Complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (9-5, 2-1) vs.
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (3-13, 0-3)
Saturday, January 12, 2017, 5:30 p.m. PT • JL Walkup Skydome (7,300), Flagstaff, AZ

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Television: Fox College Sports (FCSP Xfinity Channel 415)
Live Streaming Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com/Live
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
The most challenging part of the Portland State basketball schedule lies ahead as the Vikings go on the road to play at Northern Arizona and Southern Utah this week. Those game begin a stretch of five out of seven Big Sky Conference matchups on the road.
     
Portland State has itself in good position so far, going 2-1 over the first two weeks of the Big Sky schedule. The Vikings are currently tied for fifth in the 12-team league. PSU is 9-5 overall and has won six out seven and eight of its last 10 games. Perhaps more important, the Vikings won their last two road contests, non-conference games at San Francisco and Portland. That has them at 3-4 overall on the road this season.
     
Northern Arizona will be PSU's first Big Sky road opponent. The Vikings play there on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on the Fox College Sports Network and live streamed at www.GoViks.com/Live.
     
NAU has struggled out of the gate this year, going only 3-13 so far. The Lumberjacks are 0-3 in Big Sky play, with losses to Southern Utah, North Dakota and Northern Colorado. Remarkably, the 'Jacks are still winless at home (0-4). They have lost four straight heading into Thursday's contest.
     
Both teams give up a similar number of points (PSU, 78.2; NAU 78.1), but the Vikings have a distinct advantage on offense (87.9 to 68.8 points per game) as they are the highest-scoring team in the league. Portland State will need to exploit that edge as Northern Arizona ranks last in shooting in the Big Sky (.380 from the field).
     
But it is never easy to win in Flagstaff. The Vikings have lost in their last three trips to the Walkup Skydome. NAU has a 13-6 lead in the Big Sky series at home.
     
Portland State will journey on to Southern Utah (4-12, 2-1) for a Saturday night game. That one also tips at 5:30 p.m. PT.
 
COMING UP
The Vikings return home next week to host Montana (Jan. 19) and Montana State (Jan. 21). They will play on the road the following two weeks at Sacramento State (Jan. 28), Idaho (Feb. 2) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 4).
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Northern Arizona, 23-22. The Big Sky Conference series is tied 21-21.... the Vikings have lost three in a row in Flagstaff and are 6-13 there in Big Sky games.
• LAST SEASON: The teams met only once due to the unbalanced Big Sky Conference schedule. Mar. 3, 2016 in Portland: PSU 89, NAU 81: Portland State led by as many as 27 points in the second half before settling for an eight-point win. The game also marked the first triple-double in PSU history as Cameron Forte had 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Isaiah Pineiro added 31 points and 12 boards in the win. Kris Yanku scored a game-high 32 points, while Ako Kaluna added 17 points and 18 rebounds for the Lumberjacks. 
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (106-122/8th season) is 4-9 all-time against Northern Arizona... Lumberjacks Head Coach Jack Murphy (57-91/5th year) is 5-2 all-time against Portland State.
 
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS
• Northern Arizona, located in Flagstaff, joined the Big Sky Conference in 1970.
• The Lumberjacks have won four Big Sky Conference regular season titles, two tournament titles and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. NAU most recently won the Big Sky in 2005-06 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 1999-2000.
• Northern Arizona was 5-25 last season, 3-11 in the Big Sky and tied for 11th.
• This season, the Lumberjacks are 3-13, 0-3 in the Big Sky. They have lost four games in a row.
• NAU ranks last in the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage at .380 on the season. The 'Jacks are getting outscored by 10 points per game.
• Sophomore guard Mike Green is the team's leading scorer at 12.0 points per game. He has made 32 three-point field goals.
• Senior forward Jordyn Martin averages 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Marcus DeBerry has made a team-high 34 three-point field goals and averages 10.2 points per game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 9-5 this season, 6-1 at home, 3-4 on the road.
• The Vikings have won six of their last seven and eight of their last 10 games.
• PSU has won two in a row on the road.
• Portland State won five straight earlier this season (Dec. 13-29). It was the longest winning streak since winning six in a row late in the 2008-09 season.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 169-177 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (10-11).
• PSU is 112-56 in home games, 53-114 in road games and 4-8 in neutral-site games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• The Vikings are shooting .503 from the field and averaging 87.9 points per game - both of which are best in the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU ranks first in the Big Sky in assists (18.0), steals (10.4), scoring margin (+9.1), turnover margin (+4.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
• JR C Traylin Farris has shot 50% or better in each of his last seven games. He shoots .607 from the field. Farris had 19 points (5-9 FG, 9-11 FT) and a season-high 13 rebounds in the win over Sacramento State.
• JR C Traylin Farris has only six turnovers in 13 games and 270 minutes of play for the season.
• Despite coming off the bench, JR G Deontae North has scored in double figures in nine of the last ten games (eight PSU wins). His only non-double-digit game was nine points.
• SR G Calaen Robinson has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and made at least one three-pointer in every game this season.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• The Vikings are giving up 78.2 points per game and opponents are shooting .475 from the field.
• PSU has been outrebounded by 7.4 per game in its five losses.
• JR F Braxton Tucker missed the last nine games with knee soreness. He had arthroscopy on his left knee on Jan. 5.
 
BURN POINTS: Portland State had an amazing 51 points off turnovers (or burn points) against North Dakota (12/29). That continued a season-long trend of burning opponents for their mistakes. The Vikings have scored 304 burn points this season (21.7 per game) to 174 for the opponents (12.4). Ironically, that +9.3 margin of difference is pretty close to PSU's scoring margin for the season (+9.6).
 
IT TAKES A THIEF: Portland State set a school record for steals last season with 263 in 31 games (8.48). With 147 steals already this year (10.4), the Vikings are on pace to break that mark again.
• The Vikings currently rank fourth in the nation in steals.
• Four Vikings ranks in the top 10 in steals in the Big Sky: SR G Calaen Robinson, JR G Bryce Canda, SR F De'Sean Parsons and SR G Zach Gengler.
• SR G Calaen Robinson ranks 10th in the nation in steals (2.64) and set a career-high with six against North Dakota (12/29).
• PSU had a season-high 19 steals in a win over North Dakota (12/29).
 
HOT SHOTS: Portland State is averaging 87.9 points per game - the most of any team in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have 99 or more points in five games this season. 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 seven of their wins. They shot .435 and .484 in wins at San Francisco and Portland.
• Portland State shoots .503 from the field overall and has failed to score at least 70 points only twice this season.
• PSU is forcing 16.4 turnovers per game while making 10.4 steals per game.
• PSU posted the most points in 38 years with a 118-59 win over Walla Walla (12/22), posting a school-record 21 three-point field goals. 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.
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT DYNAMICS: Portland State currently has six players averaging in double figures this season: JR F Braxton Tucker (16.8), SR G Calaen Robinson (14.8), SR F De'Sean Parsons (11.9), JR G Bryce Canda (11.5), JR G Deontae North (11.1) and JR C Traylin Farris (10.5).
• SR G Zach Gengler (9.2) has also spent a portion of the seaosn averaging double figures.
• PSU has had at least five players score in double figures in 10 of 14 games this season.
• Portland State has had 68 double-figure scoring games this season, an average of 4.8 players per game.
 
STREAKING: Portland State had a five-game winning streak (Dec. 16-29). It was the longest winning streak of Head Coach Tyler Geving's career. His teams had seven four-game winning streaks prior to that. The previous longest winning streak overall was a six-gamer Feb. 19-Mar. 11, 2009. PSU's longest winning streak since joining the Big Sky Conference 21 seasons ago is nine (Jan. 13-Feb. 20, 2008). The school record is 12 (1954-55).
 
TUCKER HAS KNEE PROCEDURE: JR F Braxton Tucker, who has missed the last nine games, underwent an arthroscopy on his left knee last week. He will likely be out for the remainder of January. Tucker missed the 2015-16 season with a knee injury. He came back to play in the first five games this season, averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, leading the team in scoring in the first four games.
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
• Scoring, 87.9 points per game
• Field Goal Percentage, .503
• Assists, 18.0 per game
• Steals, 10.4 per game
• Scoring margin, +9.6
• Turnover margin, +4.9
• Assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.6 (252/160)
• SR G Zach Gengler leads in assist-to-turnover ratio, 3.1 (43/14)
 
VIKINGS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (top 30):
• Portland State ranks 4th in steals per game, 10.4
• Portland State ranks 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.58
• Portland State ranks 10th in scoring, 87.9 per game
• Portland State ranks 10th in turnover margin, +4.9
• Portland State ranks 11th in field goal percentage, .503
• Portland State ranks 12th in assists per game, 18.0
• Portland State ranks 25th in turnovers forced, 16.4
• SR G Calaen Robinson ranks 10th in steals, 2.64 per game
• SR G Zach Gengler ranks 26th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 3.07 (43/14)
 
MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD: SR G Calaen Robinson has upped his play this season. He ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.8 points and first in assists (4.0) and steals (2.6).
• Robinson ranks second in the Big Sky with 2.6 steals per game and ranks 10th in the nation.
• He ranks 12th in scoring, ninth in three-pointers made (2.5) and fifth in assists in the Big Sky Conference.
• Scored in double figures in 12 games with four 20-point games.
• Posted a career-high 23 points (8-14 FG, 3-8 3-pt, 4-7 FT) in the Vikings win over George Fox (11/17).
• Had one of the best games of his career at Pepperdine (11/27) with 22 points (8-14 FG, 4-8 3-pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists and five steals.
• Scored 20 points (8-9 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 1-2 FT) with four assists and four steals in a win over UTRGV (12/3).
• Matched his career high with 23 points (7-11 FG, 5-7 3-pt, 4-4 FT) in a win at San Francisco (12/16).
• Named Big Sky Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Dec. 19.
• Had 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-8 3-pt), seven assists and a career-high six steals in a win over North Dakota (12/29).
 
THE DE'SEAN PARSONS PROJECT: SR F De'Sean Parsons has moved into the starting lineup this season after finishing 2015-16 strong... he is averaging 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists and has a team-leading 12 blocked shots. Those numbers are up from 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists last year.
• Parsons has scored in double figures in nine games with one 20-point game.
• He ranks 18th in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage and sixth in steals in the Big Sky Conference.
• Had 12 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in a win at Pepperdine (11/27).
• Scored 20 points (8-14 FG, 1-1 3-pt 3-5 FT) with six rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block against UTRGV (12/3).
• Posted 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in the win at San Francisco (12/16).
• Scored 15 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 3-pt, 1-4 FT) with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in the win at Portland (12/20).
• Posted 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-3 3-pt) and seven rebounds in the win over North Dakota (12/29).
• Had 16 points (7-15 FG, 2-5 3-pt), seven rebounds, four steals and three assists against Northern Colorado (12/31).
 
THE FARRIS WHEEL: JR C Traylin Farris has moved into the starting lineup due to JR F Braxton Tucker being unable to play. He averages 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.
• Shooting .613 from the field to rank fourth in the Big Sky Conference.
• Scored a PSU season high 26 points (12-13 FG, 2-4 FT) with 11 rebounds in a win over New Hope Christian (12/13). His .923 field goal percentage set a new PSU record for shooting in a game with at least 10 attempts.
• Had 17 points (6-12 FG, 5-6 FT) and seven rebounds in the win at San Francisco (12/16).
• Tallied 19 points (5-9 FG, 9-11 FT) with a season-high 13 rebounds in a win over Sacramento State (1/7).
 
NORTH-ERN EXPOSURE: JR G Deontae North is picking up the pace as the season progresses. After a slow start, North has averaged over 16 points and five rebounds in the last nine games.
• He is the leading scorer off the bench with 11.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
• North had 18 points (6-10 FG, 4-6 3-pt, 2-2 FT), a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over UTRGV (12/3).
• Posted a season-high 25 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 5-7 FT) with seven rebounds and four steals at CSU Bakersfield (12/10).
• Recorded 16 points (7-13 FG, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds and two steals in a win over New Hope Christian (12/13).
• Scored 18 points (7-9 FG, 4-6 3-pt) in 14 minutes of a win over Walla Walla (12/22).
 
CANDA CAN-DO: Newcomer JR G Bryce Canda has stepped into the starting lineup as a combo guard and been very productive. Canda is averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
• He ranks 26th in the Big Sky in scoring and seventh in steals (1.4).
• Has scored in double figures in 10 games.
• Had 17 points (5-8 3-pt FG, 2-5 FT), four rebounds and four assists at Cal State Fullerton (11/13).
• Posted 16 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 4-4 FT) with five rebounds and three steals in a win at Pepperdine (11/27).
• Scored 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-7 3-pt) with a season-high 11 rebounds in the win at Portland (12/20).
• Made a season-high 19 points (7-8 FG, 5-6 3-pt) in 15 minutes in a win over Walla Walla (12/22).
• Scored 15 points on 5-10 three-pointers in a win over Sacramento State (1/7).
 
GENGLER'S GAMES: SR G Zach Gengler is the most experienced player on the Viking team, having played in 97 career games. He is on pace to finish in the top five in career games played at PSU.
• Gengler is averaging career-highs of 9.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. He is shooting .557 from the field, .500 from three-point range and .882 at the line.
• Ranks seventh in field goal percentage, third in three-point percentage in the Big Sky Conference.
• Scored in double figures nine times this season.
• In his 97 career games, Gengler has only 75 turnovers.
• Scored a season-high 16 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3-pt, 2-3 FT) with four assists at Cal State Fullerton (11/13).
• Posted 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3-pt), five assists and four steals in the win over North Dakota (12/29).
• Tallied 14 points (5-7 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with four assists in a win over Sacramento State (1/7).
 
BEST OFF THE BENCH: Here are the Vikings top performances from players coming off the bench this season:
• SR G Khari Holloway scored 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).
• JR F Brandon Hollins scored 18 points and tied a PSU record by making 7-7 field goals. He added four rebounds and three steals.
• JR C Traylin Farris scored 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 FT) with four rebounds in a win at Pepperdine (11/27).
• JR G Deontae North scored 18 points (6-10 FG, 4-6 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over UTRGV (12/3).
• JR G Deontae North posted a team season-high 25 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 5-7 FT) with seven rebounds and four steals in 27 minutes at CSU Bakersfield (12/10).
• JR G Deontae North recorded 16 points (7-13 FG, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds and two steals in a win over New Hope Christian (12/13).
• JR F Brandon Hollins scored 15 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 FT) with six rebounds, two steals and a block in the win over New Hope Christian (12/13).
• JR G Deontae North scored 11 points with seven rebounds in the win at San Francisco (12/16).
• JR G Deontae North had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in the win at Portland (12/20).
• SR G Khari Holloway had career-highs of 14 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 2-4 FT) and six assists in the win over Walla Walla (12/22).
• JR G Deontae North scored 18 points (7-9 FG, 4-6 3-pt) in 14 minutes against Walla Walla (12/22).
• JR G Deontae North had 14 points (5-10 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 1-3 FT), five rebounds and three assists in the win over North Dakota (12/29).
• JR G Deontae North scored 15 points (5-11 FG, 1-4 3-pt, 4-6 FT) with two steals, two rebounds and two assists as the Vikings beat Sacramento State (1/7).
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• Despite the 106-100 double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton (11/13), the Vikings got career-high scoring performances from JR F Braxton Tucker (22 pts) and SR G Khari Holloway (13 pts).
• The Vikings won their first game of the season, a 113-81 decision over George Fox (11/17). The Vikings shot .655 from the field. JR F Braxton Tucker posted a career-high 24 points (8-10 FG, 8-11 FT) with 10 rebounds. SR G Calaen Robinson also had a career-high with 23 points (8-14 FG, 3-8 3-pt, 4-7 FT).
• JR F Brandon Hollins tied a PSU record by making 7-7 field goals in a game, scoring 18 points in the win over George Fox (11/17).
• Portland State forced 20 turnovers with 15 steals and shot .530 from the field in a 91-85 win at Pepperdine (11/27). SR G Calaen Robinson led the way with 22 points (8-14 FG, 4-8 3-pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists and five steals. For the second time this season, six Vikings scored in double figures.
• The Vikings won their second game in a row in an 87-74 decision over UTRGV (12/3). PSU shot .571 from the field and .591 from three-point range (13-22). It was Head Coach Tyler Geving's 100th career win at Portland State. Five players were in double figures led by 20 points each from SR F De'Sean Parsons and SR G Calaen Robinson. Parsons added six rebounds, six assists, five steals and a blocked shot.
• SR F De'Sean Parsons was named College Sports Madness Big Sky Conference Player of the Week following the win over UTRGV (12/3). Parsons scored 20 points (8-14 FG, 1-1 3-pt 3-5 FT) with six rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block in the 87-74 win.
• JR G Deontae North posted a team season-high 25 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 5-7 FT) with seven rebounds and four steals in 27 minutes at CSU Bakersfield (12/10).
• Portland State scored 100 points for the third time this season with a 110-79 victory over New Hope Christian (12/13). The Vikings shot .570 from the field and were led by the 26 points and 11 rebounds from JR C Traylin Farris, who established a new PSU record for field goal percentage in a game (12-13, .923) with at least 10 shot attempts.
• The Vikings picked up an 82-78 road win at San Francisco (12/16) to improve to 5-4 on the season. Although they shot only .435 from the field, a season-best 22-26 (.846) from the free throw line made the difference. SR G Calaen Robinson tied his career high with 23 points (7-11 FG, 5-7 3-pt, 4-4 FT). JR C Traylin Farris scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half as the Vikings came back from a 13-point deficit with 16:45 to play.
• SR G Calaen Robinson was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 19 by College Sports Madness.
• The Vikings stretched their winning streak to three with a 77-75 win at Portland (12/20), ending a five-game losing streak to the Pilots. Six Vikings scored in double figures. SR G Calaen Robinson hit a go-ahead three-point field goal with 19 seconds left (75-72) on an assist from SR G Zach Gengler. Gengler then made a steal and hit two free throws in the closing seconds to ice the game.
• Portland State set a school-record, hitting 21-39 three-pointers in a 118-59 win over Walla Walla (12/22). The Vikings shot 45-77 (.584) for the game. They reached 100 points with over 10 minutes remaining in the game and scored the most points in 38 years. JR G Bryce Canda led the Vikings with 19 points (7-8 FG, 5-6 3-pt) in 15 minutes.
• PSU extended its winning streak to five games - the longest in eight years - with a 99-62 victory over North Dakota (12/29). The Vikings shot .565 from the field, had 19 steals, and scored 51 points off 26 UND turnovers. Seven players scored in double figures, led by SR G Calaen Robinson with 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-8 3-pt), seven assists and a career-high six steals.
• JR C Traylin Farris scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as the Vikings pulled away for an 83-76 win over Sacramento State (1/7). Farris also grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds. Five Vikings scored in double figures as PSU shot .528 from the field. It was the sixth win in seven games.