---

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-4) vs. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS (9-1)
Saturday, December 15, 2018, 7:05 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: Pluto TV Channel 232, www.pluto.tv, www.WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Matt Richert
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

---

THE OPENING TIP
Portland State and Loyola Marymount will bring some striking similarities and differences to the court when they meet on Saturday at the Viking Pavilion. The matchup with LMU is the first of three straight games at home for the Vikings as they close out 2018.
     
The Vikings (5-4) and the Lions (9-1) rank among the nation's best rebounding teams and defensive disruptors. PSU carries a +15.3 rebounding margin, which leads the nation. The Vikings also are best in the country at offensive rebounding, with a 21.4 per game average. Meanwhile, LMU boasts a +8.5 rebound margin, which is 18th in the country.
     
The teams are also noted for their defensive pressure as PSU forces 20.4 turnovers per game and has a +5.1 turnover margin. The Lions force 16.9 turnovers and have a +2.6 margin.
     
That's where the similarities end, at least when you look to the offensive end. Portland State likes to push tempo with its pressure game and has averaged 84.0 points per game, allowing 71.3. Loyola Marymount is much more attuned to the half-court game, averaging 71.5 points, and holding opponents to a mere 58.3 - which ranks ninth in the nation for scoring defense.
     
All that said, it should be a battle of wills on the Stoller Family Court hardwood. PSU is 4-0 at home this season, but comes off an 85-66 loss at BYU on Wednesday. LMU is 2-1 on the road, 4-1 including neutral site contests and has not played since Dec. 5.
     
The Lions will try to avenge a loss to the Vikings last season in Los Angeles, 94-85. The Vikings had 20 steals and forced 33 LMU turnovers in that game. Thus year's Lions team features shooting star James Batemon, who averages 18.9 points and 3.8 assists. Inside, 7-3 center Mattias Markusson (11.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) should offer a challenge matchup for the Vikings.
     
PSU continues to be led by SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods, who is averaging team-highs of 15.5 points and 5.0 assists. JR C Sal Nuhu has also played well of late, averaging 10.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and a Big Sky-best 1.9 blocked shots.
     
Portland State will need to return to its home shooting form to beat a defensive-oriented Loyola Marymount team. Only four of 10 opponents have managed to reach 60 points, and the only Lions' loss came at UCLA. LMU is ranked ninth in the Mid-Major Top 25.
     
The Vikings have shot .505 from the field at home in its four wins. However, they were a chilly .313 from the field at BYU on Wednesday.
     
Saturday's game will be available via live stream at Pluto TV Channel 232, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State completes its non-conference schedule next Thursday when it hosts CSU Bakersfield at the Viking Pavilion. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
     
Big Sky Conference play begins on Dec. 31 when the Vikings host Northern Colorado in a 2:05 p.m. game. After that game, PSU plays eight of its next 11 games on the road. The Vikings wrap up Big Sky play with six of eight games at home.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Loyola Marymount, 4-3. The Vikings beat the Lions, 94-85, last season in Los Angeles... PSU is 2-0 all-time against LMU at home with those games being played in the old Stott Center arena (2001, 2010). The last three meetings (2012, 2016, 2017) have all been in Los Angeles.
• LAST YEAR: Dec. 6, 2017 at Gersten Pavilion, PSU 94, LMU 85: The Vikings forced 33 Loyola Marymount turnovers, converting them to 34 points as they won on the road... Bryce Canda had 20 points and 13 rebounds for PSU, as Holland Woods added 20 points and four assists. The Vikings had a total of 20 steals, six by Jamie Orme... Portland State never trailed in the game... James Batemon had 26 points and seven assists for the Lions.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Portland State is 40-73 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference, but has gone 4-2 under Barret Peery dating to last season... PSU is playing three members of the conference this season (Portland (W); BYU (L); Loyola Marymount on Dec. 15).
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 25-18 career record. Peery is 1-0 against Loyola Marymount. He is 4-2 against West Coast Conference schools... Peery's only other head coaching experience is at the junior college level where he was 178-30 in six seasons (2005-08, College of Southern Idaho; 2011-14, Indian Hills (IA) CC)... the Lions are coached by Mike Dunlap (Loyola Marymount, 1980) in his fifth season. Dunlap is 57-76 all-time. He is 1-1 against Portland State.
 
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
• Loyola Marymount is a member of the West Coast Conference, located in Los Angeles.
• The Lions were 11-20 last season, 5-13 in the WCC, placing 8th. Four starters and nine letterwinners return from that team.
• LMU has jumped to a 9-1 start this season, with its only loss at UCLA. The Lions are 5-0 at home, 2-1 in road games and 2-0 in neutral site games.
• The Lions have been a strong defensive team, allowing only 58.3 points per game. Opponents shoot just .389 from the field, and .250 from three-point range. LMU also holds a +8.5 rebounding advantage on opponents and forces 16.9 turnovers per game.
• LMU averages 71.5 points on .443 shooting, .312 from three-point range, and .779 at the line.
• JR G James Batemon leads the team with 18.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
• JR C Mattias Markusson averages 11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. The 7-3 big man shoots .603 from the field and has blocked 10 shots.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 5-4 on the season, 4-0 at home, 0-3 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• PSU was 20-14 in 2017-18, 8-5 at home, 10-6 on the road, 2-3 at neutral sites.
• In Big Sky Conference games, PSU was 9-9 (4-5 at home, 5-4 on the road).
Home Court(s)
• Portland State opens the Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center in 2018-19. The Stoller Family Court will be PSU's fifth (and hopefully final) home court since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. The main home court was the old Peter W. Stott Center. However, the Vikings also used the Rose Garden (now Moda Center) and Memorial Coliseum occasionally over the years. In 2017-18, PSU used Lewis & Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center as a home court while the Viking Pavilion was being completed. Here is the breakdown:
  - Viking Pavilion - 4 games, 4-0
  - Peter W. Stott Center - 233 games, 168-65
  - Rose Garden (Moda Center) - 28 games, 19-9
  - Memorial Coliseum - 19 games, 13-6
  - Lewis and Clark - 12 games, 7-5
  - 23rd season - 296 games, 211-85 at home overall
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 124-46 at home, including 71-38 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only eight non-conference home games in the last 12 seasons (53-8). PSU is 28-8 against Division I schools, and 25-0 against lower division schools over that span.
 
WHO IS HOT
• THE BENCH IS NO DETERRENT: JR C Sal Nuhu has scored in double figures in his last seven games and JR G Michael Nuga has been in double figures in his last six (he missed BYU with a sprained toe) even though neither has started. Nuhu has averaged 12.7 points and Nuga has averaged 16.0 points during that span.
• REBOUNDERS: Portland State has out-rebounded all nine opponents this season and has a +15.3 rebounding margin to rank first in the nation. The Vikings are averaging 21.4 offensive rebounds per game which also leads the nation. They have converted those offensive boards to 189 second-chance points (21.0 points per game).
• FAST HANDS: Portland State also is tied for the national lead in steals with Florida International (11.4 per game).
 
WHO IS NOT
• THREE-POINT SHOOTING: Portland State is shooting 59-222 from three-point range this season (.266). The good news is the Vikings are shooting .367 at home (33-90).
• PARDON ME: The Vikings are averaging 24.6 fouls per game - 350th in the nation - including a season-high 36 against UC Santa Barbara.
• NO NUGA: JR G Michael Nuga, the Vikings' second-leading scorer, missed the game at BYU due to a sprained toe suffered in practice on Tuesday. He is expected to return on Saturday.
 
YOU'VE GOT TO PUT THE BISCUIT IN THE BASKET: There is no question that shooting efficiency is the most important element in basketball. So far, the Vikings have been inconsistent when chucking the rock at the old peach basket, with distinct differences in shooting between wins and losses, and home and road games. Here is a breakdown:
• Field goal percentage: 273-657, .416
• Two-point percentage: 214-435, .492
• Three-point percentage: 59-222, .266
• Shooting in wins: .491/.379
• Shooting in losses: .316/.141
• Shooting in home games: .505/.367
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .342/.197
 
NATION'S BEST: It's still a small sample size in the preseason, and the Vikings have played some lower division opponents, but they lead the nation in a handful of categories:
• Offensive rebounds per game: 21.4
• Rebounding margin: +15.3
• Total rebounds per game: 48.3
• Steals: 11.4
 
PEERY PRESSURE, PART II: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery emphasizes a full-court pressure defense that forces turnovers and creates transition opportunities. Then, on the offensive end, his team relentlessly attacks the offensive glass. Here are the analytics of those two areas. In 2018-19:
• The Vikings have forced 20.4 turnovers per game and have a +5.1 turnover margin.
• The Vikings average 21.4 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 7.8.
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (46) and total offensive rebounds (123) is 169 extra possessions compared to opponents (18.8 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 179 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 20 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods is the Vikings' leader in scoring (15.5), and assists (5.0). He ranks seventh in the Big Sky in scoring, third in assists and and fifth in steals (1.9).
• He has led the team in scoring six times and assists six times this season.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 32 of 42 career games.
• Scored in double figures six times with three 20+ point games.
• Woods reached 200 career assists in 36 career games. He is now 16 assists short of reaching the Portland State all-time top 10 for assists.
• Went for 20 points and five assists at Stanford.
• Had 27 points (8-14 FG, career-high 5-7 3-pt, 6-6 FT) and six assists in a win over Portland.
 
NU-COMERS PLAYING WELL: Portland State newcomers JR G Michael Nuga and JR C Sal Nuhu are having a big impact off the bench for the Vikings.
Nuga Nuggets:
• Nuga ranks second in the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game in less than 20 minutes per night.
• He is shooting .500 from the field and .385 from three-point range.
• Has scored in double figures the last six games, averaging 16.0 points.
• Went for 17 points and nine rebounds against Stanford.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 10.9 points in 19 minutes per game.
• He averages 6.6 rebounds to lead the Vikings and rank sixth in the Big Sky. He has a Big Sky-leading 1.9 blocked shots per game.
• Nuhu shoots .561 from the field.
• In the last seven games, he has scored in double figures, averaging 12.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.
• Posted a double-double against Stanford with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
• Went for 10 points, nine rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots against Portland.
 
FINDING HIS F-ORME: SR F Jamie Orme is taking a big step forward in 2018-19 by moving into the starting lineup. He averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds last season in 13 minutes per game. Now he is averaging 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky in rebounding.
• Scored in double figures six times and has two double-doubles this season.
• Has season highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds (twice) and five assists.
 
WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: SR G Derek Brown has also taken a big step up in 2018-19 with his move to the starting lineup. Last year, he averaged 5.1 points in 12 minutes per game... this season Brown averages 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals.
• Led the team in scoring three times and scored in double figures five times.
• Has season highs of 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
 
PARTICIPATION AWARDS ALL AROUND: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery's style of aggressive full-court pressure requires fresh bodies at all times. The Vikings sub early and often and everybody plays. So far, the core 11 players are all averaging at least 12 minutes per game or more. Only four average over 20 minutes, and only SO G Holland Woods averages over 30.
 
IF YOU BUILD IT: The crowd of 2,020 that attended the game against Portland (12/5) in the Viking Pavilion is the largest crowd of the season so far. Portland State's home opener against UC Riverside had a crowd of 1,424. The largest recent crowd was a sellout of 1,500 attended the Portland State/Oregon State game in the old Stott Center gym on Dec. 12, 2012... PSU is averaging 1,262 fans through four home games - the most since the 2007-08 season (1,347).
 
Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
Rebounds Per Game  48.3
Offensive Rebounds   21.4
Rebounding Margin    15.3
Steals                          11.4
Blocked Shots              4.0