complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
Monday, February 24, 6:05 p.m. • Reese Court (6,000), Cheney, WA
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Record/Big Sky: 12-12, 7-8
Head Coach: Tyler Geving (64-82/5th year)
 
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
Record/Big Sky: 12-13, 7-7
Head Coach: Jim Hayford (37-51/3rd year)
 
Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 5:45 p.m.
Live Stats: vikslive.statb.us, viksmobile.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
Tied for ninth place. One game out of third place. That's the strange but true reality for Portland State in the Big Sky Conference standings as eight teams are within one game of each other.
     
PSU helped its cause with an 86-79 road win at Southern Utah on Thursday night to improve to 7-8 in the Big Sky. Five teams are tied for third at 8-7, with Eastern Washington in eighth place at 7-7.
     
Now Portland State will sit back and relax on Saturday night to see what shakes out in the Big Sky race among the five scheduled games. Next up for the Vikings is Eastern Washington in Cheney on Monday night. The Eagles will face the Thunderbirds on Saturday prior to hosting the Vikings.
     
With five games left in the regular season, PSU needs to pick up at least two and maybe three more wins if they hope to make the seven-team Big Sky post-season tournament. It won't be easy as the next three games are also on the road for the Vikings. PSU is 2-7 on the road this season, but the Vikings have already defeated the three teams they will face (Eastern Washington, North Dakota, Northern Colorado).
     
PSU (12-12, 7-8) plays at Eastern Washington (12-13, 7-7) on Monday night in a 6:05 p.m. tip off. Live video, audio and stats are available at GoViks.com. Just click on the Game Day box.
     
The Vikings beat the Eagles, 92-83, on Jan. 27 in Portland. Eastern has won four of six games since then. The Eagles are 9-2 at home this year.
     
Monday's game continues the Dam Cup competition between Portland State and Eastern Washington. The Vikings have already won this year's five-sport competition with an 11-4 advantage in points. PSU has won the Dam Cup in three of the four years of its existence.
 
GARY WINSTON IS HITTING HIS STRIDE
JR G Gary Winston scored 21 of his career-high 26 points in the second half of Thursday night's win at Southern Utah. It marked his second career-high in the past 12 games. Moreover, Winston has scored in double-figures in 11 of the 12 games, averaging 14.6 points - a team-high during that stretch. Prior to a 21-point performance in a win over Montana on Jan. 11 (in which he hit the game-winning shot in triple overtime), Winston was averaging 5.0 points per game. He is now averaging 10.5 points for the Vikings and has been the team's leading scorer in the last three wins (Northern Colorado, North Dakota, Southern Utah).
     
Winston got a slow start to the season due to injury and a preseason surgery, but now leads the Big Sky in three-point percentage (.478) for the second year in a row (.470 last year).
 
COMING UP
Portland State has Saturday off, but continues its road competition next Monday at Eastern Washington (12-13, 7-7). The Vikings then play at North Dakota (11-13, 8-6) on Feb. 27 and Northern Colorado (15-8, 9-5) on Mar. 1.
     
The Vikings will wrap up the regular season at home in what may be two crucial games to their Big Sky Conference Tournament hopes. They play first-place Weber State (14-9, 11-4) on Mar. 6 and Idaho State (10-14, 7-8) on 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
For the second game in a row, Portland State was involved in a contest that had 14 lead changes in the second half alone. Fortunately, the Vikings took the last lead with just over a minute to go and went on to win 86-79 over Southern Utah. That was just another example of how close basketball games are in the Big Sky Conference - or perhaps how slim the margin of error.
• The last six games in which the Vikings have played were all decided by seven points or less (for a total margin of 29 points). PSU is 7-6 in close games this year (decided by seven points or less).
• Portland State has played in eight conference games (out of 15) in which neither team has led by more than 10 points. Thursday's game is not included in that group as the Vikings largest lead over SUU was 11 points, while the Thunderbirds largest lead was three.
• PSU has played three overtime games in Big Sky play (2-1).
 
THE SERIES: PORTLAND STATE VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads 22-19. Eastern Washington leads 13-7 in Cheney.
• BIG SKY SERIES: Portland State leads 19-18. Eastern Washington leads 12-6 in Cheney.
• STREAK: Portland State has won two in a row and 10 of the last 12 meetings.
• LAST MEETING, JAN. 27 IN PORTLAND, PSU 92-83: Portland State bounced back from a 10-point halftime deficit, shooting .655 after intermission and .526 for the game. The Vikings inserted five guards and one point and went on a 34-18 run to take control of the game... PSU forced 19 Eagles' turnovers and turned them into 35 points... Andre Winston Jr. scored a career-high 23 points with six assists to lead the Vikings. DaShaun Wiggins had 21 points and five assists and Tim Douglas added 17 points and four assists... Ognjen Miljkovic scored a career-high 32 points for the Eagles.
• COACHES:  Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 7-2 all-time against Eastern Washington. Jim Hayford is 1-4 all-time against the Vikings.
 
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES: Eastern Washington has won one Big Sky Conference title since joining the league in 1987... this season, the Eagles are 12-13, 7-7 in the Big Sky, heading into a Saturday game at Southern Utah... the Eagles have been the top offensive team in the league, averaging a Big Sky-best 76.0 points and league-leading 8.5 three-point field goals per game. Conversely, the Eagles rank last in defense in the Big Sky (75.3 ppg allowed)... sophomore guard Tyler Harvey leads the Big Sky in scoring (21.6), three-point field goals made (94) and free throw percentage (.882)... junior guard Drew Brandon leads the Big Sky in assists (5.6), while scoring 11.0 points per game and grabbing 6.9 rebounds... junior center Martin Seiferth is the best shooter in the league (.650)... sophomore forward Venky Jois averages 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 12-12 this season, 10-5 at home, 2-7 on the road.
• The Vikings are 7-8 in the Big Sky Conference, 5-3 at home and 2-5 on the road.
• With 12 wins this season, PSU has bettered last year's win total (8-20) and conference win total (5).
• PSU is 7-6 in close games (seven points or less).
• The Vikings have come back to win five games this season when trailing at halftime.
• Portland State is 46-23 at home in five seasons under Tyler Geving.
 
HOT SHOTS:
• JR G Gary Winston scored a career-high 26 points (9-17 FG, 3-8 3-pt, 5-6 FT) in the win at Southern Utah. He leads the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (.478).
• JR G Andre Winston has averaged 15.5 points and 3.0 assists in the last two games.
• JR G DaShaun Wiggins has scored 19 points in each of his last two games, and averaged 15.0 points over his last seven games.
• The Vikings made a season-best 27-30 free throws at Southern Utah (.900).
 
NOT SO HOT:
• PSU has allowed opponents to shoot .522 from the field over the last five games.
• JR G Tim Douglas had only four points and no assists at Southern Utah
 
HOME/ROAD DIFFERENTIAL:
• Portland State is 10-5 at home this season, 2-7 on the road.
• PSU has shot .418 from the field, .314 from distance and .701 at the line on the road this year.
• At home, PSU shoots .494/.403/.735.
• The Vikings average 66.2 points on the road and 76.3 at home.
 
SHOOT IT WELL, WIN A GAME: Portland State won a rare game when it was outshot by its opponent on Thursday night. The Vikings shot a solid .473 overall (including .548 in the second half) to a .521 mark for the T-Birds...  for the season, the Vikings are 8-0 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents, 4-12 when they don't... in the previous four games, the Vikings were out-shot by Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State, losing all four 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.
 
KEEP SHOOTING, GARY: JR G Gary Winston has been on a hot streak, averaging 14.6 points over the past 12 games. He posted a career-high 26 points in Thursday's win over Southern Utah. That broke his previous career high (21), recorded at the start of the 12-game run in a win over Montana... Winston averages 10.5 points and 2.5 assists this season.
• Winston leads the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (33-69, .478). He also led last year (.470).
• Winston is the Portland State career leader in three-point percentage (.455).
• Winston hit clutch three-pointers in two Viking wins this season. He made the game-winner with 2.6 seconds remaining in the third overtime of an 81-78 win against Montana (1/11). Then, with the Vikings clinging to a 61-58 lead against Sacramento State (1/16) in overtime and less than a minute to play, Winston rose up and buried a trey to make it 64-58 with 42 seconds to go. That shot essentially sealed the win for the Vikings.
• Posted 19 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 3-3 FT) with five rebounds and tied a career-high with six assists in a win over Northern Colorado (1/30).
• Had 19 points (7-8 FG, 3-3 3-pt, 2-2 FT), two assists and two steals in the win over North Dakota (2/1).
 
OUR COUSIN VINNIE: If you remember the "Microwave", former Detroit Piston sixth-man Vinnie Johnson, then know that Portland State appears to have their own version in JR G DaShaun Wiggins. Wiggins has come off the bench in 17 of 23 games this season and yet leads the team in scoring (13.0), ranks third in steals (24), and fourth in three-pointers (27) in just 23 minutes per night... Wiggins has had back-to-back 19-point games and averaged 15.4 points over the past six games.
• Wiggins' had a 21-point, seven-rebound, three-assist, two-steal performance in a win over UC Davis (11/24).
• He set new career-highs with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals against Idaho (12/14).
• Scored a game-high 20 points (7-13 FG, 5-6 FT) against Montana State (1/9).
• Posted 21 points (5-11 FG, 3-7 3-pt, 8-9 FT) with five assists in the win over Eastern Washington (1/27).
• Wiggins has led the team in scoring eight times and rebounding twice.
• Wiggins ranks 12th in the Big Sky Conference in scoring.
 
POST PRESENCE: SR F Kyle Richardson is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last eight games, he has made 43-67 shots from the field (.642) and averaged 13.4 points... after graduating and transferring to Portland State for his final season this year, Big Rich has stepped up his role and his game. Richardson, along with JR G Tim Douglas (who was also a high school teammate), are the only Vikings to start every game. In 25 minutes per night, Richardson averages 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds - both career highs.
• Richardson scored 16 points (7-9 FG) with eight rebounds in a win over Northern Colorado (1/30).
• Had a career night with 25 points (10-15 FG), 12 rebounds and three blocked shots at Montana (2/6).
• Richardson has led the Vikings in rebounding nine times this season and has three double-doubles.
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.554) and 11th in rebounding (5.4).
 
THE LEADER: JR G Tim Douglas is making a big impact for the Vikings this season. He is averaging 12.7 points and a team-leading 3.5 assists.
• Douglas has led the Vikings in scoring in five games and assists in 14 games.
• He has scored in double figures a team-high 18 times with a season-high 27 against Portland (12/7).
• Douglas was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 10.
• Douglas ranks 14th in scoring and seventh in assists in the Big Sky Conference.
 
HALL MONITOR: SR G Marcus Hall continues to be a dangerous shooter for the Vikings. He leads the team with 38 three-point field goals made and shoots .404 from distance... Hall's main value has been defending bigger opponents in the Vikings' four-guard lineup. He has handled the role well.
• Ranks ninth in the Big Sky in three-point percentage at .404.
• Hall has a team-high 38 three-pointers for the season.
• Posted a career-high 19 against Montana State (1/9), then two nights later hit another career-high in the win over Montana (1-11). Hall had 21 points in that game with seven rebounds and three assists.
 
WINSTON HITTING THE MARK: JR G Andre Winston Jr. has been efficient on offense this season, averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He shoots .492 from the field and .764 at the line. He also has an excellent 56/34 assist-to-turnover ratio. Those are nice improvements over his numbers last year of 7.0, .391 and .705.
• Winston had a career-game in the win over Eastern Washington (1/27), scoring a career-high 23 points (7-13, 8-10 FT) with six rebounds, and career-highs of six assists and three steals.
• In the past two games, Winston has averaged 15.5 points and 3.0 assists.
 
THE BIG CAT IS ON THE PROWL: JR C Brandon Cataldo has been a "project" player for the Vikings the past two seasons. This season he has begun to assert himself. Cataldo is averaging modest numbers of 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 11 minutes per night. Those work out to 17.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per 40 minutes.
• Cataldo leads the team with a .618 field goal percentage. He shoots .583 from the field for his career.
• Cataldo has led the Vikings in rebounding three times this season.
 
FOSTERING GOOD DEFENSE: You wouldn't expect a walk-on player who almost never shoots the ball to have a big impact on your team, but SR G Alyx Foster has for the Vikings. Foster has attempted just 12 shots, scoring 13 points all season. But he has proven valuable in a defensive role, and in particular lately, playing the "4" position at only 6-foot-3. Foster has averaged 11 minutes per game over the last 11 contests as a backup to Marcus Hall. And though he averages less than a point and just over one rebound per game, Head Coach Tyler Geving would tell you Foster has been vital to the Vikings' success.