complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (8-12, 4-5) vs. MONTANA GRIZZLIES (13-8, 8-2)
Saturday, February 6, 2016, 7:05 p.m. • Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR
Live Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com • Pre-game Show: 6:45 p.m. • Play-by-Play: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will attempt to continue its climb in the Big Sky Conference standings when it hosts the University of Montana on Saturday at the Stott Center.
     
The Vikings are coming off an 83-68 win over Montana State on Thursday. That victory moved them up to eighth in the 12-team Big Sky. More significantly, the Vikings are only a game-and-a-half out of third place.
     
PSU had brilliant performances all around on Thursday, but none more so than the play of forwards Isaiah Pineiro and De'Sean Parsons coming off the bench. Pineiro scored a game-high 22 points (7-12 FG, 8-9 FT) with three rebounds and two assists. Parsons scored 13 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-3 FT) with season-highs of 13 rebounds and four steals.
     
The Vikings shot .604 from the field while holding Montana State to .391. Center Collin Spickerman played a big role in that defense, blocking a season-high six shots while scoring 13 points.
     
Portland State is now 4-5 in the Big Sky, 8-12 overall. PSU takes a 5-4 home record against Montana.
     
The Grizzlies are 13-8 overall, 8-2 and in second place in the Big Sky Conference. Montana had won nine of 10 games before losing at Sacramento State on Thursday 83-79. The Griz are 5-7 in road games.
     
Montana beat PSU 79-66 on Jan. 7 in Missoula.
     
Saturday's game tips off at 7:05 p.m. Live video, audio and stats are available at www.GoViks.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State goes on the road next week, playing at Idaho State and Weber State. The Vikings will host Idaho on Feb. 18, then Eastern Washington on Feb. 20.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series 34-22, and the Big Sky series, 26-13. The Grizzlies have won 12 of the last 14 meetings between the schools, including a 79-66 win in Missoula on Jan. 7. Montana is 10-9 in Big Sky games in Portland.
• JAN. 7 IN MISSOULA: UM 79, PSU 66: Montana outshot the Vikings .569 to .389. Walter Wright scored 22 points and handed out nine assists. Michael Oguine (20 points) and Brandon Gfeller (5-5 FG, 14 points) all had big games. Isaiah Pineiro led the Vikings with 20 points.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (92-111, 7th season) is 2-11 all-time against Montana. Grizzlies Head Coach Travis DeCuire (33-21, 2nd season) is 2-0 all-time against the Vikings.
 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
• Montana is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. The Grizzlies have won eight Big Sky regular season titles, nine Big Sky Tournament championships and made 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, Montana won the Big Sky regular season title with a 14-4 mark, and finished the season at 20-13.
• The Grizzlies are 13-8 on the season, 8-2 in the Big Sky Conference. UM is 5-7 on the road.
• Montana is one of the top defensive teams in the Big Sky, holding opponents to 67.6 points per game and limiting them to .308 three-point shooting.
• Forward Martin Breunig leads the Grizzlies with 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He shoots .631 from the field and has a team-high 23 blocked shots. Breunig is fourth in the Big Sky in scoring and rebounding, and third in field goal percentage.
• Guard Walter Wright leads team with 4.3 assists per game while scoring 12.4 points per game. Wright is shooting .500 from three-point range in league play.
• Brandon Gfeller is one of the top three-point shooters in the Big Sky, hitting 57-144 this season (.396). He averages 10.2 points.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 8-12 this season, 5-4 at home, 3-8 on the road.
• The Vikings are 4-5 in the Big Sky Conference, 2-2 at home, 2-3 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 155-60 in 215 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 186-75 at home over 20 seasons.
• Portland State is 62-31 at home in seven seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 99-34 at home, including 57-28 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 162-170 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (9-10).
• PSU is 107-53 in home games, 52-111 in road games and 3-7 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 75-72 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 82-75 including tournament games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• Portland State shot .604 from the field in the win over Montana State (32-53). It was the Vikings' second-best shooting performance of the season.
• GR F Cameron Forte has made 59-90 shots in the last seven games (.656).
• SO F Isaiah Pineiro scored 22 points against Montana State (7-12 FG, 8-9 FT) and has scored 38 points (19.0) in the last two games.
• JR F De'Sean Parsons had his best game of the season against Montana State, scoring 13 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-3 FT), and season-highs of 13 rebounds and four steals.
• In the last six games, GR G Donivine Stewart has twice had eight assists and twice had seven assists.
• SR C Collin Spickerman had a season-high six blocked shots against Montana State and leads the Big Sky Conference with 2.1 blocks per game.
• JR G Zach Gengler has started the past four games, handing off 16 assists and committing only one turnover.
• JR G Zach Gengler has made 24-26 free throws this year (.923), while JR G Khari Holloway is 9-9 (1.000).
 
WHO IS NOT?
• Portland State is shooting .318 from three-point range and .651 from the free throw line, both of which rank 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 assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).
• SR C Collin Spickerman leads the Big Sky in blocked shots (2.1)
• GR G Donivine Stewart leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1).
In Big Sky Conference games...
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in blocked shots (4.7).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in assists (17.3).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in steals (8.6).
• Portland State leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5)
• SR C Collin Spickerman leads the Big Sky in blocked shots in conference games (2.6).
• JR G Zach Gengler leads the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.8).
 
AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS (top 30):
• The Vikings rank 13th in the nation in assists per game (17.5).
• The Vikings rank 26th in the nation in steals per game (8.2).
• GR G Donivine Stewart ranks 26th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.05).
• GR F Cameron Forte ranks 16th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3.80).
 
TRENDING:
• Portland State is 5-1 when scoring over 80 points this season. The Vikings are winless when scoring less than 70 (0-6).
• PSU is 8-2 when leading at halftime, but 0-10 when trailing at halftime.
• The Vikings are 7-3 when out-shooting opponents, 1-9 when being out-shot.
• PSU is 5-3 when out-rebounding an opponent, 3-9 when being out-rebounded or rebounding is even.