complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-10, 3-3) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (9-10, 3-4)
Thursday, January 28, 6:05 p.m. • Reese Court (6,000), Cheney, WA
Live Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
Maybe the road is the best place for the Vikings to be right now. Portland State has put on impressive performances in each of its last two Big Sky Conference road games, coming up with key wins to make up for a pair of recent home losses.
     
The Vikings (7-10, 3-3) will be on the road again this week, playing at Eastern Washington (9-10, 3-4) on Thursday, then Idaho (12-8, 4-3) on Saturday.
     
Last Saturday night, PSU led wire-to-wire in an 81-63 victory at Sacramento State that evened the Vikings' league record. PSU shot a season-best .642 from the field, getting 26 points (12-15 FG) and 12 rebounds from GR F Cameron Forte. The Vikings had 26 assists on 34 field goals made for another season high.
     
PSU's previous road game was a 77-70 win at Montana State on Jan. 9. Forte went for 26 and 11 in that contest.
     
Now at .500 in Big Sky play, the Vikings are in a virtual four-way tie for fifth place with Montana State, Northern Colorado, and Idaho State, and one half-game out of fourth place. In this year's newly configured Big Sky Conference post-season tournament scheduled for Reno, NV, the top four teams will get a first-round bye.
     
Portland State is 3-6 on the road this season. The Vikings have won in their last two trips to Cheney, WA and in five of the last seven games at Reese Court. Eastern Washington lost two road games last week, but is 6-0 at home this season.
     
Thursday's game is a 6:05 p.m. tip. Live video, audio and stats are available at www.GoViks.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State wraps up the weekend at Idaho on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m.
     
Beginning Feb. 4, six of the final 10 Big Sky games will be played at home. The Vikings host Montana State on Feb. 4 and Montana on Feb. 6.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 24-20, and the Big Sky Conference series, 21-19. The Vikings are 8-12 in Big Sky games played in Cheney and have won on their last two trips, and five of their last seven, to Reese Court. PSU has won four of the last five meetings overall.
• LAST SEASON: Each team won on the others home court. JAN. 15 IN PORTLAND: EWU 92, PSU 85: Portland State started slow, trailing by 13 at halftime. The Eagles shot .500 from the field, making 13 three-point field goals. Big Sky Player of the Year Tyler Harvey scored 23 points with six rebounds and five assists. Bogdan Bliznyuk added 18. Gary Winston made five three-pointers, scoring 25 points with five assists. Tim Douglas came off the bench for 20 points and seven assists. FEB. 14 IN CHENEY: PSU 68, EWU 66: The Vikings came back from 12 points down in the first half and six at halftime, shooting 16-23 (.696) from the field in the second half. DaShaun Wiggins scored 14 points with six assists. Tiegbe Bamba adds 12 points and nine rebounds. Harvey scored 22 points, but the Eagles shot only .382 for the game.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (90-108, 7th season) is 9-3 all-time against Eastern Washington. Eagles Head Coach Jim Hayford (record) is 2-6 against the Vikings.
 
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
• Eastern Washington was 26-9 last season, going 14-4 in the Big Sky Conference and tieing for first place. The Eagles went on to win the Big Sky Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Georgetown.
• EWU has won two Big Sky Conference regular season championships and two Big Sky Tournament championships, making two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
• This season, the Eagles are 9-10, including 3-4 in the Big Sky Conference. They have a perfect 6-0 home record.
• Eastern Washington leads the Big Sky Conference in scoring (80.8), three-point percentage (.389) and three-point field goals made per game (10.3). The Eagles shoot .491 from the field to rank second in the conference.
• Senior guard Austin McBroom currently leads the Big Sky Conference in scoring at 19.5 points per game. McBroom has made a league-high 64 three-pointers, which also ranks fifth in the nation (3.6 pg). He shoots .430 from long range, .821 at the free throw line and leads the team with 3.3 assists per game.
• Senior forward Venky Jois is averaging 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. He leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage at .683 and ranks third in the nation. Jois also has 34 blocked shots to rank second in the Big Sky.
• Junior forward Felix Von Hofe averages 14.2 points and has made 56 three-pointers, shooting .421 from distance.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 7-10 this season, 4-4 at home, 3-6 on the road.
• The Vikings are 3-3 in the Big Sky Conference, 1-2 at home, 2-1 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 154-60 in 214 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 185-75 at home over 20 seasons.
• Portland State is 61-31 at home in seven seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 98-34 at home, including 56-28 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 161-168 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-10).
• PSU is 106-53 in home games, 52-109 in road games and 3-7 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 74-70 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 81-73 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.
• 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 19-44 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-7 home record and 10-37 road record.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• Portland State shot a season-high .642 from the field in the win at Sacramento State (34-53). The Vikings had 26 assists and led the entire game.
• GR F Cameron Forte has made 37-53 shots in the last four games (.698) while averaging 20.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro has scored in double figures in nine straight games, the longest streak on the team.
• JR G Armani Collins had a career-high eight assists and two steals to go with 13 points (4-5 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 2-2 FT) in the win at Sacramento State.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• Portland State is shooting .319 from three-point range and .654 from the free throw line (both are last in the Big Sky Conference).
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in assists per game (17.5).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.2).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in turnover margin (+1.1).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
• GR G Donivine Stewart leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33).
 
AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS:
• The Vikings rank 16th in the nation in assists per game (17.5)
• PSU ranks 28th in the nation in steals per game (8.2)
• GR G Donivine Stewart ranks 20th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33).
 
20-10: GR F Cameron Forte has had a pair of 20-10 games in the Vikings last two road contests. Not coincidently, both were wins. Forte scored 26 points (12-15 FG) with 12 rebounds last Saturday in an 81-63 win at Sacramento State. In PSU's previous road game, a 77-70 win at Montana State (1/9), Forte went for 26 points (12-18 FG) and 11 rebounds.
 
HANDLE IT!: Turnovers had been a concern for Coach Tyler Geving this year. The Vikings were averaging 14.5 turnovers per game as they compiled a 3-7 record prior to Christmas. In the seven games since then, the Vikings have dropped it to 10.3 turnovers and gone 4-3.
 
FORTISSIMO: GR F Cameron Forte has been loud and strong with his performance as a new Viking. He has moved into the role of sixth man to provide a spark off the bench, but still leads the Vikings in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (8.2).
• Forte ranks ninth in scoring, fifth in rebounding and seventh in field goals percentage (.546) in the Big Sky.
• Forte has 14 double-figure games, five 20-point games and one 30-point game.
• Has five double-doubles on the season, and three 20-10 games.
• Posted 23 points (8-14 FG, 7-8 FT) and nine rebounds at Nevada (11/25).
• Had a season-high 31 points (15-26 FG) with 10 rebounds in a win over Multnomah (11/28).
• Scored 26 points (12-18 FG, 2-4 FT) with 11 rebounds in a win at Montana State (1/9).
• Went for 26 points (12-15 FG, 2-6 FT) with 12 rebounds in a win at Sacramento State (1/23).
 
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 has become the Vikings' second-leading scorer and rebounder.
• Pineiro shoots .540 from the field, and ranks second in scoring (12.1), rebounding (6.1) and blocks (10).
• Has 12 double-figure scoring games, including the last nine.
• Ranks eighth in the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage and ninth in rebounding.
• 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).
• 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).
• Had 20 points (6-12 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 7-7 FT) and six rebounds at Montana (1/7).
 
DONIVINE IS DIVINE: GR G Donivine Stewart has a good handle on things this year. The SIUE transfer has committed only 15 turnovers all season and leads the Big Sky Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33).
• Stewart has moved into the starting lineup the past nine games, totaling 36 assists (4.0).
• Has a 50/15 assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33) that easily leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 20th in the nation.
• Averaging 4.7 points and 3.1 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).
• Had a season-high seven assists against Weber State (1/14). Matched that against Sacramento State (1/23).
 
MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD: JR G Calaen Robinson has proven to be the Vikings' top three-point shooter this season. Robinson ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.5) and first in assists (3.6), steals (28) and three-point field goals (39). He shoots .368 in his neighborhood - the three-point arc.
• Robinson's 11 assists against Multnomah were the most by a Viking since Feb. 5, 2009.
• Robinson has 10 double-figure scoring games.
• Ranks eighth in the Big Sky Conference in assists and in three-pointers made.
• 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).
• Had 17 points (4-9 3-pt FG) with three assists and three steals in the win over Sacramento State (1/2).
 
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 31 blocks this season and 103 blocks in 46 career games
• Ranks fourth all-time in blocks at Portland State in only two seasons.
• Spickerman ranks third in the Big Sky in blocked shots (1.82).
• 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 three games of four or more blocked shots.
 
ZACH IS BACK: JR G Zach Gengler returned to the starting lineup at Sacramento State for the first time in eight games. The move paid off with Gengler scoring 13 points, with a single missed shot, while passing out a career-high eight assists.
• Gengler is averaging career-highs of 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 20 minutes per game.
• Scored a career-high 17 points with three assists against Portland (12/2).
• Posted 13 points (4-5 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 2-2) with a career-high eight assists and two steals in a win at Sacramento State (1/23).
• In Big Sky games, Gengler leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (19/3-6.33).
 
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.
• JR G Zach Gengler missed his first free throw of the season, then made 18 in a row before missing one at Montana State. He is now 20-22 (.909) for the season.
 
A DIFFERENT LOOK: Head Coach Tyler Geving started his seventh different lineup of the season at Sacramento State. It included Donivine Stewart, Calaen Robinson, Zach Gengler, Isaiah Pineiro and Collin Spickerman.
• Eight different players have started games this season.
• Only SR C Collin Spickerman has started every game this season.
• Last season the Vikings had 10 different starting lineups in 29 games with 10 different players earning starts.
 
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 (11/6).
• The Viking bench scored 62 points and had 32 rebounds in 104 total minutes against PLU (11/16).
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro had game-highs of 24 points (11-14 FG) and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes at UTRGV (11/22).
• GR F Cameron Forte scored a game-high 23 points with nine rebounds at Nevada (11/25).
• JR F De'Sean Parson scored 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-2 FT) with three rebounds in 17 minutes against Multnomah (11/28).
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro scored 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-6 FT) with two blocks and two steals at Washington State (12/6).
• JR G Khari Holloway had a season-high 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-4 3-pt) at SIUE (12/12).
• Portland State had 48 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals off the bench from three players against CSUN (12/17). 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 (12/22).
• 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 (12/29).
• GR F Cameron Forte had 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the win over Sacramento State (1/2).
• GR F Cameron Forte scored 26 points (12-18 FG, 2-4 FT) with 11 rebounds and a block in 29 minutes of a win over Montana State (1/9).
• GR F Cameron Forte had 18 points (9-13 FG), seven rebounds and three assists against Weber State (1/14).
• FR G Armani Collins posted season-highs of 15 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots against Idaho State (1/16).
• GR F Cameron Forte scored 26 points (12-15 FG, 2-6 FT), grabbed 12 rebounds and had four assists in a win at Sacramento State (1/23).
 
WHITE LEAVES PROGRAM: JR G Bryce White has left the program for personal reasons. He averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13 games this season.
 
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.
• Portland State opened Big Sky Conference play with a 76-68 win over Sacramento State (1/2). The Vikings held the Hornets to 40% shooting and forced 16 turnovers. JR G Bryce White's 19 points led four Vikings in double figures as PSU won its second game in a row. The Vikings also ended four-game losing streak to the Hornets.
• The Vikings won for the third time in four games with a 77-70 victory at Montana State (1/9). It was PSU's first win in Bozeman in six years. GR F Cameron Forte scored 26 points (12-18 FG, 2-4 FT) and grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. JR G Bryce White matched his career-high with 20 points and four rebounds.
• Portland State had its best shooting night of the season, hitting 34-53 shots (.642) in an 81-63 win at Sacramento State (1/23). PSU also had a season-high 26 assists. GR F Cameron Forte posted his fifth double-double of the season with 26 points (12-15 FG) and 12 rebounds. JR G Zach Gengler handed out a career-high eight assists.