complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (9-7, 3-3) vs. WEBER STATE WILDCATS (8-9, 3-3)
Thursday, January 22, 6 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (11,500), Ogden, UT
 
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: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
An invigorated Portland State basketball team goes on the road this week for a pair of Big Sky Conference games. The Vikings, coming off an 85-73 win over Idaho on Saturday, stand at 3-3 in the league race and are tied for sixth place with their next opponent, Weber State. The Vikings and the Wildcats meet in a Thursday night game at Dee Events Center in Ogden. Tip-off is 6 p.m. PT.
     
Traditionally, Weber State is the most difficult place to play for Portland State. The Vikings are just 1-19 all-time in Big Sky games at WSU. But maybe this year things will be different. The defending Big Sky Conference Champion Wildcats are not the same team PSU has seen in recent years. WSU is only 8-9 this season, though it does have a 6-1 home record. Meanwhile, Portland State is starting to hit its stride offensively, scoring over 80 points in the last four games and averaging 84.3 ppg.
     
The Vikings, 9-7 overall this season, are 3-5 on the road, and won their last road contest, an 82-75 decision at North Dakota.
     
Portland State also plays at Idaho State on Saturday night in a 6 p.m. PT game.
     
The games with Weber State and Idaho State will be the only meetings against those schools this year as the Big Sky Conference has gone to an 18-game unbalanced schedule.
     
Both games are available via live video stream at www.WatchBigSky.com. Links to live video, audio and statistics can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
 
THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Times are changing in the Big Sky Conference. With one-third of the conference schedule complete, Sacramento State stands in first place at 5-1, followed by Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and Montana (4-1). Last year, Sacramento State and Eastern Washington tied for seventh at the end of the season, while Northern Colorado was fifth. Defending Big Sky champion Weber State is tied for sixth place with Portland State (3-3).
     
The Vikings need to maintain pace in the conference as they are two games behind Sacramento State. The top eight teams in the 12-team league will advance to the Big Sky Tournament, Mar. 12-14, at the home of the regular season champion.
 
COMING UP
The Vikings continue play on the road Saturday night at Idaho State in a 6:05 p.m. PT game. PSU has done well in Big Sky games at ISU (9-9) over the years. Thursday's game in Ogden and Saturday's game in Pocatello are both 6 p.m. PT starts. Links to live video, audio and statistics can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
 
Next week, Portland State returns home to host Montana (Jan. 29) and Montana State (Jan. 31).
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE VS. WEBER STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series 33-12. The Wildcats have a 21-1 edge in Ogden.
• BIG SKY CONFERENCE SERIES: Weber State leads the Big Sky series, 29-12, including 19-1 in Ogden. The Wildcats also have a 5-0 edge in the Big Sky Tournament games.
• STREAK: Portland State won the regular season finale against Weber State last season in Portland. However, the Wildcats had won seven straight in the series prior to that. Weber State has won 10 straight games in Ogden against the Vikings.
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 4, 2014 at WSU: Weber State 79, Portland State 62: Weber State used a late 18-3 run to pull away for the win. WSU shot .511 from the field to just .411 for the Vikings. PSU was also out-rebounded 37-25. Davion Berry scored 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Wildcats. DaShaun Wiggins tallied 16 points for the Vikings. Mar. 6, 2014 at PSU: Portland State 66, Weber State 59: PSU held Weber State to a season-low 17-point first half, forcing the Wildcats into 5-22 shooting and 11 turnovers. DaShaun Wiggins (20) and Gary Winston (18) lead the Vikings in scoring. Davion Berry had 17 for the Wildcats.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (78-92, 6th season) is 3-10 all-time against Weber State. Wildcats Coach Randy Rahe (177-96, 9th season) is 15-4 all-time against the Vikings. He has the best career coaching record of any coach in the Big Sky Conference. 
 
WEBER STATE WILDCATS
• Weber State, an original member of the Big Sky Conference, was 19-12 last season, 14-6 and first in league play. The Wildcats won the Big Sky Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Two starters and five letterwinners return from that team.
• Weber State has won more Big Sky regular season titles than any other school (21). The Wildcats have won nine Big Sky Tournament titles and made 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Wildcats are 8-9 this season, 3-3 in the Big Sky Conference. WSU is 6-1 at home, 2-0 in Big Sky home games.
• WSU averages 68.0 points per game and leads the Big Sky Conference in free throw percentage (.766).
• Sophomore guard Jeremy Senglin leads the Wildcats in scoring (15.6), assists (3.8) and steals (24).
• Junior forward Joel Bolomboy is the top rebounder in the Big Sky Conference for the second straight year at 9.8 per game. He also averages 13.2 points and has blocked 30 shots.
• Sophomore guard Richaud Gittens averages 10.8 points and shoots a Big Sky-best .549 from three-point range.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 9-7 this season, 6-2 at home, 3-5 on the road.
• The Vikings are 3-3 in the Big Sky Conference, 2-2 at home, 1-1 on the road.
• PSU has won two of its last three games.
• The Vikings opened the season with a four-game winning streak, matching the best streak of last season accomplished on three occasions.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 152-158 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-9).
• PSU is 102-49 in home games, 46-104 in road games and 4-5 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 66-61 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 73-64 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 19-42 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-7 home record and 10-35 road record... PSU is 2-1 in games televised in the Portland area this season.
 
HOT SHOTS
• SR G Gary Winston is averaging 17.2 points and 4.8 assists per game in conference play, after averaging 9.6  points and 3.2 assists in non-conference games.
• SO F Braxton Tucker is averaging 14.8 points in Big Sky games after averaging 10.1 points in non-conference games.
• SR G Tim Douglas had season-highs of 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-pt) and seven assists against Eastern Washington. He also had three steals and three rebounds.
• JR C Collin Spickerman has blocked 26 shots in the last 13 games. With 28 on the season, he now ranks third in the Big Sky Conference... in the last four games, Spickerman is 9-13 from the field (.692).
• SO G Zach Gengler had his best game of the season with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench against Idaho.
• The Vikings committed only 13 turnovers in two games last week.
• Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (+2.9).
• PSU ranks 18th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.6).
 
NOT SO HOT
• The Vikings have allowed their last five opponents to shoot a combined .500 from the field, losing three of five. In all three losses the opponents shot over .500.
• SO G Bryce White was 0-5 from the field against Idaho, scoring only two points.
 
HOME-ROAD DIFFERENTIAL: Portland State is 6-2 at home this season, 3-5 on the road.
• PSU averages 79.2 points at home, shooting .468 from the field, .378 from three-point range and .743 at the line.
• The Vikings average 67.2 points on the road, shooting .391/.369/731.
• PSU matched its opponents in rebounding at home, but has been out-rebounded by 7.6 per game on the road.
• Opponents shoot .440 from the field, .388 from three-point range and .685 at the line in the Stott Center. They shoot .496/.371/.706 in their own arenas against the Vikings.
 
SHOOTING IMPROVES, SCORING IMPROVES: After an abysmal stretch of nine games in which PSU shot only .387 percentage from the field, the Vikings have improved over the last four games, shooting .485. The result has been four straight games of scoring over 80 points. PSU has averaged 84.3 points in those games... for the season, PSU shoots .430 from the field, .374 from three-point range, .737 at the free throw line and averages 73.2 points per game.
 
STRONG INDICATORS: A few numbers through 15 games are strong indicators of winning and losing:
• PSU is 9-0 when leading at halftime, 0-7 when trailing.
• The Vikings are 5-0 when they out-rebound opponents.
• The Vikings are 5-1 when shooting a higher percentage than opponents.
• Portland State is 6-2 in games decided by eight points or less.
 
LINEUP SOLIDIFIES: Head Coach Tyler Geving went with seven different starting lineups in the first 11 games of the season.  The constant change was the result of numerous nagging injuries to different players and certainly affected team continuity. But the relative good health of the team has settled the starting lineup and rotation for the Vikings the past three weeks.
• In the last four games, Geving started the unit of SR G Gary Winston, SR G DaShaun Wiggins, SO G Bryce White, SO F Braxton Tucker and SR F Tiegbe Bamba. That has been his most common starting unit this season with eight starts and a 5-3 record.
• Nine different players have started games this season, none have started all 16 games and only three players have competed in all 16 games.
 
CHARITY WORK: Once again this season, Portland State is a team adept at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. The Vikings are 278-377 this year (.737).
• PSU has made almost as many charity shots (278) as its opponents have attempted (286).
• The Vikings average 23.6 free throw attempts per game. Opponents average only 17.9.
• SR G Tim Douglas ranks eighth in career free throw percentage at Portland State (.803). He is shooting .853 this year.
 
GARY IS GETTING HOT: SR G Gary Winston started the season slow offensively, but has turned it on over the last 10 games, scoring in double figures eight times and raising his scoring average to 12.6. Winston also leads the Vikings with 3.8 assists and 32.9 minutes per game.
• In Big Sky Conference play, Winston averages 17.2 points and 4.8 assists as compared to 9.6 points and 3.2 assists in non-conference games.
• Winston scored 18 points with five rebounds and four assists in a win over Southern Utah (1/1).
• He had a season-high 19 points and career-high eight assists at Northern Colorado (1/8).
• Posted a season-high 25 points (9-16 FG, 5-9 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with five assists and four rebounds against Eastern Washington (1/15).
• Winston has led the team in scoring four times and assists 10 times this season.
 
WINSTON HITS 100, AND SOON WILL HIT 1,000: SR G Gary Winston is a fourth-year player in the Viking program and is a rare player to compete in 100 career games. He reached that mark against Idaho and will soon be in PSU's all-time top 10 for games played... with 920 career points, Winston needs to average only 6.8 points over the next 12 conference games to reach 1,000. He would be only the 18th Viking in history to reach that mark... here is where Gary stands on some of PSU's all-time lists.
Games Played: 100 (top 10 begins at 103 games)
Career Points: 920 (17 players have 1,000 career points and Winston is on pace to reach that total)
Assists: 252, 8th
Steals: 63
3-pt FGs: 148, 5th
3-pt FGAs: 348, 9th
3-pt FG%: .425, 5th
 
BENCH PLAY: Portland State had some excellent play off the bench in last week's two games:
• SR G Tim Douglas had season-highs of 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-pt) and seven assists against Eastern Washington (1/15).
• SO G Zach Gengler and JR C Collin Spickerman came up big in the win over Idaho (1/17), playing key roles in a 21-8 first-half run that gave Portland State control of the game. Gengler played a career-high 25 minutes and had his best game of the season with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Spickerman made all three of his field goals for six points, grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots, had a steal and made several deflections.
 
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 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.
• Tucker has averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting .535 in Big Sky games.
• Tucker had 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT), with four rebounds and two blocks against CSU Bakersfield (12/13).
• Posted a career-high 20 points (10-15 FG) in a win at North Dakota (1/10). Hit a key shot with 39.4 seconds left to seal the win.
• Scored 19 points (9-16 FG, 1-1 FT) with seven rebounds and a block in a win over Idaho (1/17).
• Tucker ranks 11th in the Big Sky in rebounding (5.8).
• Has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding five times this year.
• Tucker shoots .504 from the field and .744 at the line.
 
SIXTH-MAN SENSATION NO MORE: 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, earning Big Sky Conference co-6th Man of the Year honors... in 2014-15, Wiggins has moved into the starting lineup and improved on that scoring average.
• Wiggins leads the team in scoring at 15.3 per game, and ranks ninth in the Big Sky Conference.
• He shoots .446 from three-point range to lead the team and rank sixth in the Big Sky.
• Leads the team with 26 steals, ranking third in the Big Sky.
• 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 had 23 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3-pt, 6-8 FT), five steals, four rebounds and three assists in a win over Walla Walla (12/22).
• Wiggins has scored in double figures in 14 games this season and led the team in scoring eight times.
 
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 13 of 14 games, Bamba is averaging 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and shoots .531 from the field.
• 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.
• Grabbed a team season-best 14 rebounds in a win at North Dakota (1/10).
• Has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding six times this season.
• Bamba ranks ninth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.531) and also shoots .400 from three-point range.
 
A BIG HAND FOR COLLIN: JR F Collin Spickerman had a big hand in the faces of CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 13, blocking six shots and tying a school record set three times previously (Scott Morrison twice, Seth Scott once). 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 had his best game of the season with eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the win over North Dakota (1/1).
• Spickerman has 26 blocks in the last 13 games.
• Though he is averaging only 18.1 minutes per game, Spickerman ranks third in the Big Sky Conference in blocks (1.8).
 
FILLING THE STAT SHEET: SO G Bryce White is another new addition making a big impact on the team this season. White ranks fifth on the team in scoring (9.5) and third in rebounding (4.1)... White missed three games earlier in the season with a left hip injury.
• White has scored in double figures seven times this season.
 
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.