winning its first two.
• The Vikings opened the season with a four-game winning streak, matching the best streak of last season accomplished on three occasions.
• Portland State was 17-15, 12-5 at home, 4-9 on the road, 1-1 in neutral site games in 2013-14.
• The Vikings went 11-9 in the Big Sky Conference, 7-3 at home and 4-6 on the road.
• With 17 wins, PSU more than doubled the previous year's win total (8-20).
 
HOT SHOTS
• JR C Collin Spickerman blocked six shots against CSU Bakersfield, tying a school record accomplished three times previously.
• SO F Braxton Tucker scored a season-high 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT) in leading the Vikings to the win over CSU Bakersfield.
• SR G DaSahun Wiggins grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to go with 13 points and four assists against CSU Bakersfield.
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins has scored in double figures all eight games this season. He posted a career-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 5-10) in the Vikings overtime win against Southern Illinois Edwardsville  (11/24). It was the first 30-point game by a Viking in 68 games.
• The Vikings blocked eight shots and held CSU Bakersfield to .300 (18-60) shooting in Saturday's win.
 
NOT SO HOT
• Portland State is shooting 17-64 (.265) from three-point range over the last four games.
• SO G Bryce White (left hip, leg), SO G Zach Gengler (ankle) and JR C Dorian Cason (plantar fasciitis) were all unable to play against CSU Bakersfield. They are all questionable for this week's game with San Francisco.
• After starting the season 16-20 (.800) from the field and 10-12 (.833) three-pointers in the first three games, SR G Tim Douglas has made only 7-39 field goals  (.179) and 3-17 three-pointers (.176) in his last five games.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Where Portland State stands in the NCAA statistical rankings through games of Dec. 14:
• 23rd in the nation in free throw percentage (.749).
• 20th in the nation in turnover margin (+4.6).
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State's Big Sky Conference  statistical ledaers:
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in turnover margin (+4.6).
 
HOME-ROAD DIFFERENTIAL: Portland State is 3-0 at home this season, 2-3 on the road.
• PSU averages 79.7 points at home, shooting .491 from the field, .444 from three-point range and .760 at the line.
• The Vikings average 66.2 points on the road, shooting .373/.341/.741.
• PSU has out-rebounded opponents by 1.1 per game at home, but has been out-rebounded by 12.0 per game on the road.
• Opponents shoot .412 from the field and .673 at the line in the Stott Center. They shoot .498/.744 in their own arenas against the Vikings.
 
LINEUP CHANGE: In Saturday's game against CSU Bakersfield, Head Coach Tyler Geving went with one of the bigger lineups he has put on the floor in his time at Portland State. And though it still can't be considered real big by Division I standards, the frontline of JR C Collin Spickerman (6-8), SO F Braxton Tucker (6-6) and SR F Tiegbe Bamba (6-6) plays big due to its athleticism. The number of blocked shots (8) and defensive presence (holding CSUB to .300 shooting) was a direct result of the bigger lineup. Geving is expected to stay with that group (along with SR Gs Gary Winston and DaShaun Wiggins) for Thursday's game with San Francisco.
 
INJURIES AND LINEUPS: Portland State has had five different players miss games already this season due to minor injuries (SO F Braxton Tucker, SO G Bryce White, SR G Gary Winston, SO G Zach Gengler, JR C Dorian Cason). And, JR C Collin Spickerman saw limited minutes in the first few games as he was returning from a preseason ankle sprain. The result has been five different starting lineups for the Vikings in eight games.
 
VALUE THE BASKETBALL: Portland State has forced opponents into 16.1 turnovers per game while committing only 11.5. The defining result is the advantage PSU has in points off turnovers this season, getting 143 while giving up 110.
 
CHARITY WORK: Once again this season, Portland State is a team adept at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. The Vikings are 143-191 this year (.749), ranking 23rd in the nation in percentage.
• PSU has also made more charity shots (143) than Viking opponents have attempted (130).
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins averages seven free throw attempts per game. SO G Bryce White averages six attempts per game.
• The Vikings average 23.9 free throw attempts per game. Opponents average only 16.2.
 
A BIG HAND FOR COLLIN: JR F Collin Spickerman had a big hand in the faces of CSU Bakersfield last Saturday, blocking six shots and tying a school record set three times previously (Scott Morrison twice, Seth Scott once). Spickerman had a slow start to the season due to an ankle injury in preseason camp. However, he is seeing his minutes and impact grow.
• Spickerman has started the last three games, blocking 10 shots. He has 15 blocks in the last five games.
• Though he is averaging only 18.3 minutes per game, Spickerman ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in blocks (2.1).
 
SIXTH-MAN SENSATION NO MORE: SR G DaShaun Wiggins was Portland State's leading scorer last season despite not being a starter. He averaged 12.9 points per game in 22.9 minutes per night. That effort earned him Big Sky Conference co-6th Man of the Year honors... in 2014-15, Wiggins is looking better than ever, moving into the starting lineup the last three games.
• Wiggins again leads the team in scoring at 15.3 per game, and ranks eighth in the Big Sky Conference.
• He shoots .519 (14-27) from three-point range to rank second in the Big Sky.
• Wiggins posted a career-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 5-10 FT) in a 90-87 overtime win against SIUE (11/24).
• Wiggins has scored in double figures in all eight games this season.
 
X-FACTOR: When SO F Braxton Tucker was signed in the off-season, it was expected he may play a backup role in his first year as a Viking. But Tucker went out and earned a starting job in preseason practice and has fluorished in his role. He averages 11.6 points and leads the team in rebounding (6.1).
• Tucker had a season-high 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT), with four rebounds and two blocks against CSU Bakersfield (12/13).
• He ranks 10th in the Big Sky in rebounding (6.1).
• Tucker shoots .500 from the field, .792 at the line and has only five turnovers this season.
 
HE'S THE BAMBA: Portland State had to wait a year for SR F Tiegbe Bamba to recover from a junior college achilles injury, but the native of Sarcelles, France has been worth the wait. Starting seven of eight games, Bamba is averaging 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and shooting a very efficient .534 from the field and team-best .833 at the line.
• Bamba was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week following a 19-point, six-rebound, four-steal, two-assist performance in a win at USC on Nov. 15. Bamba made 8-11 FGs and 3-3 3-pt FGs in the game.
• Has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding three times this season.
 
MAKING A CONTRIBUTION: Although SR G Gary Winston's shooting percentage is down this year from previous seasons, he has still be making a positive contribution to the team. Winston leads the Vikings in minutes played (32.3 per game) and assists (3.3 per game), while scoring 9.6 points per contest.
 
THE TYLER GEVING BASKETBALL SHOW: The Tyler Geving Basketball Show is available on Blog Talk Radio. The show takes place each Wednesday night, 10:30-11:00 pm, PDT. The link to listen changes each week, but the weekly link can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tylergevingshow. Geving, a 10-year veteran of the Viking basketball program, is in his sixth season as head coach. He will talk Viking basketball, Big Sky basketball and review and preview games. Greg Crawford hosts the show.
 
2014-15 SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• In his first game as a Viking, SR F Tiegbe Bamba led the team to a rare win over a Pac-12 school as the Vikings beat USC 76-68 (11/15). Bamba scored 19 points (8-11 FG, 3-3 3-pt), had six rebounds, four steals and two assists in the game, leading five players in double figures. It was the first win over a Pac-12 opponent since the 2006-07 season and just the fifth all-time (5-48).
• SR F Tiegbe Bamba was named Big Sky Conference co-Player of the Week (11/18) after his performance in the win over USC. Bamba had 19 points, six rebounds and four steals in a 76-68 win.
• SO G Bryce White posted 19 points, six rebounds and five assists as the Vikings routed Willamette, 84-63 (11/18). PSU shot .544 from the field, .571 from three-point range and forced 23 turnovers for the second straight game. SR G Tim Douglas scored 15 points and did not miss a shot (6-6 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG).
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins scored a career-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 5-10 FT) in leading the Vikings to a 90-87 overtime win against Southern Illinois Edwardsville (11/24). Wiggins made a driving three-point play to give the Vikings the lead for good with 1:21 to play in OT. His 30-point effort was the first by a Viking in 68 games.
• With a 63-55 win over Cal State Northridge, Portland State improved to 4-0 to start a season for the first time since 2008-09 (11/26). The Vikings played their best defensive game, holding the Matadors 18 points below their season average, forcing 18 turnovers and .383 shooting. SR F Tiegbe Bamba scored 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT) with eight rebounds to lead the Vikings.
• JR C Collin Spickerman blocked six shots in a win over CSU Bakersfield (12/13), tying a Portland State school record set three times previously.
• The Viking defense shut down CSU Bakersfield (12/13) in a 65-59 win. Portland State blocked eight shots, forced 15 turnovers and held the Roadrunners to just 18-60 from the field (.300). SO F Braxton Tucker led the Vikings with a season-high 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT).