complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (10-8, 4-4) vs. MONTANA GRIZZLIES (10-8, 6-1)
Thursday, January 29, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR
 
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: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
If this year's game between Portland State and Montana in the Stott Center is anything like last year's, you will want to get your tickets now. When the Vikings host the Grizzlies in a key Big Sky Conference game this Thursday night, memories of that three-overtime win by PSU over the Griz last season are sure to resurface. PSU battled back from a nine-point deficit with four minutes to play in regulation. Then in the third overtime, Gary Winston hit a three-point field goal with 2.6 seconds left, giving the Vikings an 81-78 win.
     
Portland State (10-8, 4-4) comes off a road split last weekend, earning a rare victory at Weber State (69-63) then losing at Idaho State (80-76) in another close contest.
     
Currently in sixth place in the Big Sky Conference, the Vikings need to take advantage of this week's home games against Montana and Montana State. It will be the only time PSU is at home over a four-week span. The Vikings are in the midst of a stretch of five-out-of-seven-games on the road.
     
Montana (10-8, 6-1) has won five straight games coming into the Thursday matchup. The Grizzlies are tied for second place with Eastern Washington. 
     
Last season's series with Montana was probably the most entertaining of any for Viking fans. In addition to PSU's three-OT win over the Griz, Montana picked up an 82-76 overtime win in Missoula over the Vikings. Then Portland State, seeded sixth in the Big Sky Tournament, knocked off number-two seed Montana, 70-63, in a quarterfinal round game.  
     
This Thursday's game features a PSU team that has a 6-2 home record. Montana is 2-7 on the road. Tip-off comes at 7:05 p.m. at the Peter W. Stott Center. A live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com. Links to live video, audio and statistics can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
     
Portland State hosts Montana State (4-15, 1-6) on Saturday night in a 7:05 p.m. game.
     
Due to the Big Sky Conference's new unbalanced schedule (12 teams, 18 conference games), this will be the only time the Vikings play Montana and Montana State this season.
 
THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Sacramento State (13-6, 7-1) has maintained its grasp on first place in the Big Sky with wins at Idaho State and Weber State last week. The Vikings will play at The Hornets Nest a week from this Saturday (Feb. 7). Montana (10-8, 6-1) and Eastern Washington (15-5, 6-1) remain a half-game behind Sacramento State after winning twice each last week.
 
Portland State (10-8, 4-4) stands in sixth place, one-half game behind fourth-place Northern Colorado (9-9, 4-3) and Northern Arizona (9-11, 4-3).
 
The top eight teams in the 12-team Big Sky Conference will advance to the Big Sky Tournament, Mar. 12-14, at the home of the regular season champion.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE VS. MONTANA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series 32-22. PSU leads 15-11 in Portland.
• BIG SKY CONFERENCE SERIES: Montana holds a 24-13 edge in Big Sky games. The series is tied 9-9 in Portland.  Portland State has won the only Big Sky Tournament meeting between the schools. It came last season in a quarterfinal round game in Ogden, UT.
• STREAK: Portland State won two of three meetings last year, but Montana had won nine in a row prior to that.
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 11, 2014 at PSU: Portland State 81, Montana 78 (3ot): The Vikings won a triple-overtime thriller when Gary Winston hit a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining. Winston scored all nine Viking points in the third OT. PSU had battled back from a nine-point deficit with less than four minutes left in regulation. Winston and Marcus Hall each scored 21 for the Vikings. Hall made 5-6 three-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds. Jordan Gregory scored 25 points to lead Montana. Feb. 6, 2014 at UM: Montana 82, Portland State 76 (ot): Montana returned the favor with an overtime win in Missoula. Keron DeShields hit a tying shot with 15 seconds left in regulation, then scored 12 of Montana's 13 in overtime to lead the Grizzlies to the win. DeShields and Kareem Jamar scored 19 points apiece. Jamar added seven rebounds and five assists. Kyle Richardson scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Vikings. Big Sky Tournament Quarterfinal, Mar. 13, 2014, at Ogden, UT: Portland State 70, Montana 63: PSU was five down in the second half, but put on a 17-4 run to take control. The Vikings hit 15 straight free throws to close out the game. Kyle Richardson scored 19 points and DaShaun Wiggins added 18 for Portland State, who shot 26-30 at the line overall (.867). Kareem Jamar scored 20 points and hauled down eight rebounds for Montana.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (79-93, 6th season) is 2-9 all-time against Montana. Grizzlies Coach Travis DeCuire (10-8, 1st season) is in his first season at Montana.
• I REMEMBER YOU: Montana Associate Head Coach Ken Bone is a former Portland State Head Coach. Bone led the Viking program for four seasons, 2005-09, compiling a 77-49 record. He led the Vikings to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009. Current Viking Head Coach Tyler Geving was an assistant, then Associate Head Coach under Bone.
 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
• Montana, an original member of the Big Sky Conference, was 17-13 last season, 12-8 and tied for second in the Big Sky Conference. Two starters and seven letterwinners return from that team.
• The Grizzlies have won seven Big Sky regular season championships, nine tournament championship and made 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Grizzlies are 10-8 this season, 6-1 and tied for second in the Big Sky Conference. Montana has won five straight games, with the last four coming at home. The Griz are 8-1 at home, 2-7 on the road.
• Montana is the top defensive team in the Big Sky Conference, allowing a league low 65.4 points per game while forcing 14.2 turnovers per game.
• The Grizzlies are led by a pair of big scorers in Martin Breunig (17.5 ppg) and Jordan Gregory (17.4 ppg), who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big Sky Conference. Breunig, a junior forward, also leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (591). Gregory, a senior guard, leads the team with 53 three-point field goals made.
• Sophomore guard Mario Dunn leads the Grizzlies with 4.1 assists and 30 steals this season.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 10-8 this season, 6-2 at home, 4-6 on the road.
• The Vikings are 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference, 2-2 at home, 2-2 on the road.
• PSU's win at Weber State (1/22) was its first against the Wildcats in Ogden since 2006, and only the second ever in Ogden since joining the Big Sky (2-19).
• The Vikings opened the season with a four-game winning streak, matching the best streak of last season accomplished on three occasions.
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 147-54 in 201 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 178-69 at home over the past 19 seasons.
• Portland State is 54-25 at home in six seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 91-28 at home, including 52-24 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only six non-conference home games in the last nine seasons (39-6). PSU is 23-6 against Division I schools, and 16-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 153-159 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-9).
• PSU is 102-49 in home games, 47-105 in road games and 4-5 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 67-62 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 74-65 including tournament games.
 
HOT SHOTS
• SR F Tiegbe Bamba had two straight double-doubles last week. Bamba had 10 points and 11 rebounds at Weber State, then 12 points and 10 rebounds at Idaho State. In the last five games, he has averaged 9.6 rebounds per game.
• The front court tandem of SO F Braxton Tucker and SR F Tiegbe Bamba shot it well last weekend. Tucker made 13-20 (.650) field goals in two games, while Bamba made 10-16 (.625).
• JR C Collin Spickerman blocked seven shots in two games last week. Spickerman has 35 blocks on the season, which ranks in a tie for sixth all-time in a season at Portland State. Spickerman ranks second in the Big Sky in blocks (1.9) for the season, and first in Big Sky games... in the last six games, Spickerman is 15-22 from the field (.682).
• SR G Gary Winston is averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game in conference play, after averaging 9.6  points and 3.2 assists in non-conference games.
• The Vikings have averaged only 8.5 turnovers in their last four games.
 
NOT SO HOT
• SO G Bryce White missed the last two games due to low back pain. White has missed five games this season with injury.
• Portland State has allowed opponents to shoot .384 from three-point range, ranking 322nd in the nation.
• Portland State's -3.4 rebounding margin ranks 11th in the Big Sky Conference.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Where Portland State stands in the NCAA statistical rankings through games of Jan. 25 (top 30 rankings):
• PSU ranks 18th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.6).
• PSU ranks 30th in the nation in free throw percentage (.738).
 
HOME-ROAD DIFFERENTIAL: Portland State is 6-2 at home this season, 4-6 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 68.3 points on the road, shooting .411/.364/.733.
• PSU matched its opponents in rebounding at home, but has been out-rebounded by 6.2 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 .479/.381/.708 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 six games, shooting .489. The result has been a scoring average of 80.3 per game during those contests. The Vikings were averaging 69.6 points per game prior to that... for the season, PSU shoots .437 from the field, .371 from three-point range, .738 at the free throw line and averages 73.2 points per game.
 
STRONG INDICATORS: A few numbers through 18 games are strong indicators of winning and losing:
• PSU is 10-0 when leading at halftime, 0-8 when trailing at halftime.
• The Vikings are 6-0 when they out-rebound opponents.
• The Vikings are 6-2 when shooting a higher percentage than opponents.
• Portland State is 7-3 in games decided by eight points or less.
 
LINEUP SOLIDIFIES: Head Coach Tyler Geving has used eight different starting lineups this 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 in recent weeks has settled the starting lineup and rotation for the Vikings... however, the Vikings were without SO G Bryce White last week (low back pain) and started another new lineup, replacing White with SO G Zach Gengler.
• The most common starting unit has been SR G Gary Winston, SR G DaShaun Wiggins, SO G Bryce White, SO F Braxton Tucker and SR F Tiegbe Bamba. That group has eight starts and a 5-3 record.
• 10 different players have started games this season, none have started every game and only three players have competed in every game.
 
GARY IS GETTING HOT: SR G Gary Winston started the season slow offensively, but has turned it on over the last 12 games, scoring in double figures nine times and raising his scoring average to 12.5. Winston also leads the Vikings with 3.9 assists and 33.4 minutes per game.
• In Big Sky Conference play, Winston averages 15.9 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 11 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... with 944 career points, Winston needs to average only 5.6 points over the next 10 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: 102, 11th
Career Points: 944 (17 players have 1,000 career points and Winston is on pace to reach that total)
Assists: 261, 8th
Steals: 65
3-pt FGs: 152, 5th
3-pt FGAs: 359, 7th
3-pt FG%: .423, 5th
 
SPICKERMAN PROVES REJECTION CAN BE A GOOD THING: JR F Collin Spickerman has provided a defensive presence for the Vikings off the bench this season. He has 35 blocked shots through 18 games, including seven in two games last week.
• Though he is averaging only 18 minutes per game, Spickerman ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in blocks (1.9) for the season, and first in conference games (1.9).
• Spickerman tied a school record with six blocked shots in a win over CSU Bakersfield (12/23) set three times previously (Scott Morrison twice, Seth Scott once).
• Spickerman has shot 15-22 from the field over the last six games (.681).
• He swatted four shots in a win at Weber State (1/22).
• With 35 blocked shots, he is tied for sixth on PSU's all-time season list.
 
X-FACTOR: The extent of SO F Braxton Tucker's contributions so far this season may be a bit of a surprise. Tucker earned a starting job in preseason practice and has fluorished as a Viking post with a deadly mid-range jump shot. Tucker averages 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds to rank second on the team in both categories.
• Tucker has averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds, shooting .560 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 20 points (10-15 FG) in a win at North Dakota (1/10). Hit key shot with 39.4 seconds left to seal win.
• Scored 19 points (9-16 FG, 1-1 FT) with seven rebounds and a block in a win over Idaho (1/17).
• Tallied season-high 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 FT) with six rebounds in win at Weber State (1/22).
• Tucker ranks 12th in the Big Sky in rebounding (5.9).
• Has led the team in scoring four times and rebounding five times this year.
• Tucker shoots .522 from the field and .745 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 15.4 per game, and ranks ninth in the Big Sky Conference.
• He shoots .436 from three-point range to lead the team and rank ninth in the Big Sky.
• Leads the team with 30 steals, ranking fifth 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 16 games this season and led the team in scoring nine times.
 
BAMBA's BOARDS: SR F Tiegbe Bamba has become the Vikings top rebounder with a stretch of excellent play in recent games. Bamba had back-to-back double-doubles last week and has averaged 9.6 rebounds over the last five games.
• Bamba is averaging 10.5 points, a team-high 6.3 rebounds and shoots .545 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).
• Posted double-doubles at Weber State (1/22) and at Idaho State (1/24).
• Has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding eight times this season.
• Bamba ranks eighth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.545) and 10th in rebounding (6.3).
 
KEEPING THEIR GUARD UP: More proof that Portland State has great depth at guard:
• 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) while coming off the bench.
• SO G Zach Gengler had played only 65 minutes for the season through Jan. 15. But in the last three games, he has played 77 minutes, including starting twice. Gengler has averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, had five assists and four steals.
 
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.