complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-7) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (7-4)
Saturday, January 2, 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
Without looking too hard, the irony of Portland State's Big Sky Conference opening game reveals itself. The Vikings host Sacramento State this Saturday night at the Stott Center in their 20th tour of the Big Sky. It will be a cold reminder of last year's conclusion for PSU.
       
Formerly, the Hornets were a team that Portland State had great success against, as PSU won 25 of 36 meetings over PSU's first 18 years in the league. But last season, a vastly upgraded Sacramento State program swept the Vikings in three games - including a Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal - on the way to its best Division I season ever (21-12).
     
Last season's sweep also showed that Sacramento State held some power over the Vikings, limiting Portland State to 60 points in all three meetings. The Vikings averaged 75.9 points in all other Big Sky games. Moreover, the Hornets have won four straight in the series, five of the last six, and in their last two appearances at the Stott Center.
     
So if the Vikings want to make waves in the Big Sky Conference in 2016, they will need to do so right away, against a team with the best preseason winning percentage of any in the Big Sky (.636), and one that had the Vikings' number last season.
     
Portland State completed non-conference play at 4-7, winning 89-82 over Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday night. It was the Vikings' best performance in a month, ending a five-game losing streak. Five players scored in double figures, led by 21 points from SO F Isaiah Pineiro. PSU shot .526 from the field and limited its turnovers - a problem-area previously - to 10.
     
Sacramento State was 7-4 during non-conference play after starting out 4-0.
     
PSU is 3-2 at home, while the Hornets are 2-3 on the road.
     
Saturday's game is a 7:05 p.m. tip. Live video, audio and stats can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
 
COMING UP
Portland State plays five of its next seven games on the road during the month of January. The Vikings travel to Montana and Montana State next week, followed by home games against Weber State and Idaho State. They close out the month with games at Sacramento State, Eastern Washington and Idaho.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SACRAMENTO STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 26-15 and the Big Sky Conference series, 25-14. However, the Hornets swept all three meetings last season, including a 70-60 win in a Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal round game... PSU leads 17-3 in Portland, 16-3 in Big Sky games. But, the Hornets have won in their last two trips to the Stott Center... SAC has won four straight in the series, and five of the last six.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (87-105, 7th season) is 7-6 all-time against Sacramento State. Hornets Head Coach Brian Katz (84-134, 8th season) is 6-9 all-time against the Vikings.
• LAST SEASON: Sacramento State held Portland State to 60 points in all three meetings, sweeping the season series. The Vikings averaged 75.9 points in all other Big Sky games... FEB 7, at SAC 64, PSU 60: Portland State came back from a 14-point halftime deficit, but was hurt by 17 turnovers, including one in the final 30 seconds when trailing by two. Braxton Tucker scored 18 points, and Tiegbe Bamba added 13 points and seven rebounds. Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney combined for 33 points and nine assists for the Hornets. FEB. 8, SAC 73, at PSU 60: The Hornets broke away from a 49-49 tie in the last eight minutes, sparked by a 12-1 run. Bamba had 13 points and eight rebounds while Collin Spickerman set a school-record with seven blocked shots. PSU again had 17 turnovers for 20 Hornet points. Sacramento State committed only six turnovers. The backcourt of Garrity and McKinney scored 36 points... MAR. 12, SAC 70, PSU 60 at Missoula, MT (Big Sky Quarterfinals): Portland State led 31-27 at halftime, but shot poorly in the second half (9-30, .300) compared to Sacramento State (15-27, .556).The game was tied at 45 with nine minutes to play before the Hornets pulled away. Gary Winston scored a career-high 26 points on 10-14 field goals. Garrity and McKinney combined for 46 points for the Hornets.
 
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
• Sacramento State comes off its best season ever at the Division I level in 2014-15. The Hornets were 21-12 overall, 13-5 and tied for third in the Big Sky Conference.
• The Hornets lost star guards Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney, but returned virtually everyone else with three starters and 10 letterwinners back.
• Sac State was 7-4 in the preseason, including 2-3 in road games. The Vikings and Hornets had only one common opponent; the University of Portland. PSU lost to the Pilots, 78-72, at home. Sacramento State lost to the Pilots, 81-73, on the road.
• Sacramento State has held opponents to .401 shooting from the field this season and a Big Sky-leading .296 three-point shooting. The Hornets have a league-best 58 blocked shots.
• Sophomore Marcus Graves has picked up the slack at guard for the Hornets, leading the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game while handing out 4.5 assists and grabbing 2.4 steals.
• Senior guard Cody Demps has been just as effective with 13.5 points and 5.5 assists per game. Demps leads the Big Sky in assists.
• Sophomore forward Justin Strings averages 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.
• Big men Eric Stuteville (2.2 blocks) and Nick Hornsby (7.3 rebounds) are both big contributors. Stuteville leads the Big Sky in blocks.
 
PORTLAND STATE IN THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
• Portland State begins its 20th season of Big Sky Conference play. PSU won the 2004-05 and 2007-08 Big Sky Conference regular season titles. The Vikings have had eight winning records in conference play and earned 12 Big Sky Tournament berths in 16 seasons eligible, winning the 2008 and 2009 Big Sky Conference Tournament titles.
• Portland State was picked to place sixth in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, seventh in the Big Sky Media Poll.
• The 18-game Big Sky Conference schedule is unbalanced due to the 12-team membership.  The Vikings will not travel to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah this season, and will not host North Dakota and Northern Colorado.
• This marks the first year in Big Sky history in which all 12 teams will qualify for the post-season tournament. It also marks the first time that the tournament will be hosted at a neutral site; Reno, NV. The tournament takes place on Mar. 8-12 with the top four teams earning first-round byes into the quarterfinals.
• The Vikings are 9-10 all-time in the tourney.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 4-7 this season, 3-2 at home, 1-5 on the road.
• Portland State has had back-to-back winning seasons (17-15 in 2013-14, 15-14 in 2014-15) and will try to make it three straight winning seasons for the first time since 2006-09.
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 153-58 in 211 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 184-73 at home over 20 seasons.
• Portland State is 60-29 at home in seven seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 97-32 at home, including 55-26 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only eight non-conference home games in the last nine seasons (42-8). PSU is 24-8 against Division I schools, and 18-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 158-165 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-10).
• PSU is 105-51 in home games, 50-108 in road games and 3-7 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 71-67 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 78-71 including tournament games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro has scored 50 points in the last three games (16.7 ppg), hitting 20-34 from the field (.588).  He ranks seventh in the Big Sky and leads the Vikings with a .576 field goal percentage.
• GR G Donivine Stewart has scored 26 points with nine assists in the last two games. He has made 10-16 shots from the field (.625) and 4-6 from three-point range (.667). Stewart has 27 assists this season and only six turnovers.
• JR G Zach Gengler scored 13 points, making 8-8 free throws, including six down the stretch in the win over Cal State Fullerton.
• Portland State's 89 points were the most against a Division I opponent this season. The .526 shooting mark was also the best against a Division I team.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• Portland State is shooting .648 from the free throw line this season. The Vikings shot .605 at the line during their five-game losing streak, but improved to .742 in the win over Cal State Fullerton.
• PSU's top returning scorer from last season, JR F Braxton Tucker has missed the entire season while recovering from a knee injury.
 
PORTLAND STATE LEADS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE IN:
• Assists per game (17.9)
• Steals per game (7.8)
 
HANDLE IT!: Turnovers have been a concern for Coach Tyler Geving this year. The Vikings were averaging 14.5 turnovers per game before making only 10 in the win over Cal State Fullerton. Last season, the Vikings averaged 11.1 turnovers per game... the high turnover total is one reason Geving has inserted GR G Donivine Stewart into the starting lineup at point guard. Stewart has only six turnovers this season.
 
A DIFFERENT LOOK: Head Coach Tyler Geving has started his sixth different lineups in 11 games. The only constant has been SR C Collin Spickerman who has started every game. Eight different players have started games and those players average between 16 and 26 minutes per game... the past two games, Geving has started Donivine Stewart, Calaen Robinson, Bryce White, Isaiah Pineiro and Collin Spickerman. Those five are expected to start against Sacramento State... last season the Vikings had 10 different starting lineups in 29 games with 10 different players earning starts.
 
STEPPING INTO A STARTING ROLE: SO F Isaiah Pineiro began the season as the Vikings' key player off the bench. But he has played so well that Head coach Tyler Geving has moved him to a starting role. The move has paid off as Pineiro scored 33 points with 10 rebounds and four assists in the last two games.
• Leads the Vikings in field goal percentage (.576), and ranks second in scoring (11.7), rebounding (5.8) and blocks (7).
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage.
• 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).
• Posted 17 points (6-9 FG, 1-3 3-pt, 4-5 FT) with five rebounds and three steals against CSUN (12/17).
• Totaled 21 points (9-14 FG, 3-3 FT) with five rebounds, three assists and a block in a win over Cal State Fullerton (12/29).
 
DONIVINE IS DIVINE: GR G Donivine Stewart has a good handle on things this year. In 22 minutes per game at point guard, the SIUE transfer has committed only six turnovers. He has moved into the starting lineup the past three games.
• Has a 27/6 assist to turnover ratio that would easily lead the Big Sky Conference if he had enough assists to qualify.
• Averaging 4.6 points and 2.7 assists.
• Scored a season-high 17 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 2-6 FT) with five assists and two steals in the win over Cal State Fullerton (12/29).
 
MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD: JR G Calaen Robinson has alternated between playing the point and shooting guard this season as Coach Tyler Geving looks for the right fit. Robinson ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.4) and first in assists (3.8) and three-point field goals (25).
• Robinson's 11 assists against Multnomah were the most by a Viking since Feb. 5, 2009.
• Robinson has six double-figure scoring games.
• Ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference in assists.
• Scored 19 points with five rebounds at Washington State (12/6).
• Posted a career-high 21 points (7-11 3-pt FG) with four assists against CSUN (12/17).
 
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 before an ankle sprain caused him to miss three games. White returned to play in the last three games, getting 31 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and three blocked shots.
 
FORTISSIMO: GR F Cameron Forte has been loud and strong with his performance as a new Viking. He has averaged 16.6 points and 8.0 rebounds to lead the Vikings.
• Forte ranks in the top 10 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 19 blocks this season and 91 blocks in 40 career games, ranking fourth in PSU history.
• Spickerman ranks third in the Big Sky in blocked shots (1.7).
• 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.
 
NOW AT THE LINE...: JR G Khari Holloway shot .931 from the free throw line last year at Mesa Community College to lead the nation at the JC level. He had consecutive free throws made streaks of 41, 28 and 19. So far this season, he is 7-7 for the Vikings.
 
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.
• Portland State had 48 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals off the bench from three players against CSUN. JR G Calaen Robinson scored 21 points (7-11 3-pt FG) with four assists, SO F Isaiah Pineiro had 17 points (6-9 FG, 4-5 FT), five rebounds and three steals, and JR G Bryce White had 10 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.
• GR F Cameron Forte scored 14 points (7-11 FG) in 23 minutes against CSU Bakersfield.
• JR G Zach Gengler scored 13 points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3-pt, 8-8 FT) with three assists and two steals in 19 minutes of a win over Cal State Fullerton.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• With a 105-60 win over Pacific Lutheran (11/13), Portland State had its first 100-point performance in a counting game since a 102-47 win over Walla Walla on Dec. 3, 2011. It was the most points by a Viking team since a 108-56 win at Montana on Mar. 1, 2008. GR F Cameron Forte had 22 points and eight rebounds and JR G Bryce White scored 20 points with four assists.
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro posted 24 points and 14 rebounds in a 79-61 win at UT Rio Grande Valley (11/22). GR F Cameron Forte had a double-double as well with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Vikings had their second 100-point game of the season with a 100-82 win over Multnomah (11/28). GR F Cameron Forte had 31 points on 15-26 shots while grabbing 10 rebounds. JR G Calaen Robinson scored 13 points and handed out 11 assists - the most by a Viking since Feb. 5, 2009 - in the win.
• JR G Zach Gengler scored a career-high 17 points in the Vikings' 78-72 loss to Portland (12/2).
• SR C Collin Spickerman scored a career-high 15 points in the Vikings' 74-64 loss at SIUE (12/12).
• JR G Calaen Robinson had a career-high 21 points (7-11 3-pt FG) in the Vikings' 77-71 loss to CSUN (12/17).
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro had his second 20-point game of the season, posting 21 points (9-14 FG, 3-3 FT) with five rebounds and three assists as the Vikings beat Cal State Fullerton, 89-82 (12/29). GR G Donivine Stewart added a season-high 17 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3-pt FG, 2-6 FT) with five assists and two steals in the game. Five Vikings scored in double figures as PSU washing away a five-game losing streak.