Complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS vs. NORTH DAKOTA
Big Sky Conference Tournament Semifinals, hosted by Weber State
Friday, March 14, 2014, 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (11,500), Ogden, UT
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Record/Big Sky: 17-13, 11-9 (number-five seed)
Head Coach: Tyler Geving (69-83/5th year)
 
NORTH DAKOTA
Record/Big Sky: 16-15, 12-8 (number-two seed)
Head Coach: Brian Jones (118-129/8th 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: 3:15 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?tournament=70
 
THE OPENING TIP
The Portland State Vikings kept their Big Sky Championship and NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a gritty 70-63 win over Montana on Thursday night in a Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal game. That sets up a semifinal matchup with North Dakota on Friday in Ogden.
     
The Vikings and UND meet in a 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT game at Dee Events Center. The two teams split their season series, so the rubber game will decide who gets a shot at the Big Sky Championship on Saturday night. PSU, the fifth seed in the Big Sky Tournament, improved to 17-13 on the season with its win over Montana. It was the Vikings' fourth straight win and sixth victory in seven outings. North Dakota, the number two seed in the tournament, is 16-15 overall after a 79-76 win over Sacramento State. UND has won five of its last six games.
     
Friday's game will be live streamed at www.WatchBigSky.com. Live audio is available at www.GoViks.com and live stats can be found at http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?tournament=70.
     
The other Big Sky semifinal pits top-seeded host Weber State (17-11) against sixth-seed Northern Colorado (18-12). That game tips off at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT.
 
THE 2014 BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
First Round - Thursday, March 13 (hosted by Weber State University, Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah)
No. 2 North Dakota 79, No. 7 Sacramento State 76
No. 6 Northern Colorado 62, No. 3 Northern  Arizona 60
No. 5 Portland State 70, No. 4 Montana 63
 
Semifinals - Friday, March 14
4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT - No. 2 North Dakota (16-15, 12-8) vs No. 5 Portland State (17-13, 11-9)
7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT - No. 6 Northern Colorado (18-12, 11-9) 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 9-8 all-time in the Big Sky Tournament. Head Coach Tyler Geving is 3-2 all-time in the tournament.
• Portland State is now 5-3 all-time in quarterfinal round games, 2-5 in semifinal games, and 2-0 in championship games.
• 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 six appearances (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014).
• PSU has beaten five of the other six teams in this year's tournament, holding a 7-6 record against them. The only team the Vikings did not beat was Northern Arizona, and the Lumberjacks have been eliminated.
• Only JR G Gary Winston and JR C Brandon Cataldo had previous experience in the Big Sky Tournament prior to Thursday's game.
•  Portland State's complete Big Sky Conference history and records are on page 12 of this release.
• Portland State statistics vs. remaining opponents are located on page 15 of this release.
 
Portland State vs. The Remaining 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. #6 Northern Colorado: 2-0 - won 80-57 in Portland; won 77-68 in Greeley
 
THURSDAY NIGHT: PORTLAND STATE 70, MONTANA 63
No flash. All grit. That's what you need as a college basketball team this time of the year, and that's what Portland State showed in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal win over Montana, 70-63, at Dee Events Center.
     
The Vikings won for the sixth time in seven games, and like the previous victories it was as tight and tense as could be.
     
Struggling offensively, the Vikings went on the attack in the second half, going inside, getting Montana into foul trouble and capitalizing at the line.
     
Portland State struggled to score early and made only 8-25 shots in the first half (.320). A Gary Winston three-pointer at the buzzer pulled PSU within 28-26 and appeared to give them some momentum going into the locker room.
     
Montana led 40-35 with 11:11 to go in the game but the Vikings outscored the Griz 17-6 over the next six minutes. DaShaun Wiggins had six points and an assist in the run. Andre Winston Jr.'s layin at the 4:53 mark put the Vikings up 52-46 and they had the game in hand.
     
Portland State made its last 15 free throws in a row over the final 2:40 of the game to hold off Montana.
     
The Vikings got 19 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots from big man Kyle Richardson. DaShaun Wiggins came off the bench for 18 points, including 15 in the second half.
     
Portland State made 12-21 shots in the second half (.571) and 18-21 at the line (.867). PSU finished at .435 from the field and .867 at the line.
     
"It was a good win by our kids. Our energy level was not very good to start with. I was concerned that first 10 minutes of the game. We were sleepwalking through it. It was a great defensive effort by both teams. I am just proud of our kids, they keep competing, keep fighting, we just have to keep on doing it," said Head Coach Tyler Geving.
     
Kareem Jamar scored 20 for Montana, but had to work hard for it, making 8-18 shots from the field. Jordan Gregory added 18 points for the Griz who end their season at 17-13.
     
Portland State has won four games in a row by single-digit scores, and six of its last seven overall.
     
"We just tried to out-tough them, play defense and stay together," said Richardson of the battle with Montana. "We would like it to be a double-digit win, but if it has to be a single-digit win. It's fine with me."
 
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 17-13 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 17-13, the Vikings have tied their mark for most wins in Geving's five seasons as Head Coach (17-15 in 2011-12). With four wins in a row and six in seven games, the Vikings are the hottest team in the league.
 
PORTLAND STATE VS. NORTH DAKOTA
Portland State and North Dakota split a pair of regular season games with each team winning on its home court.
     
PSU came from behind in the second half to beat North Dakota, 70-68, in Portland on Feb. 1. Gary Winston scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, shooting 7-8 from the field, 3-3 from three-point range and 2-2 at the line. The Vikings shot a season-best .614 from the floor (27-44) to overcome 19 turnovers. Troy Huff had 20 points and  seven rebounds to lead UND.
     
On Feb. 27 in Grand Forks, North Dakota took an 83-73 win over the Vikings. Huff went for 24 points, eight rebounds and five steals. UND had only eight turnovers to 16 for the Vikings, who actually outshot North Dakota (.517 to .484). It was the only time all season that PSU outshot an opponent and did not win the game. Kyle Richardson had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Vikings.
 
THE SERIES VS. NORTH DAKOTA
UND leads the all-time series 5-1: UND leads 3-0 in Grand Forks. UND leads 2-1 in Portland.
UND leads the Big Sky series 3-1: UND is 2-0 in Grand Forks. The series is tied 1-1 in Portland.
Most Points, PSU: 76, 2012-13
Most Points, UND: 85, 2012-13
Overtime games: None
Largest Margin of Victory: PSU: 2, 70-68, 2013-14 @ PSU • UND: 10, 83-73, 2013-14 @ UND
Coaches records:  Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 1-3 all-time against North Dakota. UND's Brian Jones is 3-1 against the Vikings.
 
The teams have never met in the Big Sky Conference Tournament or at a neutral site.
 
NORTH DAKOTA: The University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks, is in its second season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. UND is currently without a nickname until 2015... North Dakota reached the Big Sky Conference Tournament as the number two seed, tying for second place at 12-8 in league play... North Dakota advanced to the Big Sky semifinal by defeating Sacramento State, 79-76, after trailing by seven points in the second half. Troy Huff had a game-high 18 points. Aaron Anderson added 16 points and four assists... UND shot .518 from the field and committed only seven turnovers in the contest... Huff, a 6-5 senior swingman was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection this season... guards Aaron Anderson and Jamal Webb were honorable mention All-Big Sky.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 17-13 this season, 12-5 at home, 5-8 on the road.
• The Vikings went 11-9 in the Big Sky Conference, 7-3 at home and 4-6 on the road.
• With 17 wins this season, PSU has more than doubled last year's win total (8-20).
• PSU is 10-6 in close games (seven points or less) and 3-1 in overtime.
• The Vikings have come back to win seven games this season when trailing at halftime.
• Portland State has won four games in a row three times this season.
 
HOT SHOTS:
• SR F Kyle Richardson continues to play well. Over the last 14 games, he has made 89-133 shots from the field (.669), averaging 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. Richardson posted a career-high 28 points (14-19 FG) with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots against Idaho State (3/8). He was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Then on Thursday, he had 19 points (7-11 FG, 5-6 FT), five rebounds and two blocks in the win over Montana.
• JR G DaShaun Wiggins scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half against Montana.
• JR G Gary Winston has averaged 16.4 points over the last seven games.
• The Vikings made 15-15 free throws in the last 2:40 of the win over Montana, 18-21 in the second half, and 26-30 overall (.867).
 
THE NUMBERS 17 AND 11 MEAN A LOT: With Portland State's 17 wins, the Vikings are guaranteed a winning season. The 11 conference wins also guaranteed a winning conference season... at 17-13, the Vikings have matched their most wins in five seasons under Head Coach Tyler Geving (PSU was 17-15/10-6 in 2011-12)... PSU has more than doubled last year's win total, and more than doubled the conference win total (8-20/5-15).
 
CLOSE CONFERENCE, CLOSE GAMES: In the win over Montana, neither team had a double-digit lead during the game. That marks the ninth time since the start of Big Sky Conference play that PSU has been in a game in which neither team led by more than 10 points... 15 of the 21 games have been decided been nine points or less and four went to overtime (PSU is 3-1).
 
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 11-5.
 
MORE POINTS, MORE WINS: This season, the Vikings have gone 6-0 when scoring over 80 points, 13-6 when scoring 70 or more.
 
COMEBACK KIDS: The Vikings have won seven games in which they trailed at halftime. The Vikings were down 28-26 to Montana at the break... 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, 6-12 when they don't.
 
5x10... ALMOST: Portland State (almost) has five players averaging double figures this season: DaShaun Wiggins (12.9), Tim Douglas (12.1), Gary Winston (11.4), Kyle Richardson (10.0) and Andre Winston (9.7). Meanwhile, Marcus Hall averages 7.8 points.