Complete notes and stats in pdf 

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (12-13, 5-9) vs.
SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (5-22, 3-11)
Thursday, February 23, 2017, 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: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
The Portland State Vikings will host their final homestand of the season this weekend when Southern Utah and Northern Arizona come to town. The Vikings play the Thunderbirds on Thursday night and Northern Arizona on Saturday night. Both games will tip at 7:05 p.m.
     
This weekend marks the final time that Portland State men's basketball will be played in the Peter W. Stott Center's main gym (PSU women wrap up their home schedule on Mar. 3). A home court for PSU Athletics since the fall of 1966, the Stott Center is undergoing an extensive restructure and remodel. The new Viking Pavilion, which will open in late winter 2018, will feature a new 3,000+ seat arena on the east side of the building. Current construction has been going on for almost a year. PSU will play home games in 2017-18 off-campus at a site to be determined. The first full season in the Viking Pavilion will be in 2018-19.
     
Portland State (12-13, 5-9) would like to end its run in the Stott Gym on a high note. As of late the Vikings have fallen on hard times, losing three in a row and seven of their last eight. Particularly tough have been four losses in overtime, and six losses by six points or less. For the most part, the home court has been good to the Vikings as they are 8-3 in Stott this season.
     
PSU hopes to find the missing ingredient that has dropped it from third place in the Big Sky Conference to eighth place over the past month. The Big Sky Tournament looms in two weeks and PSU would like to get the best positioning possible. If the tournament started today, the eighth-seeded Vikings would face ninth-seeded Northern Arizona in a first round game.
     
Portland State is 3.5 games behind a fourth-fifth tie between Montana and Montana State (both 9-6) so it is not likely that the Vikings can reach fifth place and a first-round bye with four games remaining.
     
More immediate is this week's task of getting the Vikings' momentum turned around and closing out the Stott Center run with a pair of victories. Southern Utah (5-22, 3-11) ended an 11-game losing atreak last Saturday with a home win over Northern Arizona (7-20, 4-10). The Thunderbirds are 2-12 in road games this year.
     
SUU features Big Sky Conference leading scorer Randy Onwuasor (23.2 ppg).
     
Portland State won a game Southern Utah, 88-77, on Jan. 14. The Vikings have a seven-game winning streak overall against SUU. The Thunderbirds have never won in Portland (0-4 in Big Sky games, 0-5 overall).
     
Saturday will be Senior Night in a game sponsored by Papa John's. The Vikings will host NAU after suffering a defeat at Flagstaff on Jan. 16, 83-76. PSU will recognize five seniors playing in their final home game.
     
Both games will be live streamed at www.GoViks.com/Live. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State will complete the regular season next week with a trip to Northern Colorado (8-17/4-10, Mar. 2) and first-place North Dakota (17-8, 12-3, Mar. 4). The Vikings then head to Reno, NV for the Big Sky Conference Tournament beginning on Mar. 7 against an opponent to be determined.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SOUTHERN UTAH
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series between the schools, 8-1. The Vikings lead the Big Sky series, 7-1... PSU has won seven straight against the Thunderbirds... the Vikings are 5-0 all-time at home against SUU.
• Jan. 14 in Cedar City, PSU 88, SUU 77: The game was tied at halftime, 41-41, but the Vikings broke away to a double-digit lead in the second half. PSU was up by as many as 16 points. Five Vikings scored in double figures, led by 16 each from Zach Gengler and Bryce Canda. De'Sean Parsons had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Matthew Johnson scored 18 points off the bench for the Thunderbirds. John Marshall and Randy Onwuasor each had 15 points and nine rebounds.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (109-130/8th season) is 7-1 all-time against the Thunderbirds... Southern Utah Head Coach Todd Simon is in his first season and is 0-1 against the Vikings. Including  an interim head coaching stint at UNLV, Simon has a 14-30 career record.
 
SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
• Southern Utah, located in Cedar City, joined the Big Sky Conference in 2012-13.
• The Thunderbirds have never won a Big Sky title, but have made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament in their history.
• Southern Utah is 5-22 on the season, 3-11 in the Big Sky. The Thunderbirds are 2-12 on the road. They have had losing streaks of eight and 11 games this season.
• The Thunderbirds score 76.6 points per game, but rank last in scoring defense at 83.9 points allowed.
• Southern Utah features the Big Sky's leading scorer in junior guard Randy Onwuasor. He averages 23.2 points per game, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He is the brother of former Viking football star Patrick Onwuasor.
• Junior guard James McGee averages 13.5 points and has made a team-high 78 three-point field goals, ranking fourth in the league in that category.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 12-13 this season, 8-3 at home, 4-10 on the road.
• PSU has lost three in a row, and seven of its last eight games, including four in overtime.
• 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.
• The Vikings' longest losing streak this season is four games.
Stott Stuff
• PSU has gone 166-65 in 231 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 197-80 at home over 21 seasons.
• Portland State is 73-36 at home in eight seasons under Tyler Geving.
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 110-39 at home, including 63-32 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.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• ON A ROLL: SR F De'Sean Parsons posted his fifth double-double of the season at Montana with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Over his last six games, Parsons has averaged 24.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55-98 (.561) from the field. He has taken over the team scoring lead (15.3) among active players.
• SHOOTING STAR: JR C Traylin Farris' streak of 17 straight games shooting 50% or better finally came to an end at Montana. For the season, he shoots .604 from the field and ranks fourth in the Big Sky... Farris has only 17 turnovers in 24 games and 564 minutes of play for the season.
• BENCH SUPPORT: SR G Khari Holloway did not miss a shot (3-3 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-2 FT) in scoring nine points in eight minutes at Montana. SR F Montie Leunen scored a career-high seven points with four rebounds off the bench for the Vikings.
• JR G Deontae North had his fifth 20-point game of the season with 23 points (7-14 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 7-10 FT) against Montana.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• The Vikings rank 11th in free throw percentage (.629) and last in three-point shooting (.312) in Big Sky games.
• PSU has been outrebounded by 8.7 per game in its 13 losses.
• The Vikings are 0-5 in overtime games.
• JR F Braxton Tucker has played in only five games due to knee issues. He had arthroscopy on his left knee on Jan. 5.
 
TASTY TIDBITS: A sampling of some unusual notes this season:
• A BAD TIME IN OVERTIME FOR THE VIKS: Portland State has played four overtime games in its last seven starts, losing all four. For the season, the Vikings have played five overtime games and a total of eight overtime periods. Both are new school records... PSU played four overtime games in two other seasons (1998-99 and 2013-14)... Portland State has played in four triple-overtime games in its history (including a 130-124 loss at Eastern Washington on Feb. 4 this season), and one quadruple overtime game (a 92-91 win at Northern Arizona on Jan. 4, 2009).
• NUMBER 35: SR F De'Sean Parsons become the 18th different Viking player in history to score at least 35 points in a game with his performance at Eastern Washington (2/4). The feat has been accomplished 77 times with Freeman Williams doing it 41 times. Players have scored exactly 35 points on nine occasions, including Parsons. It is the eighth time in Portland State's Big Sky era that a player has scored 35 or more points.
• 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 510  burn points this season (20.4 per game) to 304 for the opponents (12.2). That is a margin of +8.2 points per game.
• 100 WATCH: Portland State has had a number of meetings with the number 100 this season. Here are the highlights:
• Coach Tyler Geving won his 100th career game on Dec. 3 against UTRGV. Geving has the second-most career wins by a coach in PSU history (109).
• The Vikings have scored 100 or more points five times.
• SR G Zach Gengler played in his 100th career game on Jan. 19 against Montana. Gengler is on pace to finish his career among the top five in games played all-time at PSU. He has now played in 108 games... Gengler also has passed 100 career steals (110).
• SR G Calaen Robinson passed 100 career steals (118) and 100 career three-pointers (112).
• SR G Calaen Robinson passed 100 assists for the season (105).
 
TRENDING: Here is a look at some Viking trends:
• Portland State is 10-5 when scoring 80 or more points, 0-3 when scoring less than 70.
• The Vikings are 8-1 when leading at halftime, 2-10 when trailing, 2-2 when tied.
• PSU is 9-1 when shooting a higher percentage from the field than its opponents, 3-12 when being outshot.
 
IT TAKES A THIEF: Portland State set a school record for steals last season with 263 in 31 games (8.48). With 252   steals already this year (10.1), the Vikings are about to break that mark again.
• The Vikings currently rank third in the nation in steals.
• PSU has had nine or more steals in 19 games this season.
• SR G Zach Gengler tied a school record with eight steals in a win over Idaho State (2/9).
• SR G Calaen Robinson leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks eighth in the nation in steals (2.52) and set a career- high with six against North Dakota (12/29).
• Robinson ranks second all-time in steals at Portland State (118) and Gengler ranks fifth (110).
• Three Vikings rank in the top eight in steals in the Big Sky: Robinson, Gengler, and SR F De'Sean Parsons.
• PSU had a season-high 19 steals in a win over North Dakota (12/29).
 
HOT SHOTS: Portland State is averaging 86.4 points per game - the most of any team in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings have scored 99 or more points in six games this season. The scoring can be attributed to good shooting, an up-tempo pace, an ability to force opponent turnovers, and a few overtimes don't hurt.
• The Vikings shot .530 or better in eight of their wins.
• Portland State shoots .484 from the field overall and has failed to score at least 70 points only three times this season.
• PSU is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game while making 10.1 steals per game.
• Last year, PSU averaged 77.7 points. The last time PSU averaged over 82 points was 1976-77 when the Vikings aver-aged 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 F De'Sean Parsons (15.3), JR G Deontae North (13.8), SR G Calaen Robinson (13.0), JR C Traylin Farris (10.8) and JR G Bryce Canda (10.2).
• SR G Zach Gengler (9.1) has also spent a portion of the season averaging double figures.
• PSU has had at least five players score in double figures in 13 games this season.
• Portland State has had 109 double-figure scoring games this season, an average of 4.4 players per game.
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
• Scoring, 86.4 points per game
• Assists, 16.0 per game
• Steals, 10.1 per game
• Turnover margin, +4.6
• Assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.4 (401/297)
• SR G Calaen Robinson leads in steals, 2.52
 
VIKINGS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (top 30):
• Portland State ranks 3rd in steals per game, 10.1
• Portland State ranks 7th in turnover margin, +4.6
• Portland State ranks 7th in scoring, 86.4 per game
• Portland State ranks 13th in turnovers forced, 16.5
• Portland State ranks 22nd in field goal percentage, .484
• Portland State ranks 30th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.35
• SR G Calaen Robinson ranks 8th in steals, 2.52 per game
 
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 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.
• Portland State won its third straight road game with an 88-77 decision at Southern Utah (1/14). It was the seventh win in eight games and ninth in 11 games. Five Vikings scored in double figures, led by 16 from JR G Bryce Canda and SR G Zach Gengler. SR F De'Sean Parsons had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
• The Vikings ended a four-game losing streak to Montana with an 88-79 win (1/19). SR F De'Sean Parsons had his third straight double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. SR Gs Zach Gengler and Calaen Robinson each scored 15 points. The Vikings shot .545 overall and 10-20 from three-point range. It was their eighth win in 10 games.
• SR G Calaen Robinson tied his career-high with 23 points (7-10 FG, 4-7 3-pt, 5-6 FT) and set a new career-high with eight rebounds at Sacramento State (1/28).
• Despite losing at Idaho (2/2), a pair of Vikings had career-scoring highs. JR G Deontae North had 29 points (8-17 FG, 5-10 3-pt, 8-10 FT) while SR F De'Sean Parsons went for 23 (8-16 FG, 7-11 FT).
• For the second game in a row, JR G Deontae North and SR G De'Sean Parsons set career-scoring highs. Parsons scored 35 points (14-17 FG, 7-13 FT) with six rebounds and three steals, while North had 30 points (10-20 FG, 5-6 3-pt, 5-10 FT), six rebounds and three assists in a loss at Eastern Washington (2/4). The 130-124 triple-overtime defeat marked the most total points scored in a game (254) in Portland State history. The previous mark was 243, set twice.
• SR G Zach Gengler tied a 39-year old school record, making eight steals and scoring 14 points to lead the Vikings to a 74-69 win over Idaho State (2/9). PSU trailed by 10 with under seven minutes to play but went on a 19-3 run to take control of the game.
• Despite a 96-93 overtime loss to Weber State (2/11), SR F De'Sean Parsons posted another 30-point game with 32 points (12-21 FG, 8-11 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. SR G Calaen Robinson set a career-high with 12 assists and matched a career-high with eight rebounds.
• Portland State played a school-record fifth overtime game in a 92-90 loss at Montana State (2/16). It was the fourth overtime game in the last six games played.