complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (12-11, 6-7) vs. NORTH DAKOTA (8-16, 4-9)
Thursday, February 19, 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
Portland State answered the bell last Saturday night. Carrying a two-game losing streak into Eastern Washington, the top team in the Big Sky Conference, PSU responded with a 68-66 win. That handed the Eagles their first home loss of the season, and stopped the Vikings' slide in the Big Sky standings.
     
Now with seven weeks of the Big Sky Conference season gone, Portland State seeks another important accomplishment -  a weekend sweep of its basketball games. The Vikings have split each of the six two-game weekend series so far - whether on the road or at home - in compiling a 6-7 league record. The one extra loss came on a single-game week road trip to Sacramento State.
     
If Portland State (12-11 overall) is going to get that sweep, maybe this is the weekend to do it. The Vikings come off their biggest conference win of the season, they play a pair of home games (where they have compiled a 7-3 record), and the Big Sky race for post-season tournament positioning is red-hot right now.
     
The Vikings host North Dakota (8-16, 4-9) on Thursday night in the first of three straight home games. PSU beat UND 82-75 in Grand Forks on Jan. 10. Saturday's opponent is Northern Colorado (12-12, 7-6) to whom the Vikings lost a close one, 90-85, in Greeley on Jan. 8.
     
Currently, the Vikings are in seventh place in the Big Sky. They trail fifth-place Northern Colorado by a single game, making that contest all the more important. Meanwhile, North Dakota at 4-9 is one game out of the eighth-spot as they try to get into the top eight and a Big Sky Tournament bid. UND is 3-3 in Big Sky road games this season.
     
One more thing about a weekend sweep - if the Vikings can pull it off at home and get to eight conference wins, they would almost be assured a berth in the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Mar. 12-14.
     
Both home games this week tip off at 7:05 p.m. at the 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.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE VS. NORTH DAKOTA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: North Dakota leads the all-time series 6-2. UND leads 2-1 in Portland.
• BIG SKY CONFERENCE SERIES: North Dakota leads the Big Sky series 4-2. The series is tied 1-1 in Portland. UND won the only Big Sky Tournament meeting, 79-63, in a semifinal game last year.
• STREAK: North Dakota has won six of eight all-time meetings.
• LAST MEETING: Jan. 10 at UND: Portland State 82, North Dakota 75: Portland State led the game wire-to-wire, shooting .517 from the field and out-rebounding UND, 41-27. Braxton Tucker scored a career-high 20 points, hitting 10-15 field goals. His jumper with 39.4 seconds left gave the Vikings an insurmountable lead. DaShaun Wiggins scored 18 points and Tiegbe Bamba hauled down 14 rebounds. Quinton Hooker scored 18 points with five assists and four steals for North Dakota.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (81-96, 6th season) is 2-4 all-time against North Dakota. UND Head Coach Brian Jones (127-147, 9th season) is 4-2 all-time against the Vikings.
 
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
• North Dakota was 17-17 last season, 12-8 and tied for second in the Big Sky Conference. Two starters and nine letterwinners return from that team.
• A member of the Big Sky Conference since 2012-13, UND is now in its third season in the league. North Dakota moved up to the Division I level in 2007.
• North Dakota is 8-16 this season, 4-9 in the Big Sky Conference. UND is 5-10 in road games this season, but 3-3 in Big Sky road contests.
• North Dakota has lost its last three games. Its' best Big Sky Conference win this season was a 71-63 decision at Idaho on Jan. 22.
• North Dakota ranks last in the Big Sky Conference in three-point percentage (.329) and rebounding margin (-4.0).
• Senior forward Jaron Nash leads UND in scoring (12.8) and rebounding (6.7). Junior guard Estan Tyler averages 11.9 points and has a team-leading 32 three-point field goals. Sophomore guard Quinton Hooker averages a team-best 4.3 assists and 10.5 points per game.
 
THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE RACE
Portland State upped its stock in the Big Sky Conference race with a big 68-66 win over Eastern Washington on the road Saturday.  The Vikings remain in seventh place, but now have a 1.5 game lead over ninth place with five games remaining. PSU plays three at home and two on the road: Feb. 19 vs. UND (4-9), Feb. 21 vs. UNC (7-6), Feb. 28 vs. SAC (10-3), Mar. 5 at NAU (8-4), Mar. 7 at SUU (4-8).
     
Eastern Washington is still the league leader at 10-2. Sacramento State (10-3) lost two games to fall from first place to a tie for second with Montana (10-3). The Griz are winners of their last three in a row. If the tournament started today, the Vikings would play second-place Sacramento State in a quarterfinal round game. The Hornets hold a tie-breaker advantage over Montana after beating them earlier this season.
     
Portland State is one-half game behind sixth-place Idaho (6-6) and one game behind fifth-place Northern Colorado (7-6), giving the Vikings potential to move up this week with a couple of wins. Idaho is on the road at Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.
     
Since eight of 12 teams get into the Big Sky Tourney it appears eight wins (8-10) would be needed to make the post-season. Nine wins (9-9) would seem to be a sure thing. The Big Sky Conference Tournament takes place Mar. 12-14 at the home of the regular season champion.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 12-11 this season, 7-3 at home, 5-8 on the road.
• The Vikings are 6-7 in the Big Sky Conference, 3-3 at home, 3-4 on the road.
• The Vikings opened the season with a four-game winning streak, matching the best streak of last season accomplished on three occasions.
• PSU has not won or lost more than two games in a row since Dec. 6 (16 games).
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 148-55 in 203 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 179-70 at home over the past 19 seasons.
• Portland State is 55-26 at home in six seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 92-29 at home, including 53-25 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.
 
HOT SHOTS
• In the last four games SR F Tiegbe Bamba has scored 53 points (13.3), grabbed 29 rebounds (7.3) had seven steals and five assists. He has made 21-31 (.677) from the field and 11-14 at the line (.786). Ironically, his surge has come since he moved from the starting lineup to a sixth-man role. Bamba has averaged 31 minutes in those four games.
• JR C Collin Spickerman blocked seven shots in last week's two games. He has blocked at least one shot in 14 straight games, and 20 of 23 overall. He ranks second in the Big Sky Conference (2.0) with 46 blocks on the season. That also ranks fourth all-time in a season at Portland State - eighth all-time for a career.
• SO G Zach Gengler tied a career-high with 11 points (4-8 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 1-2 FT) in the win at Eastern Washington. His clutch three-pointer with 1:48 left in the game gave the Vikings a five-point lead on the way to victory.
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins has scored in double figures in 21 of 23 games this season.
• SR G Douglas is shooting .854 at the line this season currently ranking 10th-best in school history.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving is now 9-3 all-time against Eastern Washington - his best record against any Big Sky opponent. He has wins in the last two trips to Cheney and four out of six in Cheney overall.
 
NOT SO HOT
• SO G Bryce White will miss the remainder of the season due to low back problems.
• JR C Dorian Cason will miss the remainder of the season due to plantar fasciitis.
• Portland State has allowed opponents to shoot .393 from three-point range, ranking 335th in the nation (of 355).
• Portland State's -2.9 rebounding margin ranks 11th in the Big Sky Conference.
 
1,000 WATCH: SR G Gary Winston is just eight points shy of 1,000 for his career. When he hits that milestone, he will be only the 18th player in Portland State basketball history to score 1,000 points. The magic number could come this Thursday against North Dakota. The last Viking to reach 1,000 career points was guard Charles Odum in 2012 (1,033 career). Seven of the 17 1,000-point scorers at PSU have come during the Big Sky Conference era (1996-present)... here is where Gary stands on some of PSU's all-time lists:
Games Played: 107, t7th
Career Points: 992 (17 players have 1,000 career points and Winston is on pace to reach that total)
Assists: 277, 8th
Steals: 67
3-pt FGs: 160, 4th
3-pt FGAs: 378, 7th
3-pt FG%: .423, 5th
 
THE STREAK IS BROKEN... TWICE: Through 21 games this season, whichever team held the halftime lead ended up as the winner of the game. Last week, that streak was broken on both sides... Portland State lost its first game of the season when leading at halftime (32-30) in Thursday's defeat at Idaho (87-76). Then, the Vikings came back from a 32-26 deficit at Eastern Washington to win 68-66 on Saturday... the Vikings are 11-1 when leading at halftime, 1-10 when trailing at halftime.
 
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE: The Vikings held off a late run by first-place Eastern Washington on Saturday, winning 68-66 on the road. A series of good plays down the stretch made a difference. It started with great second-half shooting (16-23 FG, .696, 4-5 3-pt, .800, 6-7 FT, .867). A Zach Gengler three-pointer with 1:48 to play put PSU ahead 64-59. Then, both SR G Tim Douglas and SR F Teigbe Bamba made a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute. A late Eagles' basket closed it to a 68-66 final score. That two-point win makes the Vikings 8-4 in close games this season (decided by eight points or less). That continues a trend of last season when PSU was 10-6 in close games... the Vikings are also 4-1 in overtime games the last two seasons.
 
BEST OFF THE BENCH: Here are Portland State's top performances by players off the bench this season:
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins scored a career-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 5-10 FT) in 36 minutes off the bench in an overtime win against Southern Illinois Edwardsville (11/24).
• FR G Iziahiah Sweeney was 5-5 from the field for 10 points in 14 minutes at Portland (12/3).
• SR C Brandon Cataldo had career-highs of 16 points (8-9 FG) and 13 rebounds in a win over Walla Walla (12/22).
• SR G Tim Douglas posted 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-pt), seven assists and three steals in 31 minutes off the bench against Eastern Washington (1/15).
• SO G Zach Gengler had nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench in a win over Idaho (1/17).
• Douglas tallied 17 points (5-8 FG, 3-3 3-pt, 4-4 FT) with a game-high five assists in 29 minutes off the bench in a win over Montana State (1/31).
• SR F Tiegbe Bamba was a perfect 5-5 from the field, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high seven rebounds in 27 minutes at Sacramento State (2/7).
• Bamba had 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes against Idaho (2/12).
• Bamba scored 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes of a win over Eastern Washington (2/14).
 
MORE GUARD STUFF: Portland State has excellent depth at guard. Although SR G Tim Douglas no longer starts for the Vikings, he has had his moments. And, SO G Zach Gengler has moved into the starting lineup due to the injury to SO G Bryce White. Here is some more guard stuff:
• SR G Tim Douglas ranks 10th-best in school history for a season in free throw percentage (.854).
• SO G Zach Gengler saw little playing time earlier in the season, but has averaged 25 minutes, 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals and made only five turnovers over the last eight games.
• SR G DaShaun Wiggins' .450 three-point percentage currently ranks fourth-best for a season in school history.
• FR G Iziahiah Sweeney has been pressed into more playing time due to the injury to SO G Bryce White. He has responded, scoring nine points with five rebounds in 13 minutes at Idaho (2/12).
• Gengler and Sweeney have combined to play 489 minutes this season. The tandem has only 15 turnovers combined - or one per 32 minutes of play.
 
GARY HAS WARMED UP: SR G Gary Winston started the season slow offensively, but has turned it on, raising his scoring average to 11.9. Winston also leads the Vikings with 3.8 assists and 31.7 minutes per game.
• In Big Sky Conference play, Winston averages 13.5 points and 4.2 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).
• Scored 23 points (9-19 FG, 4-11 3-pt, 1-2 FT) with four assists and three rebounds at Idaho (2/12).
• Winston has led the team in scoring five times and assists 14 times this season.
 
SPICKERMAN PROVES REJECTION CAN BE A GOOD THING: JR F Collin Spickerman has provided a defensive presence for the Vikings this season. With seven blocked shots in two games last week, Spickerman now has 46 blocks through 23 games, already ranking fourth for a season in PSU history and eighth for a career.
• Though he is averaging only 19 minutes per game, Spickerman ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in blocks (2.0).
• 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).
• He swatted four shots in a win at Weber State (1/22) and four in a win at Eastern Washington (2/14).
• Spickerman has blocked at least one shot in 14 straight games and 20 of 23 overall.
 
X-FACTOR: The extent of SO F Braxton Tucker's contributions 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 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
• 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).
• Had 18 points (8-18 FG, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and two blocks at Sacramento State (2/7).
• Tucker ranks 12th in the Big Sky in rebounding (5.5) and field goal percentage (.507).
• Has led the team in scoring five times and rebounding six times this year.
 
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 15.2 per game which is 10th in the Big Sky Conference.
• He shoots .450 from three-point range to lead the team and rank sixth in the Big Sky.
• Leads the team with 39 steals, ranking fourth 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 21 games this season and led the team in scoring 12 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 on the road (1/22 and 1/24) and has averaged nearly eight rebounds over the last nine games.
• Bamba is averaging 10.8 points, a team-high 6.3 rebounds and shoots a team-high .569 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).
• Scored 18 points with seven rebounds and two steals at Idaho (2/12).
• Has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding 12 times this season.
• Bamba ranks sixth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.569) and 11th in rebounding (6.3).
 
WHITE, CASON WILL MISS REMAINDER OF THE SEASON: SO G Bryce White will sit out the remainder of the 2014-15 season due to back issues. White has played in 13 games, starting 10 for the Vikings, since transferring in from Chemeketa CC. He was averaging 9.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 26 minutes per game... JR  C Dorian Cason will also sit out the rest of the season due to plantar fasciitis. Cason never really got his season started as he battled injuries early on and plantar fasciitis most of the way. He played in three games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.
 
HOME-ROAD DIFFERENTIAL: Portland State is 7-3 at home this season, 5-8 on the road.
• PSU averages 76.8 points at home, shooting .468 from the field, .406 from three-point range and .750 at the line.
• The Vikings average 68.2 points on the road, shooting .419/.362/.731.
• PSU has been out-rebounded opponents at home (-1.0), and by 4.3 per game on the road.
• Opponents shoot .451 from the field, .387 from three-point range and .704 at the line in the Stott Center. They shoot .479/.398/.726 in their own arenas against the Vikings.
 
CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT: Portland State opened the season with four straight wins, followed by three straight losses. Since that time, PSU has gone 16 games without winning or losing more than two in a row. The string looks like this: W, L, W, W, L, L, W, L, W, W, L, L, W, L, L, W (8-8).
 
OTHER STRONG INDICATORS: Strong indicators of winning and losing through 23 games:
• The Vikings are 6-2 when they out-rebound opponents (losing the last two when out-rebounding Sacramento State and Idaho).
• The Vikings are 8-2 when shooting a higher percentage than opponents.
• Portland State is 8-4 in games decided by eight points or less.
 
LINEUP ROULETTE: Head Coach Tyler Geving has used nine different starting lineups this season. The constant change was the result of numerous nagging injuries to different players and certainly affected team continuity.
• 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. However, White is out for the season with low back problems.
• 10 different players have started games this season, none have started every game and only three players have competed in every game.
 
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.