Complete notes and stats in pdf

---

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-4) vs. NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (5-5)
Thursday, December 29, 2016, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR

---

Live Streaming Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com/Live • Pregame Show: 6:45 p.m. • Play-by-play: Teri Mariani
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
 
THE OPENING TIP
The truly meaningful games begin this week as the Portland State Vikings open their 21st season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. PSU opens its league schedule at home, facing North Dakota on Thursday night, then Northern Colorado in a Saturday matinee.
     
The Vikings go into Big Sky play with great optimism after completing a 7-4 non-conference slate. It marks the team's best non-conference start since going 9-5 in 2010-11.
     
PSU has the best record - percentage-wise - of any Big Sky school entering league play. The Vikings have also proven to be a dangerous offensive team as they lead the BSC in shooting (.508) and scoring (89.9 ppg). Perhaps most significant has been the Vikings recent play which includes wins in four straight and six of their last seven. Included are road wins at Pepperdine, San Francisco and Portland.
     
Now the Vikings will try to carry that momentum into their Big Sky schedule. Three straight home games to open conference play give them a chance at a fast start.
     
PSU is 4-0 at home this season and has won seven straight in the Stott Center dating to last year. The Vikings will also seek their first winning streak of at least five games since the 2008-09 season (There have been eight four-game winning streaks).
     
North Dakota went 5-5 in non-conference play and has lost its last three games, two of which came on the road.The Fighting Hawks are considered one of the Big Sky favorites going into conference play. They feature first team All-Big Sky guard Quinton Hooker. UND won last year's only meeting between the schools, 80-77, in Grand Forks. Hooker scored 38 points in that game, hitting 15-20 shots from the field.
     
The Vikings have won in the last two appearances by the Fighting Hawks in Portland.
     
All 12 Big Sky teams will be jockeying for position over the next two months as they look to the conference tournament, which takes place Mar. 7-11 in Reno, NV. The tournament champion earns a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings last won the Big Sky in 2009. Since then, they have gone as far as the Big Sky Tournament semifinals three times under Coach Tyler Geving. This year, the Vikings look for more in the post-season.
     
Thursday's game tips off at 7:05 p.m. The game is available via live video and audio stream at www.GoViks.com/Live. Live statistics can be found at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State will host Northern Colorado on Saturday in an afternoon game (2:05 p.m.). The Bears went 4-7 in the preseason under first-year Head Coach Jeff Linder. UNC plays at Sacramento State prior to facing the Vikings.
     
PSU takes on Sacramento State next Saturday, Jan. 7 at home (7:05 p.m.) to wrap up a four-game homestand.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTH DAKOTA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 7-3, and the Big Sky series, 5-3... Portland State leads 2-1 in games played in Portland... UND won the only meeting between the schools, 80-77, in Grand Forks... the Vikings have won the last two games in Portland.
• LAST SEASON, Feb. 25, 2016 in Grand Forks: UND 80, PSU 77: Quinton Hooker scored 38 points, hitting 15-20 shots from the field. His two free throws in the closing seconds clinched the game. Cameron Forte scored 24 points with 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Vikings. De'Sean Parsons added 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
• COMMON OPPONENTS: Portland State and North Dakota have each played CSU Bakersfield. The Fighting Hawks beat Bakersfield 57-55 in a neutral site game, while the Vikings lost at Bakersfield, 81-79.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (104-121/8th season) is 3-5 all-time against North Dakota... Fighting Hawks Head Coach Brian Jones (149-174/11th season) is 5-3 all-time against the Vikings.
 
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS
• North Dakota, located in Grand Forks, is in its fifth season as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• UND was 17-16 last season, 10-8 in the Big Sky Conference, placing fourth.
• All five starters and nine letterwinners return from that squad. The Fighting Hawks were picked third in the Big Sky Conference Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll. They received first place votes in each poll.
• North Dakota is 5-5 this season, 1-3 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The Fighting Hawks average 79.1 points and allow 69.6. They shoot .479 from the field as a team, but only .658 at the free throw line. North Dakota forces 16.0 turnovers per game and has a league-leading 3.8 TO margin.
• Senior guard Quinton Hooker averages 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He has made 27 three-point field goals, hitting at a .429 clip.
• Sophomore guard Geno Crandall averages 13.4 points and 3.3 assists per game.
• Sophomore forward Connor Avants averages 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and shoots .625 from the field.
• Junior forward Drick Bernstine averages a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game.
 
PORTLAND STATE IN THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
• Portland State is in its 21st 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 13 Big Sky Tournament berths in 17 seasons eligible, winning the 2008 and 2009 Big Sky Conference Tournament titles.
• Portland State was picked to place eighth in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, ninth in the Big Sky Media Poll (polls listed on page 10 of this release).
• The 18-game Big Sky Conference schedule is unbalanced due to the 12-team membership. Due to the unbalanced schedule Portland State will not host Idaho or Eastern Washington, and will not travel to Idaho State and Weber State.
• This marks the second year in Big Sky history in which all 12 teams will qualify for the post-season tournament. It also marks the second time that the tournament will be hosted at a neutral site; Reno, NV. The tournament takes place on Mar. 7-11 with the top four teams earning first-round byes into the quarterfinals.
• This season Northern Colorado will not participate in the Big Sky Tournament due to a self-imposed ban. That will give the top five teams byes into the quarterfinals.
• The Vikings are 10-11 all-time in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
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.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 7-4 this season, 4-0 at home, 3-4 on the road.
• The Vikings have won four in a row and six of their last seven games.
• Dating to last season, PSU has won seven 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 162-62 in 224 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 193-77 at home over 21 seasons.
• Portland State is 69-33 at home in eight seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 106-36 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 10 seasons (45-8). PSU is 25-8 against Division I schools, and 20-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 167-176 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (10-11).
• PSU is 110-55 in home games, 53-114 in road games and 4-8 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 80-78 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 87-81 including tournament games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• The Vikings are shooting .508 from the field and averaging 89.9 points per game - both of which are best in the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU ranks first in the Big Sky in assists (18.5) and steals (9.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
• The Vikings are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and have a +4.5 turnover ratio.
• SR G Calaen Robinson tied his career high with 23 points (7-11 FG, 5-7 3-pt, 4-4 FT) in the win at San Francisco. He followed that with the go-ahead three-point field goal (75-72) with 19 seconds left in a 77-75 win at Portland. Robinson scored 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3-pt) in 14 minutes against Walla Walla.
• Although he is the Vikings' sixth man, JR G Deontae North is averaging 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in his last six games. He has made 35-65 from the field (.538) and 18-22 at the line (.818).
• JR F Brandon Hollins (.629), JR C Traylin Farris (.600), SR G Zach Gengler (.559), SR G Bryce Canda (.512) and SR F De'Sean Parsons (.510) are all shooting above the team average.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• The Vikings are giving up 80.4 points per game and opponents are shooting .477 from the field.
• PSU has been outrebounded by 9.8 per game in its four losses.
• JR F Braxton Tucker missed the last six games with knee soreness.
 
STREAKING: Portland State has a four-game winning streak heading into league play this week. If PSU can beat North Dakota and make it five, that would be the longest winning streak since a six-gamer Feb. 19-Mar. 11, 2009. In fact, the Vikings now have eight four-game winning streaks during Head Coach Tyler Geving's eight seasons, but never more than four. With three more home games ahead, can the Vikings extend that mark?
 
WCC AFFILIATES?: Portland State had a good run against West Coast Conference teams during the non-conference schedule, especially when you consider all four games were on the road. The Vikings lost to their first WCC opponent, Loyola Marymount (78-62), but went on to pick up wins at Pepperdine (91-85), San Francisco (82-78) and Portland (77-75). That made the Vikings 3-1 against the WCC this season. PSU had been 0-6 against West Coast Conference teams the past four seasons.
 
HOT SHOTS: Portland State is averaging 89.9 points per game - the most of any team in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have eclipsed 100 points four times this season, and passed 90 five times. The scoring can be attributed to good shooting, an up-tempo pace, and an ability to force opponent turnovers.
• The Vikings shot .530 or better in five of their wins. They shot .435 and .484 in wins at San Francisco and Portland.
• Portland State shoots .508 from the field overall and has failed to score at least 70 points only once this season.
• PSU is forcing 15.7 turnovers per game while making 9.8 steals per game.
• PSU posted the most points in 38 years with a 118-59 win over Walla Walla (12/22). The last time PSU scored more was a 133-110 win over Rocky Mountain on Feb. 5, 1978 - a game in which Freeman Williams scored a PSU-record 81 points.
• The Vikings shot .655 from the field in a 113-81 win over George Fox (11/17) and .571 in a win over UTRGV (12/3), including 13-22 from three-point range.
• Last year, PSU averaged 77.7 points. The last time PSU averaged over 82 points was 1976-77 when the Vikings averaged 91.0 points per game.
 
5x10: Portland State currently has five players averaging in double figures this season, with two more averaging over nine points: JR F Braxton Tucker (16.8), SR G Calaen Robinson (14.8), SR F De'Sean Parsons (12.1), JR G Bryce Canda (11.3) and JR G Deontae North (11.2).
• JR C Traylin Farris (9.7) and SR G Zach Gengler (9.2) have averaged double figures at various times this season.
• PSU has had at least five players score in double figures in eight of 11 games this season.
• Portland State averages 4.8 players scoring in double figures per game.
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
• Scoring, 89.9 points per game
• Field Goal Percentage, .508
• Assists, 18.4 per game
• Steals, 9.8 per game
• Assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.7 (204/123)
 
VIKINGS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (top 30):
• Portland State ranks 7th in scoring, 89.9 per game
• Portland State ranks 9th in field goal percentage, .508
• Portland State ranks 9th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.7
• Portland State ranks 8th in steals per game, 9.8
• Portland State ranks 11th in assists per game, 18.4
• Portland State ranks 21st in turnover margin, +4.5
• SR G Calaen Robinson is 18th in steals, 2.27 per game