At Last Vikings Return Home, Face Roadrunners Saturday Afternoon

complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-3) vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (1-7)
Saturday, December 13, 2014, 1:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR

Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 12:45 p.m.
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 12:45 p.m.
Live Stats: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com

THE OPENING TIP
Portland State returns home for the first time in 19 days when it faces CSU Bakersfield in a rare Saturday afternoon game. The Vikings and Roadrunners will match up for the first time in three years when they meet in 1:05 p.m. clash at the Stott Center.

The Vikings will be happy to trod familiar hardwood. They come off a stretch of four straight road games that started well but ended poorly. PSU won at Cal State Northridge on Nov. 26, then dropped three in a row at Oregon, Portland and UC Riverside. The Vikings were hindered by poor shooting (.356) and poor rebounding (-9.3 rebounding margin) in all three losses. So, a four-game winning streak to start the season has now been backed up by a three-game losing streak.

PSU (4-3) will try to extend a four-game home-court winning streak that dates to last season when it faces Bakersfield (1-7). PSU has faced the Roadrunners once in Portland, a 91-87 win in 2011. That is part of an excellent home-court record that PSU has accummulated against preseason opponents over the past nine seasons. The Vikings are 37-6 against non-conference teams since 2006, including 22-6 against Division I schools and 15-0 against lower division schools.

Live video and audio streams, and live stats, are available at GoViks.com for Saturday's game. Just click on the Game Day box on the front page.

The Roadrunners, members of the Western Athletic Conference, come to PSU on a three-game losing streak, but their record is a little deceptive. The last three losses, to South Dakota, UC Riverside and Fresno State, have been by a combined five points. Six of their seven losses have been by seven points or less. CSB is 0-2 on the road with an 0-2 neutral site record as well.

PSU's preseason schedule rounds out with a Dec. 18 game at San Francisco, then a Dec. 22 home game against Walla Walla. Big Sky Conference play begins on Jan. 1 with a home game against Southern Utah.

THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
• ALL-TIME SERIES: The all-time series is tied with each team winning once on its own home court. CSUB won 92-77 on Dec. 15, 2010. PSU won 91-87 on Dec. 15, 2011.
• LAST MEETING, Dec. 15, 2011, Peter W. Stott Center, Portland State 91, CSU Bakersfield 87: Portland State shot a scalding .673 from the field on the way to the win. The Roadrunners were able to force 17 Viking turnovers for 25 points to stay close. Michael Harthun scored a career-high 22 points, Chehales Tapscott had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman guard Gary Winston scored nine points in 20 minutes. Issiah Grayson and Robert Hayes each scored 17 points for the Runners.
• COACHES:  Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (73-88, 6th season) is 1-1 all-time against CSU Bakersfield. Bakersfield Head Coach Rod Barnes (44-57, 4th season) is 0-1 against the Vikings.
• VIKINGS vs. THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Portland State is 14-10 all-time against current members of the Western Athletic Conference. Head Coach Tyler Geving 1-4 all-time against current members of the WAC.

CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS
• CSU Bakersfield is a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners were 13-19 last season, 5-11 and seventh place in the WAC. Two starters and seven letterwinners return from that team.
• Bakersfield is 1-7 on the season, 0-2 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites.
• The Roadrunners are on a three-game losing streak, but those losses have been by a combined five points.
• Bakersfield averages 61.9 points per game, while allowing 65.1. The Roadrunners are shooting only .400 from the field and .276 from three-point range.
• The Roadrunners outrebound opponents by 5.1 per night, but have a -3.8 turnover margin.
• Junior center Aly Ahmed averages a team-leading 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He shoots .530 from the field.
• Junior forward Kevin Mays averages 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 4-3 this season, 2-0 at home, 2-3 on the road. PSU is on a three-game losing streak.
• The Vikings have won four 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).
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 143-52 in 195 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 174-67 at home over the past 19 seasons.
• Portland State is 50-23 at home in six seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 87-26 at home, including 50-22 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only six non-conference home games in the last nine seasons (37-6). PSU is 22-6 against Division I schools, and 15-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 149-155 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-9).
• PSU is 100-47 in home games, 45-103 in road games and 4-5 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 63-58 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 70-60 including tournament games.
And The Trivial
• Portland State is 27-24 all-time in overtime. Coach Tyler Geving is 5-4 all-time in overtime, including 1-0 this season. PSU was 3-1 in overtime last season.
• PSU is 2-15 against nationally-ranked opponents since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving is 1-2 all-time against ranked opponents.
• Portland State is 18-42 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-7 home record and 9-35 road record.

HOT SHOTS
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins has scored in double figures all seven 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.
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins leads the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (12-22, .545). SR G Tim Douglas ranks second (12-25, .480).
• PSU has 58 steals (8.3) and a +4.9 turnover margin to lead the Big Sky Conference in both categories.

NOT SO HOT
• Portland State is shooting 62-177 (.356) and 12-47 (.255) from three-point range during its three-game losing streak.
• 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 6-34 (.176) and 2-13 three-pointers (.154) in his last four games.
• PSU had 50 assists in its first three games, but just 30 assists in the last four games.

NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Where Portland State stands in the NCAA statistical rankings through games of Dec. 7:
• 24th in the nation in turnover margin (+4.9).
• Braxton Tucker is 28th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3.67).

BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State's Big Sky Conference statistical ledaers:
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in steals (8.3) and turnover margin (+4.9)
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins leads the Big Sky in three-point percentage (.545).

VALUE THE BASKETBALL: Portland State has forced opponents into 107 turnovers while committing only 80. The defining result is the advantage PSU has in points off turnovers, getting 132 while giving up 100... that total took a big swing when the Vikings had 17 turnovers for 25 Highlander points in the loss to UC Riverside. UCR had 14 turnovers for nine PSU points.

FAST HANDS: The 114 forced turnovers (16.3 per game) are in large part due to Portland State having 58 steals - an average of 8.3 per game - which leads the Big Sky Conference. SR G DaShaun Wiggins and SR G Tim Douglas lead the team with 11 each.

SIXTH-MAN SENSATION: 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. Wiggins again leads the team in scoring at 15.6 per game. After coming off the bench the first five games, he has started the last two.
• Shooting a Big Sky Conference leading .545 (12-22) from three-point range.
• 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 seven games this season.

SHOOTING STAR: SR G Tim Douglas started the season red-hot from outside. He has struggled in recent games, but still shoots .480 from three-point range with a team-leading 12 three-pointers... Douglas is also shooting .818 at the line.
• Douglas scored a season-high 17 points (5-7 FG, 3-3 3-pt 4-4 FT) in a win over SIUE (11/24). He added four steals and three assists.

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 10.5 points and leads the team in rebounding (6.5).
• Tucker leads the team in free throw percentage (.833).
• Ranks ninth in the Big Sky in rebounding (6.5) and fourth in free throw percentage (.923).

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 six of seven games, Bamba is averaging 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and shooting a very efficient .531 from the field and .818 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.

HE FILLS THE STAT SHEET: SO G Bryce White is another addition making a big impact on the team this season. White ranks second on the team in scoring (11.1), third rebounding (4.6) and assists (14). He also has eight steals and two blocked shots this season.
• White has scored in double figures five times this season.

BACK AT 'YA: JR F Collin 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 two games and blocked nine shots in the last four games. Though he is averaging only 16.4 minutes per game, Spickerman already has 11 blocks on the season to rank sixth in the Big Sky Conference (1.6).

5x10: Head Coach Tyler Geving knew he had a number of players who could score going into this season. That has proven itself as five are currently averaging in double figures and a sixth is close. They are: DaShaun Wiggins (15.6), Braxton Tucker (10.5), Bryce White (11.1), Tim Douglas (10.6) and Tiegbe Bamba (10.6). All five rank in the top 30 in scoring in the Big Sky Conference... Gary Winston, who averaged 11.3 last season, is currently averaging 9.2 points, but also leads the Vikings in assists (3.0).

NEW PLAYERS, BIG IMPACT: Head Coach Tyler Geving inserted three new starters into his lineup for the opener at USC, and the results couldn't have been much better. SR F Tiegbe Bamba, SO G Bryce White and SO F Braxton Tucker were playing their first game as Vikings and they combined for 49 points (16-32 FG, 4-7 3-pt, 13-17 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists and six steals with only two turnovers.

BEATING THE PAC-12: It doesn't happen often for the Vikings or members of the Big Sky Conference, but it happened on Nov. 15 when Portland State beat USC for the first time in its history, 76-68. The Vikings are 1-1 all-time against the Trojans... PSU is 5-49 all-time against Pac-12 schools (5-37 since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97) after a Nov. 30 loss at Oregon. Coach Tyler Geving is 1-9 against the Pac-12.

LATE-GAME HEROICS: With an overtime win against Southern Illionis Edwardsville on Nov. 24, the Vikings continue a trend that began last year with late-game heroics. The Vikings never led in the last four minutes of regulation against SIUE, but got a tieing basket from SO F Braxton Tucker with 8.8 seconds left to play. In overtime, DaShaun Wiggins gave the Vikings their first lead with 1:21 to play on a driving three-point play... with the overtime win PSU is now 4-1 in overtime games since the start of the 2013-14 season... last year, Portland State proved to be a team that performed well under pressure, going 10-6 in close games (seven points or less) and 3-1 in overtime... the Vikings came back to win seven games when trailing at halftime - the most by any team in the Big Sky Conference.

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.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Tiegbe Bamba: F; 6' 6"; Senior; JC

#11 Tim Douglas: G; 5' 10"; Senior; 1V

#23 DaShaun Wiggins: G; 6' 2"; Senior; 1V

#0 Gary Winston: G; 6' 0"; Senior; 3V

#2 Collin Spickerman: C; 6' 8"; Junior; JC

#15 Braxton Tucker: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore; JC

#3 Bryce White: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore; JC

Players Mentioned

#13 Tiegbe Bamba
: 6' 6"; Senior; JC
: F

#11 Tim Douglas
: 5' 10"; Senior; 1V
: G

#23 DaShaun Wiggins
: 6' 2"; Senior; 1V
: G

#0 Gary Winston
: 6' 0"; Senior; 3V
: G

#2 Collin Spickerman
: 6' 8"; Junior; JC
: C

#15 Braxton Tucker
: 6' 6"; Sophomore; JC
: F

#3 Bryce White
: 6' 5"; Sophomore; JC
: G