For the complete 40-page tournament booklet on the Vikings, click here

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS vs. MONTANA GRIZZLIES
Big Sky Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, hosted by Weber State
Thursday, March 13, 2014, 6 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (11,500), Ogden, UT
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Record/Big Sky: 16-13, 11-9 (number-five seed)
Head Coach: Tyler Geving (68-83/5th year)
 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
Record/Big Sky: 17-12, 12-8 (number-four seed)
Head Coach: Wayne Tinkle (158-90/8th year)
 
Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Steve Klauke • Analyst: Lance Barton
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:45 p.m.
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/tournament.php?tid=70
 
THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will open its 2014 post-season play this Thursday at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Vikings earned the number-five seed in the Big Sky Tournament and take on fourth-seeded Montana in a quarterfinal round game that tips off at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. The Big Sky Tournament takes place in Ogden, UT, home of the Big Sky regular season champion Weber State.
     
PSU wrapped up its regular season on Saturday night with a 78-74 overtime win against Idaho State. The Vikings finished at 16-13, 11-9 in the Big Sky Conference. Perhaps more important, PSU has won three straight and five of six games heading into the tournament.
     
Montana completed its regular season at 17-12, 12-8 in the Big Sky. The Grizzlies sit in a three-way tie for second, but take the number-four seed after tiebreakers were applied. Montana might have been the hottest team heading into the tournament, having won five straight and nine of 11, but the Griz lost at Northern Arizona last Saturday, 67-47.
     
Portland State and Montana have played 53 games all-time, 36 in Big Sky Conference play, but have never met in a Big Sky Tournament game.
 
THE 2014 BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
First Round - Thursday, March 13 (hosted by Weber State University, Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah)
2:05 p.m. MT/1:05 p.m. PT - No. 7 Sacramento State (14-15, 10-10) vs. No. 2 North Dakota (15-15, 12-8)
4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT - No. 6 Northern Colorado (17-12, 11-9) vs. No. 3 Northern  Arizona (15-16, 12-8)
7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT - No. 5 Portland State (16-13, 11-9) vs. No. 4 Montana (17-12, 12-8)
 
Semifinals - Friday, March 14
4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT - Highest Remaining Seeds vs 2nd Highest Remaining Seed
7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT - Lowest Remaining Seed at No. 1 Weber State (17-11, 14-6)
 
Final - Saturday, March 15, televised on ESPNU
6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT - Semifinal Winners
 
The Big Sky Tournament Champion advances to the NCAA Tournament
 
PORTLAND STATE AND THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
• Portland State is making its 11th appearance in the Big Sky Tournament in 15 seasons eligible.
• The Vikings are 8-8 all-time in the Big Sky Tournament. Head Coach Tyler Geving is 2-2 all-time in the tournament.
• PSU won Big Sky Conference Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
• Portland State won Big Sky regular season championships in 2005 and 2008, hosting the tournament those two seasons (Memorial Coliseum in 2005, Rose Garden in 2008).
• The Vikings have reached at least the Big Sky semifinals (or championship) in each of their last five appearances (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012).
• PSU has beaten five of the other six teams in this year's tournament, holding a 6-6 record against them.
• Only JR G Gary Winston and JR C Brandon Cataldo have previous experience in the Big Sky Tournament.
 
Portland State vs. The Field in 2013-14 (game capsules and boxscores located in back of notes)
vs. #1 Weber State: 1-1 - lost 79-62 in Ogden; won 66-59 in Portland
vs. #2 North Dakota: 1-1 - won 70-68 in Portland; lost 83-73 in Grand Forks
vs. #3 Northern Arizona: 0-2 - lost 77-56 in Flagstaff; lost 65-63 in Portland
vs. #4 Montana: 1-1 - won 81-78 in Portland (3ot); lost 82-76 in Missoula (ot)
vs. #6 Northern Colorado: 2-0 - won 80-57 in Portland; won 77-68 in Greeley
vs. #7 Sacramento State: 1-1 - won 68-64 in Sacramento (ot); lost 72-65 in Portland
 
PORTLAND STATE: THE 2013-14 SEASON
Portland State entered the 2013-14 season seeking a bounce back from last year's 8-20/5-15 record. By all accounts, the Vikings have accomplished that with a 16-13 record and 11-9 mark in the Big Sky Conference. For perspective, Portland State had been picked eighth and ninth in a pair of Big Sky Conference preseason polls. The Vikings were eighth in a poll of Big Sky Coaches and ninth in the Big Sky Media poll.
     
PSU had an early four-game winning streak to jump out to a 4-1 preseason record. However, the Vikings lost six of seven games from late November through early January. Sitting at 5-7 overall, 0-3 in the Big Sky Conference on Jan. 9, the season looked bleak. But the Vikings persevered.
     
Head Coach Tyler Geving made the difficult decision of suspending starting forward Aaron Moore for the remainder of the season for conduct detrimental to the team. It also became clear that forward Tiegbe Bamba would not be able to return from an achilles injury he suffered in junior college in Feb. 2013. That left the Vikings woefully undersized - though certainly not under-talented.
     
Geving installed - by necessity  - a four-guard offense that ignited the Viking team. 
     
Portland State won six of its next seven games, climbing as high as third in the Big Sky standings. A span of four straight losses in early February - none by more than seven points - forced the Vikings to finish strong to earn a post-season berth. The team responded winning three of four on the road - then their final two home games - to guarantee a winning season and earn the fifth seed in the Big Sky Tournament.
     
Now at 16-13, the Vikings have their second-best record in Geving's five seasons as Head Coach (17-15 in 2011-12). With three wins in a row and five in six games, the Vikings entered the tourney as one of the hottest teams in the league.
 
PORTLAND STATE VS. MONTANA
Portland State and Montana split a pair of regular season games with each team winning on its home court. Both games went into overtime.
     
PSU won an epic three-overtime contest on Jan. 11 in the Stott Center, 81-78. Marcus Hall and Gary Winston each scored 21 in that game for the Vikings. Winston hit a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the third overtime.
     
Montana took an 82-76 overtime win in Missoula on Feb. 6. The Grizzlies got 19 points each from Kareem Jamar and Keron DeShields in the win. Kyle Richardson scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Vikings.
 
THE SERIES
UM leads the all-time series 32-21: UM leads 21-5 in Missoula • PSU leads 15-11 in Portland •
      PSU leads 1-0 at neutral sites
UM leads the Big Sky series 23-11: UM is 14-3 in Missoula • UM leads 9-8 in Portland
Streak: Montana has won 10 of the last 11 meetings
Most Points, PSU: 108, 1966-67 and 2007-08
Most Points, UM: 107, 1969-70
Overtime games: UM 3-2 (each team won an overtime meeting this year)
Largest Margin of Victory:
    PSU: 52, 108-56, 2007-08 @ UM
    UM: 32, 90-58, 2009-10 @ UM
Coaches records:  Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 1-9 all-time against Montana. UM's Wayne Tinkle is 11-5 against Portland State.
 
The teams have never met in the Big Sky Conference Tournament
 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES: The University of Montana, located in Missoula, is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. In 50 seasons, the Grizzlies have won seven Big Sky Conference regular season championships, nine Big Sky Tournament championships, and have made 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament... Montana is the defending Big Sky Champion, going 25-7/19-1 last year... this year, Montana was 17-12, 12-8 in the Big Sky... Montana is led by four-time All-Big Sky Conference selection Kareem Jamar. The senior wing averages 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists to lead the team in each category... guard Jordan Gregory averages 13.6 points and has a team-high 61 three-point field goals... Keron DeShields averages 12.0 points and shoots 50% from the field... Mike Weisner leads the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (.471)... as a team, Montana shoots .477 from the field, makes 7.6 three-pointers per game and leads the Big Sky with a .739 mark at the free throw line.
 
WINSTON, WIGGINS EARN BIG SKY CONFERENCE POST-SEASON HONORS
Portland State guards Gary Winston and DaShaun Wiggins were both given honors as the Big Sky Conference announced its post-season basketball awards. Winston was named second team All-Big Sky Conference, while Wiggins was the co-6th Man of the Year and honorable mention All-Big Sky.
     
Winston, a 6-foot junior guard from Walla Walla, WA, earned second-team honors while averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 assists and shooting .443 from three-point range. Winston's numbers improved to a team-leading 13.6 points and 3.1 assists in Big Sky games. He also proved to be a clutch performer, twice hitting three-pointers that helped decide games.
     
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 at 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.
     
Over the last 17 games, Winston has averaged 14.8 points, scoring in double figures 16 times. Winston ranks third in the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (43-97, .443). Has led the team in scoring seven times and assists 11 times this season. He has posted career-highs of 26 points and seven assists (twice).
     
Despite coming off the bench all season, 6-2 junior guard DaShaun Wiggins, a native of the Bronx, NY, led the Vikings in scoring (12.7) and steals (30) in just 23 minutes per game. That earned him a share of the 6th Man of the Year Award (with Jamal Webb, North Dakota) and an honorable mention All-Big Sky nod.
     
Wiggins came off the bench in 22 of the 28 games he played. He had a team-high five 20-point games, leading the team in scoring nine times on the season. He ranks 15th in the Big Sky Conference in scoring.
     
Weber State's Davion Berry was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Quinton Upshur of Northern Arizona was selected as Newcomer of the Year. Jeremy Senglin of Weber State was picked as Freshman of the Year, and Joel Bolomboy, also of Weber State, was named Defensive Player of the Year.
     
All-Conference voting was done by the league's 11 coaches.
 
2013-14 BIG SKY CONFERENCE AWARDS
Most Valuable Player: Davion Berry, SR, G/F, Weber State
Newcomer of the Year: Quinton Upshur, JR, G, Northern Arizona
Freshman of the Year: Jeremy Senglin, FR, G, Weber State
Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Bolomboy, SO, F, Weber State
6th Man of the Year: Jamal Webb, SR, G, North Dakota and DaShaun Wiggins, JR, G, Portland State
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Davion Berry, SR, G/F, Weber State
Troy Huff, SR, G/F, North Dakota
Kareem Jamar, SR, G/F, Montana
Mikh McKinney, JR, G, Sacramento State
Tyler Harvey, SO, G, Eastern Washington
Quinton Upshur, JR, G, Northern Arizona
 
SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Derrick Barden, SR, F, Northern Colorado
Gary Winston, JR, G, Portland State
Kyle Tresnak, SR, C, Weber State
Chris Hansen, JR, G/F, Idaho State
Tate Unruh, SR, G, Northern Colorado
 
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Venky Jois, SO, F, Eastern Washington
Keron DeShields, JR, G, Montana
Jordan Gregory, JR, G, Montana
Flavien Davis, SR, F, Montana State
Aaron Anderson, SR, G, North Dakota
Jamal Webb, SR, G, North Dakota
Max Jacobsen, SR, F, Northern Arizona
DaShaun Wiggins, JR, G, Portland State
Dylan Garrity, JR, G, Sacramento State
Joel Bolomboy, SO, F, Weber State
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 16-13 this season, 12-5 at home, 4-8 on the road.
• The Vikings went 11-9 in the Big Sky Conference, 7-3 at home and 4-6 on the road.
• With 16 wins this season, PSU has doubled last year's win total (8-20).
• PSU is 9-6 in close games (seven points or less) and 3-1 in overtime.
 
HOT SHOTS:
• SR F Kyle Richardson continues to play well. Over the last 13 games, he has made 82-122 shots from the field (.672), averaging 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. Richardson posted a career-high 28 points (14-19 FG) with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots against Idaho State. He was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
• JR G Gary Winston has averaged 17.3 points over the last six games.
• JR G Andre Winston has averaged 13.3 points and shot .623 in the last seven games.
 
NOT SO HOT:
• The Vikings were only 8-33 from three-point range in last week's two games (.242).
 
THE NUMBERS 16 AND 11 MEAN A LOT: With Portland State's 16 wins, the Vikings are guaranteed a winning season. The 11 conference wins also guaranteed a winning conference season... at 16-13, the Vikings have their second-best mark in five seasons under Head Coach Tyler Geving. PSU was 17-15/10-6 in 2011-12; 14-16 in 2010-11... PSU has doubled last year's win total, and more than doubled the conference win total (8-20/5-15).
 
CLOSE CONFERENCE, CLOSE GAMES: Portland State played in eight conference games in which neither team led by more than 10 points... 14 of the 20 games were decided been nine points or less and four went to overtime (PSU is 2-1).
 
A WINNING LINEUP: The four-guard starting lineup of Tim Douglas, Andre Winston Jr., Gary Winston, and Marcus Hall and forward Kyle Richardson has gone 10-5.
 
MORE POINTS, MORE WINS: This season, the Vikings have gone 6-0 when scoring over 80 points, 12-6 when scoring 70 or more.
 
AND SOME DEFENSE: In PSU's last three wins, the Vikings have held their opponents - Weber State, Northern Colorado and Idaho State  - to 69-169 shooting (.408).
 
COMEBACK KIDS: The Vikings have won six games in which they trailed at halftime. Only once this season has PSU given up a halftime lead to lose.
 
SHOOT IT WELL, WIN A GAME: For the season, the Vikings are 11-1 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents, 5-12 when they don't.
 
5x10... ALMOST: Portland State (almost) had five players average double figures in Big Sky games: Gary Winston (13.6), DaShaun Wiggins (12.5), Kyle Richardson (11.9), Tim Douglas (10.6) and Andre Winston (9.8). Meanwhile, Marcus Hall averaged 8.6 in conference games.
 
KEEP SHOOTING, GARY: JR G Gary Winston has been on a hot streak, averaging 14.8 points over the past 17 games, scoring in double figures in 16 of those games. He posted a career-high 26 points at Southern Utah (2/20). That broke his previous career high (21), recorded at the start of the 16-game run in a win over Montana (1/11)... Winston averages 11.5 points and 2.6 assists this season. He was averaging just 5.0 points prior to the 17-game stretch.
• Named second team All-Big Sky Conference this season.
• Winston ranks third in the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (43-97, .443). He led the Big Sky last year (.470).
• Winston ranks second all-time at Portland State in three-point percentage (.443).
• Has led the team in scoring seven times and assists 11 times this season.
 
POST PRESENCE: SR F Kyle Richardson is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last 13 games, he has made 82-122 shots from the field (.660) and averaged 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots... 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 27 minutes per night, Richardson averages 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds - both career highs. He also has a team-leading 30 blocked shots.
• Named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week  after scoring 41 points, grabbing 22 rebounds and blocking four shots in wins over first-place Weber State and Idaho State (3/10). Richardson shot 20-28 from the field (.714) in the two games.
• Richardson has led the Vikings in rebounding 14 times this season and has five double-doubles.
• Ranks fourth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.596) and eighth in rebounding (6.3).
 
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 22 of 28 games this season, leads the team in scoring (12.7) and steals (30), and is fourth in three-pointers (29) in just 23 minutes per night.
• Named the Big Sky Conference co-6th Man of the Year and honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference.
• Wiggins has led the team in scoring nine times and rebounding twice.
• Wiggins ranks 15th in the Big Sky Conference in scoring.
 
WINSTON HITTING THE MARK: JR G Andre Winston Jr. has been efficient on offense this season, averaging 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Over the past seven games, Winston has averaged 13.3 points while shooting .623 from the field and .806 at the line... for the season, Winston shoots .527 from the field and .775 at the line. He also has an excellent 66/41 assist-to-turnover ratio. Those are nice improvements over his numbers last year of 7.0, .391 and .705.
• Ranks 10th in the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage.
 
THE LEADER: JR G Tim Douglas is making a big impact for the Vikings this season. He is averaging 12.3 points, a team-leading 3.3 assists and leads the team with 30 steals... he has made 10-23 three-pointers in the last five games (.435).
• Douglas has led the Vikings in scoring in five games and assists in 14 games.
• He has scored in double figures a team-high 21 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 17th in scoring and eighth 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 46 three-point field goals made and shoots .390 from distance... Hall's main value has been defending bigger opponents in the Vikings' four-guard lineup. He has handled the role well.
• Ranks 12th in the Big Sky in three-point percentage.
• 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.
• Had 19 points (6-12 FG, 4-9 3-pt, 3-6 FT) and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in a win over Idaho State (3/8).
 
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 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 10.6 minutes per night. Those work out to 16.2 points and 12.8 rebounds per 40 minutes... Cataldo has just eight turnovers all season.
• Cataldo leads the team with a .611 field goal percentage. He shoots .580 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 17 shots, scoring 19 points all season. But he has proven valuable in a defensive role playing the "4" position at only 6-foot-3. Foster has averaged 10 minutes per game in conference 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.
 
TASTY TIDBITS:
• PSU has matched a school record with four overtime games this season, going 3-1 in those contests. PSU was also 3-1 in four OT games in 1998-99.
• The Vikings stopped a seven-game losing streak to Weber State with a 66-59 win over the Wildcats (3/6).
• PSU picked up back-to-back road wins (Southern Utah and Eastern Washington, Feb. 20-24) for the first time since Feb. 4-9, 2012 (Northern Arizona, Idaho State). The Vikings ended up winning three of four on the road trip (Feb. 20-Mar. 1).
• In 20 Big Sky Conference games, PSU has played eight games in which neither team led by more than 10 points. There have also been four overtime games.
• The Vikings wrapped up a 4-0 home stand on Feb. 1, having won all four games in eight days, knocking off then-first place Northern Colorado and third-place North Dakota.
• PSU knocked off first-place Northern Colorado (7-1 at the time), 80-57, with its largest margin over victory (23 points) over a Division I opponent since a 98-63 win over Idaho State on Feb. 26, 2010.
• Twice the Vikings have used five-guard lineups for come-from-behind wins, beating Southern Utah (1/25) and Eastern Washington (1/27).
• Portland State ended a 20-game road losing streak (and 14-game Big Sky road losing streak) with a 68-64 overtime win at Sacramento State (1/16). PSU's last road win had also been at Sacramento State (94-88) on Feb. 23, 2012.
• Portland State ended a nine-game losing streak to Montana with an 81-78 triple-overtime win against the Griz (1/11).
• Prior to the Jan. 4 Weber State game, SR F Aaron Moore was suspended by Head Coach Tyler Geving for conduct detrimental to the team.
• PRESEASON REVIEW: Portland State wrapped up its preseason schedule at 5-4, tied for the second-best mark in the Big Sky... PSU's 5-4 non-conference record was its first winning preseason mark in three seasons (9-5 in 2010-11)... PSU had wins over teams from the Big West, Missouri Valley, and Ohio Valley Conferences, with losses to Mountain West opponents (2), the West Coast and the WAC.
• HOME COURT HAPPINESS: With a 5-2 non-conference home record, PSU is 35-6 at the Stott Center since the start of the 2006-07 season in non-conference games (PSU is 43-19 in Big Sky home games over that span). PSU is 21-6 against Division I schools, and 13-0 against lower division schools in those non-conference games. Among the six losses are San Jose State (2007-08, in overtime), Seattle (2009-10, on a three-pointer at the final buzzer), Portland (2010-11, by 11 points; 2013-14, by 16 points), Oregon State (2012-13, by five points) and Idaho (2013-14, by one point).
• During Portland State's preseason tournament, the Vikings came back from double-digit, second-half deficits to beat both Loyola and SIUE. The win over UC Davis was a little more conventional as the Vikings went wire-to-wire, leading by double-digits throughout the second half.
• When Portland State went 0-7 from three-point range against UNLV in the season opener (11/9) it marked the first time in PSU history that a Viking team failed to make a three in a game. Since 1996-97 when basketball was reinstated on the Park Blocks, PSU had made at least one three-pointer in 495 straight games.
• The crowd of 13,148 at UNLV was the ninth-largest ever for a game in which the Portland State program has played.
• Portland State is 14-4 in home opening games since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.
• Portland State plays 17 regular season home games this year, the most ever scheduled in a single season.
• JR F Tiegbe Bamba is still rehabilitating from an achilles injury last season at Midland JC. He will not play this season.
• JR G Sebastian Suarez will redshirt this season due to complications with his transfer status. He needs to establish a year of residency and will be eligible to compete in the 2014-15 season. Also redshirting this season is JR G Kyler Shula.
• The Viking basketball program has graduated 16 of 17 players who have completed their eligibility under Head Coach Tyler Geving.
• Portland State is in its 18th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I. PSU played basketball from 1946-1981 before discontinuing the program. Basketball was reinstated for the 1996-97 season.
• Speaking of tasty, Portland State basketball fans had the opportunity to Get Stuffed this winter at the Stott Center. Any fan purchasing a ticket for a seat at the Peter W. Stott Center received free concessions. That's right, all the food you can eat from the concession stand. Portland State students, with student tickets, also took advantage of this promotion. It's just that simple. Buy your ticket and you eat for free. More than 15,000 free hot dogs were eaten at Portland State men's and women's basketball games this season.
• And just for the heck of it, Kobayashi ate 12 hot dogs in 88 seconds at Portland State's game against Loyola on Nov. 22.