complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-7, 1-0) vs. MONTANA GRIZZLIES (7-6, 2-0)
Thursday, January 7, 6 p.m. PT • Dahlberg Arena (7,500), Missoula, MT
Live Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com (Montana feed)
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com 

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-7, 1-0) vs. MONTANA STATE BOBCATS (6-8, 1-1)
Saturday, January 9, 1:05 p.m. PT • Worthington Arena (7,250), Bozeman, MT
Live Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com (Montana State feed)
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
The Big Sky Conference season has only just begun and the Portland State Vikings have already hit their toughest stretch of the season. The Vikings go on the road this week for the always-tough Montana road swing, opening a span of five road games in the next seven during the month of January.
     
The Vikings play at defending Big Sky regular season champion Montana in a Thursday night game at 6 p.m. PT. Then they bus across the state to face Montana State in a rare Saturday afternoon tilt at 1:05 p.m. PT.
     
Portland State has lost in its last six trips to Dahlberg Arena, and its last four games at Worthington Arena. The Vikings are 6-31 in Big Sky regular season and tournament games played at Montana and Montana State since joining the league in 1996-97.
     
PSU comes home for two games next week, then goes back on the road for three games in the final two weeks of January.
     
The good news for Portland State is it appears to be on an upswing as the challenging games approach. The Vikings opened their Big Sky schedule on Jan. 2 with a 76-68 home win over Sacramento State. It was a good win against a 7-5 team, and a program that had beaten the Vikings in their last four meetings.
     
PSU is 5-7 on the season, but most importantly 1-0 in the Big Sky Conference and winners of its last two games. For the most part, the Vikings have taken advantage of an uptempo pace that has them averaging nearly 78 points per game and have several players capable of big games. Eight different Vikings have scored at least 14 points in a game this season. PSU is also creating opponent turnovers (14.3) by making a league-high 8.2 steals per game.
     
Montana is 7-6 this season, including a perfect 5-0 at home. The Grizzlies won their opening two Big Sky games on the road, 90-84 in overtime at Northern Arizona, then 83-66 at Southern Utah.
     
Montana State has begun the year 6-8, including 1-1 in the Big Sky, with a 93-82 loss at Southern Utah, then a 74-72 overtime win at Northern Arizona. The Bobcats have played a rigorous road schedule with only two home games this season. They are 1-1 at Worthington Arena.
     
Live video, audio and stats for both games can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
 
COMING UP
Portland State comes home next week to host Weber State and Idaho State at the Stott Center (Jan. 14 and 16). The Vikings close out the month with games at Sacramento State (Jan. 23), Eastern Washington (Jan. 28) and Idaho (Jan. 30). Beginning Feb. 4, six of the final 10 Big Sky games will be played at home.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series, 33-22, and the Big Sky Conference series, 25-13... the Grizzlies are 15-3 at home against the Vikings in league play. They have won six in a row at home, and 11 of the last 13 meetings overall.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (89-106, 7th season) is 2-10 all-time against Montana. Grizzlies Head Coach Travis DeCuire (27-19, 2nd season) is 1-0 all-time against the Vikings. DeCuire won the Big Sky Conference regular season last year - his first with the Grizzlies... former Portland State Head Coach Ken Bone (2005-09) is an assistant coach at Montana.
• LAST SEASON: Due to the unbalanced Big Sky Conference schedule the teams only met once... JAN. 29, UM 73, at PSU 54: Portland State had its poorest offensive showing in a Big Sky game all season. The Vikings shot .370 from the field with 14 turnovers. A one-point game at halftime, the Grizzlies broke away with 15-0 and 16-2 runs in the second half. UM shot .549 from the field, hit 10-20 three-pointers and 7-7 free throws. Martin Breunig led all scorers with 23 points. DaShaun Wiggins scored 17 points for the Vikings.
 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
• Montana was 20-13 last season, 14-4 in the Big Sky Conference, winning the regular season title. The Griz lost to Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Tournament title game. Montana advanced to the NIT, losing to Texas A&M in the first round.
• Two starters and seven letterwinners return from last season.
• UM is 7-6 overall, 2-0 in the Big Sky, and 5-0 at home. Montana has won three straight games.
• SR F Martin Breunig was a first team All-Big Sky Conference performer last season. He leads the Grizzlies with 17.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this year. Breunig is shooting .622 from the field to rank third in the Big Sky and 17th in the nation.
• JR G Brandon Gfeller averages 11.5 points per game. He is 41-100 from three-point distance this season and only 3-9 on two-pointers. Gfeller is the current Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.
• JR G Walter Wright averages a team-leading 3.6 assists and 10.4 points per game. He also has 20 steals.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series, 31-20, and the Big Sky Conference series, 24-17... the Bobcats are 16-3 at home against the Vikings in league play. They have won four in a row at home, and six of the last eight meetings overall.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (89-106, 7th season) is 4-9 all-time against Montana State. Bobcats Head Coach Brian Fish (13-31, 2nd season) is 0-1 all-time against the Vikings.
• LAST SEASON: Due to the unbalanced Big Sky Conference schedule the teams only met once... JAN. 31,  at PSU 80, MSU 62: Portland State ended a four-game losing streak to the Bobcats with a home win. The Vikings made 9-11 three-point field goals for a school-record .818 shooting mark. PSU jumped to a 15-point lead early and had a double-digit advantage the rest of the way. The Vikings shot .560 from the field overall. DaShaun Wiggins scored 18 points to lead four Vikings in double figures. Tim Douglas added 17 points and five assists off the bench. Michael Dison scored 13 points to lead the Bobcats.
 
MONTANA STATE BOBCATS
• Montana State was 7-23 last season, 4-14 in the Big Sky Conference and tied for 10th.
• Two starters and eight letterwinners return from last season.
• MSU is 6-8 overall this year despite playing only two home games. The Bobcats are 1-1 at home and have not played a home game since Dec. 6.
• SR G Marcus Colbert was the Big Sky Conference Sixth Man of the Year last season. This year, as a starter, he is averaging 17.4 points and and a Big Sky-leading 5.4 assists per game.
• FR G Tyler Hall is an early candidate for Big Sky Freshman of the Year, averaging 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He shoots .417 from three-point range and .868 at the line.
• Montana State makes 9.1 three-point field goals per game and out-rebounds opponents by 2.0 per game.
• The Bobcats are allowing 81.6 points per game and have the fewest blocked shots (24) and steals (57) and worst turnover margin (-2.4) in the league.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 5-7 this season, 4-2 at home, 1-5 on the road.
• The Vikings have won two in a row - both at home.
• PSU has lost four in a row 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.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 159-165 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-10).
• PSU is 106-51 in home games, 50-108 in road games and 3-7 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 72-67 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 79-71 including tournament games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro has scored 61 points in the last four games (15.3 ppg), hitting 24-42 from the field (.571).  He ranks seventh in the Big Sky and leads the Vikings with a .570 field goal percentage.
• JR G Bryce White has 32 points and 10 rebounds in the Vikings' last two games (16.0, 5.0).
• GR G Donivine Stewart has 18 assists, six steals and only four turnovers in the last four games.
• JR G Zach Gengler has made 13 free throws in a row (13-14 on the season).
• Portland State has won two games in a row.
 
PORTLAND STATE LEADS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE IN:
• Assists per game (17.5)
• Steals per game (8.2)
 
HANDLE IT!: Turnovers have 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 two wins since the holiday, PSU has averaged only 10.0 turnovers.
 
A DIFFERENT LOOK: Head Coach Tyler Geving started six different lineups through the first 10 games. In the last three games, he has stuck with the group of Donivine Stewart, Calaen Robinson, Bryce White, Isaiah Pineiro and Collin Spickerman. That appears to be working as PSU has played better in winning its last two.
• 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.
 
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 44 points with 18 rebounds and five assists in the last three games.
• He leads the Vikings in field goal percentage (.570), and ranks second in scoring (11.7), rebounding (6.0) and blocks (9).
• 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).
• 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).
• Seven double-figure scoring games, including the last four.
 
DONIVINE IS DIVINE: GR G Donivine Stewart has a good handle on things this year. In 23 minutes per game at point guard, the SIUE transfer has committed only seven turnovers all season.
• Stewart has moved into the starting lineup the past four games, totaling 18 assists (4.5).
• Has a 32/7 assist to turnover ratio that would easily lead the Big Sky Conference if he had enough assists to qualify (he is one assist short).
• Averaging 4.5 points and 2.9 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 proven to be the Vikings' top three-point shooter this season. Robinson ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.9) and first in assists (3.6), steals (16) and three-point field goals (29). He shoots .420 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 seven double-figure scoring games.
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference in assists and eighth 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).
 
CALLING MR. WHITE: Since shaking off an early-season injury JR G Bryce White has upped his production. White ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2), while averaging 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals.
• Ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference in steals.
• Had a season-high 20 points (7-11 FG, 4-7 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with four rebounds and four assists against Pacific Lutheran (11/16).
• Scored 19 points with five rebounds and two steals in a win over Sacramento State (1/2).
 
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 (16.4) and rebounding (8.1).
• 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.
• Scored in double figures a team-high 10 times, 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 21 blocks this season and 93 blocks in 41 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.
• Ranks ninth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.520).
 
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.
 
SPEAKING OF STREAKING: JR G Zach Gengler missed his first free throw of the season, but has made a team-high 13 in a row since then.
• Gengler is averaging career-highs of 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20 minutes per game.
 
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.
• GR F Cameron Forte had 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the win over Sacramento State.
 
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.