Complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (14-13, 7-9) vs.
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS (9-18, 5-11)
Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017, 6 p.m. PT • Butler-Hancock Pavilion (2,977), Greeley, CO
 
Live Streaming Video and Audio: www.GoViks.com/Live
Live Stats: www.GoViks.com (click on the stats link on game day information) 

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THE OPENING TIP
Portland State's men's basketball team will be packing a few extra pairs of socks this week as it preps for the final weekend of the Big Sky Conference regular season.
     
The reason? The Vikings would like to make this week's road trip the longest of the season, extending it as long as 11 days. The possibility exists as the Vikings leave March 1 for a Thursday game at Northern Colorado, then play at North Dakota on Saturday. Following the game in Grand Forks, PSU will travel directly to Reno, NV in preparation for next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Vikings will play an opening-round game on Tuesday, March 7, and hope to win their way through the week to the Big Sky Tournament Championship game on Saturday, March 11. That's a lot of socks...
     
The Vikings (14-13, 7-9) take a two-game winning streak and a desire for some revenge to Greeley for the matchup with Northern Colorado (9-18, 5-11). The Bears beat PSU in Portland on Dec. 31, holding the Vikings to their lowest point total of the season (73-59). It was PSU's only loss in a stretch of eight games and poorest offensive showing of the year.
     
Although the Bears handled the Vikings earlier in the season, it has been a rough go the last six weeks. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games. However, they took first-place North Dakota to overtime last Saturday before finally falling 84-81.
     
Northern Colorado is 4-6 at home this season. The Vikings are 4-10 on the road and have lost six straight.
     
Portland State appears to have bounced back from a mid-season lull with two wins last week. The Vikings had lost seven of eight prior to that, but four of those losses had come in overtime. The Vikings are in eighth place in the Big Sky and figure to face one of three teams in that first-round game in Reno; Northern Arizona, Southern Utah or Idaho State. The first two were Viking victims last week at the Stott Center. But that scenario will play out over the course of the week as PSU can finish as high as sixth or but no lower than a tie for eighth in the Big Sky standings.
     
Thursday's game tips off at 6 p.m. PT. It will be live streamed at www.GoViks.com/Live. Live stats are available at www.GoViks.com by clicking on the stats link on the game day information box.
 
COMING UP
Portland State will complete the regular season on Saturday at first-place North Dakota (18-8/13-3). The game has a 1 p.m. PT tip time and is available via live stream at www.GoViks.com/Live. It will also be televised on Fox College Sports Pacific.
     
The Vikings then head to Reno, NV for the Big Sky Conference Tournament beginning on Mar. 7 against an opponent and at a time to be determined.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTHERN COLORADO
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Northern Colorado, 18-7, and the Big Sky Conference series, 14-7... PSU had won three in a row before UNC's win at the Stott Center on Dec. 31... the Vikings are 6-4 in Big Sky Conference games played in Greeley. The Vikings won there last year, 89-86, on a three-point field goal by Calaen Robinson with two seconds left.
• Dec. 31 in Portland, UNC 73, PSU 56: Portland State had its worst offensive showing of the season, with a season-low point total. The Vikings shot only .364 from the field, 7-31 from three-point range (.226) and an abysmal 4-21 at the free throw line (.190). Jordan Davis scored 19 points and handed out seven assists to lead the Bears to the win. De'Sean Parsons had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Vikings.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (111-130/8th season) is 8-7 all-time against the Bears... Northern Colorado Head Coach Jeff Linder (9-18/1st season) is 1-0 against the Vikings.
 
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
• Northern Colorado, located in Greeley, joined the Big Sky Conference in 2006-07.
• The Bears have won one Big Sky Conference Championship, in 2010-11, making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
• Northern Colorado is 9-18 this season, 5-11 in the Big Sky. The Bears are 4-6 at home. Due to a self-imposed ban, UNC will not participate in the Big Sky Conference Tournament this season.
• Sophomore guard Jordan Davis leads the Bears in scoring (19.4), assists (5.6) and steals (33). He is the Big Sky leader in assists.
• Junior guard DJ Miles averages 13.1 points and sophomore guard Chaz Glotta averages 11.7 points. Those two are tied for the team lead with both making 73 three-point field goals this season.
• Northern Colorado ranks 10th in the Big Sky in scoring (71.0) and last in free throw percentage (.606).
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 14-13 this season, 10-3 at home, 4-10 on the road.
• With 14 wins this season, PSU has already improved on last year's record (13-18).
• The Vikings have won their last two games, but have lost six straight 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.
• The Vikings' longest losing streak this season is four games.
 
WHO IS HOT?
• FREE IS A GOOD PRICE: SR G Khari Holloway has made 13 straight free throws and leads the team with an .882 free throw percentage this season (30-34).
• BENCH SUPPORT: JR F Brandon Hollins had 20 points (8-10 FG) and 11 rebounds in 41 minutes of play off the bench last week. 
• In the last eight games, SR F De'Sean Parsons has averaged 22.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He had a career-high four blocked shots in the win over Southern Utah.
• JR G Bryce Canda was 8-12 from the field in two games last week, 6-8 from three-point range, and scored 24 points.
• JR C Traylin Farris has shot 50% or better from the field in 22 of 26 games played this season. He shoots .615 overall.
 
WHO IS NOT?
• PSU has lost six straight road games.
• The Vikings rank 11th in free throw percentage (.640) and last in three-point shooting (.321) 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 NEW RECORD... WITH A POSSIBLE ASTERISK: In just two seasons, SR G Calaen Robinson has tied the Portland State career record for steals with 121 (Anthony Lackey, 1998-2002, 121). Robinson figures to pass that number with a minumum of three games remaining. It is a great achievement, especially considering Robinson ranks ninth in the nation with 2.44 steals per game this year (66 total). The school record for steals in a season is 94 by Terry Adolph in 1977-78. Adolph, who played alongside Freeman Williams from 1976-78, may well have made more than 121 steals, but prior to the '77-'78 season steals were not kept as an official statistic. So, speculation aside, Robinson will be Portland State's all-time leader in steals.
• ANOTHER NEW RECORD... FOR CERTAIN: Portland State has 271 steals through 27 games this season (10.02), breaking the school record of 263 set last season in 31 games (8.48). The Vikings now rank second in the nation in steals behind West Virginia (11.0).
• A BAD TIME IN OVERTIME FOR THE VIKS: Portland State has played four overtime games in a span of six starts (1/28-2/16), 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 559 burn points this season (20.7 per game) to 340 for the opponents (12.6). That is a margin of +8.1 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 (111).
• 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 110 games... Gengler also has passed 100 career steals (115).
• SR G Calaen Robinson passed 100 career steals (121) and 100 career three-pointers (118).
• SR G Calaen Robinson passed 100 assists for the season (112).
 
IT TAKES A THIEF: For the second year in a row Portland State has set a school record for steals. The Vikings now have 271 after last year's previous mark of 263.
• The Vikings currently rank second in the nation in steals (10.0) behind West Virginia (11.0).
• PSU has had nine or more steals in 20 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 ninth in the nation in steals (2.44). He set a career- high with six against North Dakota (12/29).
• Robinson now holds the career record for steals at Portland State (121) and ranks second for a season (66). Gengler ranks third (115).
• Three Vikings rank in the top nine 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 86.5 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 .483 from the field overall and has failed to score at least 70 points only three times this season.
• PSU is forcing 16.8 turnovers per game while making 10.0 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.
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
• Scoring, 86.5 points per game
• Assists, 16.2 per game
• Steals, 10.0 per game
• Turnover margin, +4.9
• Assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.4 (438/322)
• SR G Calaen Robinson leads in steals, 2.4
 
VIKINGS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (top 30):
• Portland State ranks 2nd in steals per game, 10.0
• Portland State ranks 4th in turnover margin, +4.9
• Portland State ranks 6th in scoring, 86.5 per game
• Portland State ranks 8th in turnovers forced, 16.8
• Portland State ranks 25th in field goal percentage, .483
• Portland State ranks 26th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.36
• SR G Calaen Robinson ranks 9th in steals, 2.42 per game
 
VIKINGS CLOSE DOWN STOTT CENTER IN STYLE
The Portland State men's basketball program played its final game in the Stott Center gym on Feb. 25, beating Northern Arizona, 84-72. The Viking program was 168-65 in home games at the Stott Center since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97 (also 31-15 at Memorial Coliseum and the Moda Center).
     
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 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.
       
With construction underway on the new Viking Pavilion, the Stott's main gym will go under contruction and be developed into a practice gym with adjacent office space. The weight room is the first portion of the new Viking Pavilion to be completed. In addition to the Pavilion arena and the practice gym, work will also be underway on the student-athlete academic center, training room, and locker room facility.
     
Stott Center abounds in basketball history as the home court of Freeman Williams, PSU basketball legend of the 1970's.  Williams became the second all-time scorer in the history of men's college basketball (behind only Pete Maravich) with 3,249 points.
     
The Stott Center was also the site of three NCAA Division II Regional Championships in women's basketball (PSU hosted and won regional titles in 1992 and 1995) and wrestling.
     
PSU hosted (and won) the 1984, 1985 and 1992 NCAA II volleyball championships at the Stott Center.
     
More recently, Portland State men's basketball won two Big Sky Conference regular season titles while going undefeated on the Stott Center home court. The Vikings were 7-0 at home in conference games during 2004-05, and 8-0 at home in conference games in 2007-08. PSU was was 7-1 in conference home games in 2008-09 when they placed second in the Big Sky, then won the Conference Tournament and, again, advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
     
The Viking women won a Big Sky regular season title in 2010-11 and hosted the Big Sky Tournament at the Stott Center.
     
The Stott Center has also hosted the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Championship four times.
 
The Stott Center hosted a nationally-televised ESPNU game, in which PSU
defeated Boise State, and several Big Sky Conference televised Games of the
Week.
 
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.
• The Vikings had six players in double figures as they ended a three-game losing streak and defeated Southern Utah, 93-86 (2/23). A strong bench effort played a big role as JR G Bryce Canda (11), SR G Khari Holloway (career-high 15), and JR F Brandon Hollins (12) combined for 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. They combined to shoot 13-20 from the field and 6-9 from three-point range. SR F De'Sean Parsons had 16 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists in the game.
• Portland State won its second game in a row and closed down the Stott Center in style with an 84-72 win over Northern Arizona (2/25). It was the last game ever for PSU in the Stott gym as the new Viking Pavilion goes online in 2018. The Vikings scored 34 points off 23 NAU turnovers, and made 15 steals. PSU led by as many as 26 in the game.