Complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (3-5) vs. CSUN MATADORS (2-7)
Thursday, December 17, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR 
Live Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pre-game Show: 6:45 p.m.
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
Somebody is going to get well this Thursday night at the Stott Center, and the Vikings are hoping it is them. Portland State (3-5) and CSUN (Cal State Northridge, 2-7) both bring losing streaks into the contest as their conference seasons approach.
     
PSU has lost three in a row, while the Matadors have dropped five straight.
     
PSU will be playing the first of three non-conference games over the next two weeks as it looks for consistency and success prior to facing a Big Sky schedule. To get off their losing skid, the Vikings will need to pick up their offense. PSU was averaging 85.8 points and shooting .506 from the field in starting the year at 3-2. But over the last three games, losses to Portland, Washington State and SIUE, the Vikings have averaged 67.7 points and shot only .396 from the field. Three-point shooting (.259) and free throw shooting (.636) have also suffered.
     
CSUN is one of two Big West Conference opponents and three California schools that the Vikings will meet to close out the calendar year. The Matadors are 2-7 this season, including 0-5 on the road. They have not played a game since Dec. 7.
     
PSU travels to CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 22. The Roadrunners compete in the Western Athletic Conference. Then, the Vikings host another Big West school, Cal State Fullerton, on Dec. 29.
     
Thursday's game is a return contest to last year's game at the Matadome. PSU won that one, 63-55.
     
The contest tips off at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at 1-888-VIK-TIKS. Live video and audio can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Big Sky Conference play begins on Jan. 2 when the Vikings host Sacramento State at the Stott Center. After that, the Vikings will play five of their next seven games during the month of January on the road.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. CSUN
• ALL-TIME SERIES: CSUN leads the all-time series, 9-5. The series is tied 3-3 in games played in Portland... the Vikings and Matadors were one-time Big Sky Conference opponents. Since CSUN left the conference following the 2000-01 season, the teams have met four times, splitting the games two each.
• LAST SEASON: PSU 63, CSUN 55: Portland State never trailed in the game, played at the Matadome, leading by as many as 19 in the second half. The Vikings held CSUN to .383 shooting while forcing 18 turnovers. Tiegbe Bamba scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead PSU.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (87-104, 7th season) is 1-0 all-time against CSUN. Matadors Head Coach Reggie Theus is in his third season (28-49), and his fifth season overall as a collegiate coach (69-74). He is 0-1 against the Vikings.
• VIKINGS VS. THE BIG WEST: Portland State is 25-33 all-time against current members of the Big West Conference. Head Coach Tyler Geving holds a 6-2 record against the Big West (1-0 vs. CSUN, 1-0 vs. UCD, 1-0 vs. Cal Poly, 2-1 vs. UCR, 1-1 vs. CSUF).
 
CSUN MATADORS
• CSUN was 9-24 last season, 4-12 and eighth in the Big West Conference.
• This year, the Matadors have started out 2-7, including 0-5 on the road. The Matadors and the Vikings have no common opponents.
• CSUN has not played a game since Dec. 7. The Matadors have lost five straight.
• The Matadors have three players scoring in double figures: SO G Micheal Warren (13.2), SO F Tavrion Dawson (12.3) and FR G Jason Richardson (12.2).
• SR C Olalekan Ajayi leads the team with 9.2 rebounds per game, while Richardson averages 4.4 assists.
• The Matadors are averaging 65.4 points, while allowing 74.2 to opponents. They make only 4.0 three-pointers per game and have a -4.6 turnovers per game ratio.
• CSUN has had only nine players available to compete early in the season, but may add guards Kendall Smith, Aaron Parks and Jerron Wilbut for Thursday's game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 3-5 this season, 2-1 at home, 1-4 on the road.
• The Vikings have lost three games in a row.
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 152-57 in 209 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 183-72 at home over 20 seasons.
• Portland State is 59-28 at home in seven seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 96-31 at home, including 55-26 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only seven non-conference home games in the last nine seasons (41-7). PSU is 23-7 against Division I schools, and 18-0 against lower division schools over that span.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• SR C Collin Spickerman scored a career-high 15 points (7-12 FG, 1-1 FT) in the loss to SIUE.
• JR G Khari Holloway had a season-high 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-4 3-pt) off the bench at SIUE.
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro is shooting .569 from the field to rank fifth in the Big Sky Conference.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• Portland State is shooting .648 from the free throw line this season.
• The Vikings have lost three in a row.
• Portland State has a -1.6 turnover ratio.
• JR G Bryce White missed the last three games due to a sprained ankle.
• PSU's top returning scorer from last season, JR F Braxton Tucker has missed the first five games of the season while recovering from injury.
 
FORTISSIMO: GR F Cameron Forte has been loud and strong with his performance in his first eight games as a Viking. He has averaged 18.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and shot .509 from the field.
• Forte ranks second in the Big Sky in scoring and rebounding.
• Forte has three 20-point games and one 30-point game.
• He has three double-doubles on the season.
 
SWAT STATS: SR C Collin Spickerman set a PSU record for blocked shots per game (2.48) last season while leading the Big Sky Conference. Spickerman has 14 blocks this season and 86 blocks in 37 career games, ranking fourth in PSU history.
• Spickerman ranks third in the Big Sky in blocked shots (1.8).
• Spickerman blocked four shots and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in the season opener at Grand Canyon (11/13).
• Spickerman scored a career-high 15 points at SIUE (12/12).
• He has two games of four or more blocked shots.
 
MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD: JR G Calaen Robinson has taken over as the Vikings point guard after two years at Arizona State, then a redshirt year at Portland State.
• Robinson leads the Vikings in three-point field goals (15), assists (30) and steals (9).
• Robinson's 11 assists against Multnomah were the most by a Viking since Feb. 5, 2009.
• Robinson has four double-figure scoring games.
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference in assists.
• Scored a career-high 19 points with five rebounds at Washington State (12/6).
 
SIXTH MAN STATS: SO F Isaiah Pineiro has been the Vikings' key player off the bench. In 20.1 minutes per game, he averages 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .569 from the field.
• Had back-to-back double-doubles on the road, getting 24 points and 14 rebounds at UTRGV (11/22) and 13 points and 11 rebounds at Nevada (11/25).
• Scored 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-6 FT) with two blocks and two steals at Washington State (12/6).
• Ranks ninth in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding and fifth in field goal percentage.
 
CALLING MR. WHITE: JR G Bryce White had gotten off to a good start this season, averaging 12.5 points and 2.6 assists through the first five games. However, an ankle sprain in the second half against Multnomah (11/28) has caused him to miss the last three games. Not coincidently, the Viking offense has taken a downturn since then in three straight losses.
 
PICKING UP HIS PLAY: Head Coach Tyler Geving has called for more offense from JR G Zach Gengler this year after he was the Vikings' top perimeter defender last year. So far this year, he is averaging career-highs of 6.8 points and 2.0 assists.
• Scored a career-high 17 points (7-14 FG, 3-7 3-pt) against Portland.
 
THE DE'SEAN PARSONS PROJECT: JR F De'Sean Parsons has averaged 9.8 points over the last four games, raising his season average to 7.1.
 
BETTER OFF THE BENCH: Portland State's top performances by players coming off the bench:
• GR F Cameron Forte had 22 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes against Pacific Lutheran.
• JR G Calaen Robinson scored 13 points with two assists in 13 minutes against Pacific Lutheran.
• The Viking bench scored 62 points and had 32 rebounds in 104 total minutes against PLU.
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro had game-highs of 24 points (11-14 FG) and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes at UTRGV.
• GR F Cameron Forte scored a game-high 23 points with nine rebounds at Nevada.
• JR F De'Sean Parson scored 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-2 FT) with three rebounds in 17 minutes against Multnomah.
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro scored 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-6 FT) with two blocks and two steals at Washington State.
• JR G Khari Holloway had a season-high 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-4 3-pt) at SIUE.