Complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-2) vs. GEORGE FOX BRUINS (0-0)
Thursday, November 17, 2016, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR 
Television: None
Live Streaming Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com/Live • Pregame Show: 6:45 • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will play its home opener this Thursday night when the Vikings host George Fox University in a non-conference game at the Stott Center. The Vikings will try to bounce back from a pair of losses on the opening weekend of play to Arizona State and Cal State Fullerton. The loss to the Titans was a 106-100 double-overtime heartbreaker.
     
The good news for the Vikings is the tremendous success they have had in non-conference home games in recent years, particularly against lower division opponents. PSU 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.
     
George Fox University, a Division III member of the Northwest Conference, will be playing its first game of the season.
     
Thursday's game will be a 7:05 p.m. tip in the Stott Center. A live video stream is available at www.GoViks.com/Live. Live stats can be found at www.ViksLive.com.
 
OPENING WEEKEND REVIEW
Portland State lost its first two road games, 88-70 at Arizona State and 106-100 in double overtime at Cal State Fullerton. But the Vikings saw some positive signs, particularly on offense.
     
JR F Braxton Tucker came back strong after being out with a knee injury since February 2015. Tucker was the leading scorer in both games, averaging 20.5 points and grabbing 5.0 rebounds. He scored a career-high 22 points at Fullerton. JR G Bryce Canda also looked good at Fullerton, hitting 5-8 three-pointers on his way to 17 points and adding four assists. He averaged 14.5 points in the two games.
     
Also averaging double figures were SR F De'Sean Parsons (11.0), SR G Zach Gengler (10.0) and SR G Calaen Robinson (10.0).
     
PSU got big minutes from SR G Khari Holloway (8.5 ppg), JR C Traylin Farris (5.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and JR G Deontae North (3.5 ppg) off the bench.
     
The Vikings shot .457 from the field, .340 from three-point range and .750 at the line while averaging 85.0 points. The downside was giving up 97.0 points (on .493 shooting) and having a -12.0 rebound margin in the two games.
 
COMING SOON: AN ALL NEW VIKING PAVILION
The Peter W. Stott Center will remain the home court for the Vikings in 2016-17 while major construction is underway on the eastern portion of the building. That development will become the new Viking Pavilion, a venue that will seat 3000+ for basketball. A completion date is scheduled for winter 2018. PSU will find an alternate home court for 2017-18 until the new Pavilion is opened.
    
So, enjoy the current Stott Center while you can. With construction underway on the new Viking Pavilion, the Stott's main gym is in its final season of use. In fact, the gym, the academic center, the training room, and the new weight room are almost all that is left of the current facility.
     
This season, the Stott Center will be using makeshift ticketing, concessions and restroom facilities. At the end of this season, the gym will be taken off-line and transformed with the remainder of the building into the new Viking Pavilion.
     
Meanwhile, Pardon Our Dust.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. GEORGE FOX
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State and George Fox will be meeting for the sixth time in history. The Vikings have won the five previous matchups, including wins over the Bruins in 2010-11 (92-58) and 2012-13 (85-74).
• PORTLAND STATE VS. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS: Portland State is 41-1 against lower division schools since reinstating the basketball program in 1996-97. The only loss came on Dec. 3, 2002 to Cascade College... Viking Coach Tyler Geving is 13-0 all-time against lower division schools.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (97-119/8th season) is 2-0 all-time against George Fox University... Bruins Head Coach Maco Hamilton (28-47/4th year) has never faced the Vikings.
 
GEORGE FOX BRUINS
• George Fox University is a member of the NCAA III Northwest Conference. The Bruins were 7-18 last season, 4-12 and ninth place in the NWC.
• The Bruins have three starters and 12 letterwinners returning this season.
• Senior guard JJ Lacey is a top returner after averaging 13.4 points and 4.0 rebounds last season. Junior guard Thomas Rico averaged 12.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
 
COMING UP
Portland State goes back on the road next week after Thanksgiving. The Vikings play at Loyola Marymount on Nov. 25 and Pepperdine on Nov. 27. The next home game is a Dec. 3 meeting with Texas Rio Grande Valley, which tips off at 4:35 p.m. as the second half of a doubleheader with the Viking women.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 0-2 this season, 0-0 at home, 0-2 on the road.
• Dating to last season, PSU has lost three straight games.
• Dating to last season, PSU has won three straight home games.
• The Vikings were 13-18 last season, 8-10 in the Big Sky Conference.
• Portland State's longest winning streak was four games (Feb. 27-Mar. 8).
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 158-62 in 220 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 189-77 at home over 20 seasons.
• Portland State is 65-33 at home in seven seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 102-36 at home, including 60-29 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.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• Portland State's top four scorers are shooting 50% or better: JR F Braxton Tucker (.500), JR G Bryce Canda (.529), SR F De'Sean Parsons (.556) and SR G Zach Gengler (.615).
• JR F Braxton Tucker scored a career-high 22 points at Cal State Fullerton (10-19 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG).
• SR G Khari Holloway scored a career-high 13 points at Cal State Fullerton (5-12 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG, 2-2 FT).
 
WHO IS NOT?
• Portland State is getting out-rebounded by 12.0 per game through the first two games.
• The Vikings had an eight-point lead (80-72) with 1:12 remaining against Cal State Fullerton, but lost in double overtime.
 
BRAXTON IS BACK!: Head Coach Tyler Geving is happy to have Braxton Tucker back healthy and playing for the Vikings. PSU was 14-11 back in 2014-15 when Tucker went down with a knee injury. The Vikings finished the season 1-3, then went 13-18 last year as he redshirted the season. Although the Vikings lost their opening two games, Tucker looks better than ever. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds as a sophomore. Through two games this season he is averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.
 
BEST OFF THE BENCH: Here are the Vikings top performances from players coming off the bench this season:
• SR G Khari Holloway scored a career-high 13 points against Cal State Fullerton (11/13).
• JR C Traylin Farris had seven points, a team-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots at Cal State Fullerton (11/13).
 
2016-17 SEASON NOTES
• Portland State begins its 21st season as a member of the Big Sky Conference in 2016-17. PSU won Big Sky regular season titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. The Vikings won Big Sky tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08 and 2008-09... PSU's trip to the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament in 2013-14 was its first Division I post-season tournament other than its previous NCAA trips.
•     The Vikings' non-conference schedule includes four home games and seven road games. PSU will host Texas-Rio Grande Valley of the Western Athletic Conference. The Vikings also play at WAC opponent CSU Bakersfield. Portland State plays on the road at four West Coast Conference opponents; Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, San Francisco and Portland. The other road games are at Arizona State and Cal State Fullerton. PSU will also host home games with George Fox, Walla Walla and New Hope Christian.
• Media outlet College Sports Madness has made JR F Braxton Tucker a Preseason 3rd Team All-Big Sky Conference selection. CSM has also picked FR F Brendan Rumel as the Big Sky's Preseason Freshman of the Year.
 
VIKING BASKETBALL SIGNS FOUR TO NLIs
Portland State Head Coach Tyler Geving announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2017-18 academic year during the November signing period. It is the largest early signing class for Geving in his eight seasons as a head coach at PSU.
     
The Vikings have added local high school star Elijah Gonzales from Clackamas, another prep star out of Phoenix, AZ, Holland Woods, and two junior college transfers, Aaron Ray and Narcisse Kalamba.
     
Ray and Kalamba are coached by brothers at their respective colleges. Brady Trenkle coaches Ray at Garden City (KS) CC, and Swede Trenkle coaches Kalamba at Hill (TX) JC.
     
"Our staff did a great job of identifying talent across the country and we are enthusiastic about the four players we signed," said Geving. "We feel like we signed two outstanding high school guards who will have a big impact on our program for the next four years. Our two junior college players are very talented and we feel fortunate to sign them both early. We feel both will have a big impact on our program next year. I know all four recruits are excited about playing in the new Viking Pavilion as well. This new arena project on campus helped in the recruitment of all four players."
     
Here is the early signing class for Portland State basketball for 2017-18:
 
Elijah Gonzalez, G, 5-8, 150, FR, HS, Clackamas, OR (Clackamas HS)
Named Oregonian first team All-State as a junior at Clackamas High School… named second team All-State by USA Today… named Player of the Year and first team All-Mt. Hood Conference… his team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Oregon 6A state tournament before being knocked out by South Salem… scored 40 points in a playoff win over Franklin High School.
 
Holland Woods, G, 6-0, 170, FR, HS, Phoenix AZ (Apollo HS)
Averaged 22.1 points, 7.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a junior… his sophomore season averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals.
 
Aaron Ray, G, 6-2, 210, JR, JC, Middletown, NY (Garden City (KS) CC)
Averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds as a freshman at Garden City CC… shot .490 from the field, .447 from three-point range and .766 at the line… brother of Allan Ray, who played at Villanova and in the NBA.
 
Narcisse Kalamba, G/F, 6-6, Montreal, Quebec (Hill (TX) JC)
Averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a freshman at Clarendon Junior College… shot .442 from the field, .330 from three-point range and .538 at the line.
 
VIKING ONE-LINERS (and sometimes two)
• PSU has three players that competed for other Division I schools: Calaen Robinson (Arizona State), Deontae North (Long Beach State), Traylin Farris (Incarnate Word).
• SR G Zach Gengler was the Oregon 5A High School Player of the Year in 2012-13.
• SR C Namdi Okonkwo is the first 7-foot player in Portland State's Big Sky era (1996-present) and perhaps ever. PSU previously has had five players that stood 6-11 since reinstating basketball for the 1996-97 season.
• SR F Montie Leunen's brother Matt has been a Viking assistant football coach for five seasons. Matt played for the Vikings between 2005-09.
• Portland State is in its 21st season as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I. PSU played basketball from 1946-1981 before discontinuing the program. Basketball was reinstated for the 1996-97 season.
• Construction of the new The Viking Pavilion began in April. The Pavilion will consist of an upgraded Stott Center facility, including a new arena for Viking basketball, as well as athletic training enhancements, academic upgrades and overall facility enhancements. The Viking Pavilion will more than double the capacity of PSU's home court (to be situated on the east side of the building) to somewhere between 3,000-4,000 seats. The arena is expected to be available for play beginning in January 2018.
• Portland State received public recognition from the NCAA in 2014 for being among the top 10 percent of teams in multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for the four-year period ending in 2012-13. PSU basketball, which received APR sanctions six years ago, is now among the top programs in the nation in APR scores. Head Coach Tyler Geving has led the program to that accomplishment. PSU had the only men's basketball program in the Big Sky Conference and among the state of Oregon's four Division I programs to be among the top 10 percent recognized by the NCAA.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving and Associate Head Coach Jeff Hironaka were both assistant coaches on the 2000-01 Seattle Pacific basketball staff.
• Special Advisor Barry Adams, a high school coaching legend in the state of Oregon, was elected to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame on March 10, 2014. Adams spent more than four decades as a prep coach in the state.
• Director of Operations Donivine Stewart was the Vikings' starting point guard in 2015-16 (5.8 ppg, 3.7 apg).
• Former Viking Ime Udoka played seven seasons in the NBA. He started 75 games for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07. Udoka is now an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, and won an NBA title with the team in 2013-14.
• Julius Thomas, who holds Portland State records for games played (121), field goal percentage in a season and career (.671/.663), and career wins (78) was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Denver Broncos. Thomas played on two Big Sky Conference Championship/NCAA Tournament teams (2007-08, 2008-09) at PSU. He competed in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. Thomas signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015 making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL.