complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS vs. SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Saturday, February 15, 2014, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center, Portland, OR
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Record/Big Sky: 11-11, 6-7
Head Coach: Tyler Geving (63-81/5th year)
 
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Record/Big Sky: 10-12, 6-7
Head Coach: Brian Katz (56-114/6th year)
 
Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:45 p.m.
Live Stats: vikslive.statb.us, viksmobile.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
As the conference season winds down, and the scramble for playoff position intensifies, the Portland State Vikings go after a must-win on Saturday night against Sacramento State. In fact, all games are must-win at this point in a Big Sky Conference race featuring nine teams within two-and-a-half games of one another in the standings. It is must-win for PSU as four road games loom over the next two weeks.
       
The Vikings and the Hornets are tied for seventh place at 6-7, along with Eastern Washington, as they try to be one of the seven teams to reach the Big Sky Conference Tournament in March. PSU beat Sacramento State, 68-64 in overtime, last month in Sacramento.
        
Portland State stands at 11-11 on the season, but has hit a rough stretch, losing three straight games by a combined 13 points in the past week. That includes an overtime loss at Montana, a five-point defeat at Montana State, then a final-second loss to Northern Arizona at home, 65-63, on Thursday night. The home loss was especially disheartening as the Vikings had the ball in a tie game with less than 10 seconds to play. But a turnover by PSU and fastbreak layin on the other end as time expired cost the Vikings the game.
        
PSU's leading scorer in the game, JR G DaShaun Wiggins, had 19 points in 24 minutes, but came out late in the contest with an ankle sprain. He is questionable for Saturday's game.
        
That loss ended a five-game home court winning streak for Portland State. However, the Vikings are still tough at home this year with a 10-4 mark. And, Saturday's game with Sacramento State is expected to be a sellout as only student tickets remain.
        
Sacramento State is 10-12 overall this season, including a 2-10 road record. The Hornets had won four in a row - all at home - before dropping an 85-72 decision at Eastern Washington on Thursday.
        
Saturday's game with Sacramento State is a 7:05 p.m. start. Live video, audio and stats are available for at GoViks.com. Just click on the Game Day box.
 
VERY FEW THINGS APPEAR CERTAIN IN THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE RACE
With 13 games complete and seven to play in the Big Sky Conference season, almost everything is still up for grabs. At 11-2, Weber State holds a three-game lead over second place and appears on pace to win a title and host the Big Sky Conference Tournament. At 0-13 - though still not eliminated - Southern Utah appears to out of contention for a berth in the seven-team tournament. The nine teams in the middle? They are all mashed potatoes. Consider:
         • While Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona are tied for second at 8-5, they are only two losses ahead of 10th place Idaho State (5-7).
         • In the middle of the standings, three teams are at 7-6 (tied for 4th) and three are at 6-7 (tied for 7th).
         • Portland State was tied for sixth prior to Thursday's game, and would have leapt into third with a win. But instead, dropped to a tie for seventh with the loss.
         • There is potential for a four-way tie at 8-6 after Saturday's games, which would keep all nine teams in the Weber State-Southern Utah sandwich within two games with six to play.
        
PSU's performance on the road will be key to the Vikings' post-season prospects as they play four straight away from the Stott Center beginning next week. PSU travels to Southern Utah (0-13, Feb. 20), Eastern Washington (6-7, Feb. 24), North Dakota (7-6, Feb. 27) and Northern Colorado (8-5, Mar. 1). The Vikings wrap up the regular season with two home games against Weber State (11-2, Mar. 6) and Idaho State (5-7, Mar. 8).
        
The top seven teams in the Big Sky Conference will earn berths into the conference tournament, Mar. 13-15, at the home of the regular season champion. The host will have an opening round bye, while quarterfinal games will match 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.
 
YOU LIKE CLOSE GAMES? TRY THE BIG SKY
In Thursday's loss to Northern Arizona, the difference was a layin with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. It was the culmination of a game that had 14 lead changes in the second half, and the largest lead by either team was just six points (NAU). Portland State's largest lead in the game was five points (twice). That makes the seventh conference game for PSU (out of 13) in which neither team has led by more than 10 points. In addition, PSU has played three overtime games in Big Sky play.
 
THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. SACRAMENTO STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads 26-11. PSU leads 17-1 in Portland.
• BIG SKY SERIES: Portland State leads 25-10. PSU leads 16-1 in Portland.
• STREAK: Portland State has won four of the last five meetings in the series, and 12 of the last 14. The Vikings have won seven straight games against the Hornets at the Stott Center.
• LAST MEETING, JAN. 16 IN SACRAMENTO, PSU 68, SAC 64 (OT): Portland State pulled out an overtime win in Sacramento a little over a month ago. A Gary Winston three-pointer with 42 seconds left in OT gave the Vikings an insurmountable six-point lead. Winston had 12 points and six assists, while Kyle Richardson scored 12 with 10 rebounds. Tim Douglas tallied 13 points... Mikh McKinney had 18 points to lead the Hornets.
• COACHES:  Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 7-2 all-time against Sacramento State. The Hornets' Brian Katz is a 2-9 all-time against the Vikings.
 
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS: Sacramento State joined the Big Sky Conference in conjunction with Portland State, for the 1996-97 season. The Hornets still seek their first Big Sky title... the Hornets are 10-12 on the season, 6-7 in Big Sky Conference games. They had won four straight before losing at Eastern Washington on Thursday, 85-72.... junior guard Mikh McKinney is the team's leading scorer (15.7) and assist man (3.9), as well as the leader in steals (31)... another junior guard, Dylan Garrity, averages 13.0 points and 3.6 assists. He has made 53 three-point field goals (.465).
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 11-11 this season, 10-4 at home, 1-7 on the road.
• PSU has lost three games in a row.
• The Vikings are 6-6 in the Big Sky Conference, 5-2 at home and 1-5 on the road.
• With 11 wins this season, PSU has already bettered last year's win total (8-20) and conference win total (5).
• PSU is 6-5 in close games (six points or less).
• The Vikings have come back to win five games this season when trailing at halftime.
• Portland State is 46-22 at home in five seasons under Tyler Geving.
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 139-51 in 190 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 170-66 at home over the past 18 seasons.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 83-25 at home, including 48-21 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only six non-conference home games since the start of the 2006-07 season (35-6). PSU is 21-6 against Division I schools, and 14-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 143-152 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the tournament (8-8).
• PSU is 98-46 in home games, 42-102 in road games and 3-4 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 58-55 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 64-57 including tournament games.
 
HOT SHOTS:
• SR F Kyle Richardson has scored in double figures in six straight games, averaging 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. He has made 36-58 shots (.621) in those games... Richardson had career-highs of 25 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots on Thursday at Montana... he had double-doubles at Montana and Montana State.
• JR G DaShaun Wiggins scored a game-high 19 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 4-9 FT) and has averaged 14.8 points over the last six games.
• JR G Gary Winston leads the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (.483).
 
NOT SO HOT:
• PSU is 43-107 from the field in its last two games (.401).
• The Vikings were only 15-24 (.625) at the free throw game in a two-point loss to Northern Arizona.
• JR G Gary Winston was scoreless (0-6 FG) on Thursday night after averaging 15.6 point over the previous nine games.
• The Vikings have lost three games in a row.
 
HOME/ROAD DIFFERENTIAL:
• Portland State is 10-4 at home this season, 1-7 on the road.
• PSU has shot .412 from the field, .308 from distance and .660 at the line on the road this year.
• At home, PSU shoots .491/.410/.743.
• The Vikings average 63.8 points on the road and 77.1 at home.
 
SHOOT IT WELL, WIN A GAME: In the last three games, the Vikings were out-shot by Montana, Montana State and Northern Arizona, losing all three games. Prior to that, Portland State shot .526, .547 and a season-high .614 from the field, out-shooting Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and North Dakota, and winning three games. That comes as no surprise as the Vikings are 8-0 this season when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents, 3-11 when they don't.