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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (6-8, 1-2) vs. WEBER STATE WILDCATS (9-6, 3-1)
Saturday, January 12, 2019, 7:05 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: Pluto TV Channel 232, pluto.tv, WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Matt Richert
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
Can a big road victory turn the tide for the Portland State Vikings as they head into the most challenging part of their Big Sky Conference schedule? They will find out this Saturday as they host powerhouse Weber State at the Viking Pavilion in a 7:05 p.m. game and then move on to a stretch of six road games out of the following eight.
     
The Vikings come off a thrilling 77-74 overtime win at defending Big Sky Conference Champion Montana last Saturday. The Griz are the favorites again this year, had won 20 straight home games, their last four games overall and boasted the best record in the Big Sky prior to tip. On top of that, PSU had lost five in a row and hadn't won in Missoula since 2008. That seemed to add up to a pretty unlikely chance for a Viking victory.
     
But Portland State was up to the task. Trailing most of the game, but never by double digits, the Vikings scored the final seven points in regulation to send it to overtime. None were bigger than SO G Holland Woods three-pointer with 40 seconds left that tied it at 69. In the overtime, JR F Robert McCoy converted a pair of key inside baskets, then Woods iced it with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining for the 77-74 win.
     
Portland State's reward this week is to face another Big Sky favorite in Weber State. The Vikings are now 6-8 on the season, 1-2 in the Big Sky. They will try to end a stretch of three straight home losses.
     
The Wildcats come in at 9-6/3-1, but like Montana, suffered an overtime loss at home last Saturday. Prior to that, WSU had won four straight games. Weber State, Big Sky titleists in 2014 and 2016, has won six straight games over PSU and 13 of the last 15 meetings. Jerrick Harding, a unanimous first team All-Big Sky choice last year, leads the Wildcats with 21.1 points per game and has made a team-best 29 three-point field goals. WSU is also the top-scoring team in the league as well (82.2 ppg).
     
PSU will be led by Woods, who scored a season-high 28 points at Montana. He averages 15.2 points and ranks second in the Big Sky Conference with 5.0 assists per game. McCoy leads the team in rebounding (6.5) after picking up his second double-double of the season at Montana on Saturday (10 pts, 11 reb).
     
Saturday's game takes place at the Viking Pavilion and tips off at 7:05 p.m. The game is available via live stream at Pluto TV Channel 232, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com with Matt Richert on the call. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
The Vikings will go on the road for six of the next eight games. Next week's road trip has the Vikings going to Southern Utah (Jan. 17) and Northern Arizona (Jan. 19). PSU's next home game is Jan. 24 against Eastern Washington. Six of the final eight Big Sky Conference games will be at home.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. WEBER STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series, 39-13, and the Big Sky Conference series, 35-13... WSU leads the Big Sky series in Ogden, 21-2... Weber State has won six straight in the series and 13 of the last 15 meetings... the Wildcats also have a 6-0 advantage in Big Sky Tournament games... PSU's only Big Sky wins in Ogden came in 2006 and 2015.
• LAST YEAR: Jan. 20 - WSU 84, PSU 79 at WSU: The Wildcats won a tightly contested game in Ogden hitting 11-23 shots from three-point range (.478)... Ryan Richardson and Ricky Nelson each scored 17 points as six Wildcats scored in double figures... Deontae North scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Vikings. Ryan Edwards added 12 points, 10 rebound and four blocked shots. Feb. 15 - WSU 95, PSU 86 (ot) at Lewis and Clark College: Weber State rallied from a six-point deficit with 2:47 to play, then pulled away in overtime to beat the Vikings. The Wildcats shot .559 from the field, hitting 12-24 three-pointers to overcome a 42-29 rebound deficit against the Vikings... neither team led by double digits in the game... Ryan Richardson scored a game-high 27 points, hitting 6-9 threes... Brandon Hollins had 22 points (10-12 FG) and 11 rebounds for the Vikings. Bryce Canda scored 20 points and grabbed seven boards.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 26-22 career record. Peery is 0-2 against Montana... 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 Wildcats are coached by Randy Rahe (Buena Vista, 1982) in his 13th season. Rahe has a 257-144 record, including 20-5 against the Vikings.
 
WEBER STATE WILDCATS
• Weber State is an original member of the Big Sky Conference (1963). The Wildcats program has won a league-high 22 Big Sky regular season titles, 10 Big Sky Tournament titles, and made 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, Weber State was 20-11 for the season, 13-5 and tied for third in the Big Sky. Four starters and eight letterwinners return from that team. Senior guard Jerrick Harding was a unanaimous first team All-Big Sky Conference selection. Senior center Zach Braxton was named third team All-Big Sky.
• This year, the Wildcats are 9-6 overall, 3-1 in the Big Sky. They lead the league in scoring (82.2), free throw percentage (.743) and blocked shots (4.6).
• Junior guard Jerrick Harding is once again one of the top players in the league, averaging 21.1 points per game to rank second in the Big Sky. Harding is among the league leaders in three-point shooting, free throw shooting and steals.
• Junior guard Cody John averages 15.9 points per game. Senior forward Brekkot Chapman averages 12.2 points and leads the Big Sky in rebounding (8.7) and blocked shots (2.1). Senior center Zach Braxton averages 10.7 points, shoots .625 from the field and ranks third in the Big Sky with 7.7 rebounds per game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 6-8 on the season, 4-3 at home, 1-4 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• PSU is 1-2 in Big Sky Conference play, 0-1 at home, 1-1 on the road.
• The Vikings are 1-0 in overtime... Head Coach Barret Peery is 3-1 all-time in overtime.
• PSU has lost three straight home games.
Home Court(s)
• Portland State opened 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 - 7 games, 4-3
  - 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 - 299 games, 211-88 at home overall
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 124-49 at home, including 71-39 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only 10 non-conference home games in the last 12 seasons (53-10). PSU is 28-10 against Division I schools, and 25-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 186-200 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (12-13).
• PSU is 120-64 in home games, 60-126 in road games and 6-10 in neutral-site games.
And The Trivial
• Portland State is 30-30 all-time in overtime, including 1-0 in 2018-19.
• PSU is 2-17 against nationally-ranked opponents since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.
• The Vikings are 0-2 on television (0-0 home, 0-2 road) this season. Portland State is 23-53 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-7 home record and 13-41 road record and 1-5 neutral site record.
• Portland State has won 35 straight games against lower division schools dating back to 2002. The Vikings are 47-1 against lower division schools in 23 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2017).
 
WHO IS HOT
• SO G Holland Woods scored a season-high 28 points (6-11 FG, 3-4 3-pt, 13-15 FT) in the win at Montana... Woods has made 37 of his last 41 free throws (.902) including a string of 16 straight.
• In his last four games, SR G Michael Mayhew has averaged 11.5 points, making 13-26 (.500) three-pointers.
• Five Vikings rank among the top 13 in steals in the Big Sky Conference.
• Portland State leads the nation with 18.2 offensive rebounds per game.
• JR C Sal Nuhu was 6-7 from the field on the road trip, improving his team-leading shooting percentage to .576.
• Montana was shooting a league-leading .494 from the field going into the game against Portland State. The Vikings held them to 23-59 (.390) from the field and 5-24 (.208) from three-point range.
 
WHO IS NOT
• PSU has lost three in a row at home.
• After out-rebounding their first nine opponents this season, the Vikings have been out-rebounded in the four of the last five games.
• Portland State is shooting .285 from three-point range this season, which ranks 10th in the Big Sky Conference.
 
AT HOME ON THE ROAD: Since Barret Peery took over as Vikings' Head Coach, Portland State has proven to be a pretty good road team. In the 21 road games he has coached, PSU is 11-10 (3-4 neutral site). The Vikings are 6-5 in Big Sky Conference road games. Before Peery arrived PSU was 7-22 the previous two years on the road (2015-17).
 
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:
• The Vikings had shot under 39% from the field in its previous seven losses before shooting .441 at Montana State. PSU has shot over 40% in all six wins.
• The Vikings are 5-0 when out-shooting their opponents, 1-8 when they don't.
• Field goal percentage: 382-934, .409 (10th in Big Sky)
• Three-point percentage: 97-340, .285 (10th in Big Sky)
• Shooting in wins: .479/.360
• Shooting in losses: .348/.234
• Shooting in home games: .458/.344
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .363/.237
 
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 17.6 turnovers per game and have a +2.8 turnover margin. PSU has scored 256 points off turnovers compared to 216 for opponents.
• The Vikings average 18.2 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 9.3. PSU has nearly doubled its opponents in second-chance points this season (247-125).
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (39) and total offensive rebounds (125) is 164 extra possessions compared to opponents (11.7 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 177 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 34 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods leads the Vikings' in scoring (15.2), and assists (5.0). He ranks sixth in the Big Sky in scoring, second in assists and ninth in steals (1.4).
• He has led the team in scoring eight times and assists 11 times this season.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 36 of 47 career games. He ranks ninth all-time at Portland State with 259 career assists in less than two seasons.
• Scored in double figures nine times with four 20+ point games.
• Had a season-high nine assists twice this season.
• 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.
• Scored 17 points with seven rebounds and seven assists at Montana State, making 10-10 FTs.
• Posted a season-high 28 points (6-11 FG, 3-4 3-pt FG, 13-15 FT) in a win at Montana, adding four rebounds and three assists.
 
NU-COMERS PLAYING WELL: Portland State newcomers JR G Michael Nuga and JR C Sal Nuhu are having a big impact for the Vikings.
Nuga Nuggets:
• Nuga ranks second on the team lead in scoring at 13.2 points per game in 22 minutes per night.
• He leads the team with 22 3-pt FG.
• Has scored in double figures eight times with two 20+ point games.
• Went for 17 points and nine rebounds against Stanford.
• Scored a season-high 24 points against CSU Bakersfield.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 10.0 points in 20.1 minutes per game.
• He averages 5.7 rebounds to rank second on the Vikings and 15th in the Big Sky. He leads the Vikings and ranks fifth in field goal percentage (.576) and third in blocked shots (1.8).
• Has scored in double figures nine times.
• 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.
• Scored 16 points (5-6 FG, 6-8 FT) at Montana State.
 
THE REAL McCOY: In his first season as a Viking, JR F Robert McCoy has stepped into a key role. He has started 11 games and averages 21.8 minutes, ranking fourth on the team.
• McCoy averages 8.1 points and leads the Vikings in rebounding at 6.5 per game, ranking sixth in the Big Sky Conference.
• He has led the Vikings in scoring once, rebounding five times and has two double-doubles.
• Has season-highs of 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.
 
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 that 1,500 attended the Portland State/Oregon State game in the old Stott Center gym on Dec. 12, 2012... PSU is averaging 1,069 fans through seven home games - the most since the 2008-09 season (1,106).
 
Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
Rebounds Per Game  43.6
Offensive Rebounds   18.2
Rebounding Margin    +9.2
Steals                            9.8
Turnover Margin          +2.8
Robert McCoy, offensive rebounds          3.1
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• Nov. 6: #14 Oregon 84, PSU 57: The Vikings opened the season with their usual aggressive approach on defense and the glass, but suffered through a woeful shooting night in a loss to the 14th-ranked Ducks. PSU made only 21-73 shots from the field (.288) compared to 27-50 for Oregon (.540). SO G Holland Woods led the Vikings with 13 points and three assists.
• Nov. 10: PSU 71, UC Riverside 64: The Vikings held the Highlanders without a field goal for eight minutes late in the second half. PSU trailed by four with 8:24 to play but pulled away in the closing minutes leading by as many as 10. SR G Derek Brown scored 12 points with six rebounds and three assists.
• Nov. 16: PSU 125, Willamette 61: PSU needed little time to dispatch Division III Willamette, jumping to a 23-0 lead in the first five minutes and cruising to an easy win. SO G Holland Woods and JR G Michael Nuga each scored 22 points, while SR F Jamie Orme (19 pts, 13 reb) and JR F Robert McCoy (11 pts, 12 reb) each had double-doubles.
• Peery Wins 200th: Portland State Head Basketball Coach Barret Peery captured his 200th career victory on Saturday in a 125-61 win over Willamette. Peery, who is in his second season at Portland State, is currently 22-15 as Vikings' Head Coach. He also won 178 games in six seasons at the junior college level (93-11, Indian Hills CC (IA), 2011-14; College of Southern Idaho, 85-19, 2005-08). His composite record is 200-45.
• Nov. 23: UCSB 76, PSU 69: Portland State shoots .355 from the field, making only 3-23 three-pointers in the game. The Vikings also had 36 fouls, sending the Gauchos to the line 42 times. JR G Michael Nuga came off the bench to score 13 points for PSU.
• Nov. 24: PSU 91, Northwest Nazarene 75: Portland State jumped to a 23-5 lead in the first eight minutes and never looked back. The Vikings held the Nighthawks to .367 shooting and forced 20 turnovers. SR G Derek Brown scored 16 points with five rebounds. SO G Holland Woods had 16 points and nine assists.
• Nov. 28: Stanford 79, PSU 67: Another struggle in the shooting department cost the Vikings big as they out-rebounded Stanford 51-36 and forced 19 Cardinal turnovers. PSU made only 26-82 shots (.317) and 2-24 three-pointers (.083). SO G Holland Woods had 20 points and five assists, JR G Michael Nuga scored 17 points with nine rebounds, and JR C Sal Nuhu added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
• Dec. 1: PSU 123, Portland Bible 40: PSU took advantage of lower division Portland Bible setting new school records for margin of victory (83), turnovers forced (43) and steals (31). JR F Robert McCoy led seven Vikings in double figures with 26 points and eight rebounds. JR C Sal Nuhu had 17 points on 8-8 field goals in only 10 minutes of action. SR G Deante Strickland had eight assists and a school-record nine steals.
• Dec. 5: PSU 87, Portland 78: SO G Holland Woods had one of his best games as a Viking, hitting a career-high five three-pointers on the way to a 27-point, six-assist night. SR F Jamie Orme added a double-double (10 pts, 13 reb) and JR C Sal Nuhu came close (10 pts, 9 reb, 6 blk) as the Vikings outrebounded the Pilots, 55-29, winning their third straight over UP.
• Dec. 12: BYU 85, PSU 66: The Vikings suffered through another poor shooting performance on the road, hitting only .313 from the field and 5-24 from three-point range (.208), and committed 21 turnovers. That nullified a 56-32 rebounding advantage. SR G Derek Brown led the Vikings with 14 points.
• Dec. 15: Loyola Marymount 85, PSU 58: The Vikings shot only .347 from the field and had 18 turnovers in losing their first home game in the Viking Pavilion, and second in a row overall. PSU was also out-rebounded for the first time all season (37-36). JR F Rashaad Goolsby and SO G Holland Woods each had a game-high 12 points.
• Dec. 20: CSU Bakersfield 76, PSU 71: Portland State came back from a 19-point second-half deficit to get within one on two occasions, but couldn't quite get over the hump. PSU made only two field goals in the last two minutes as the Roadrunners hung on. PSU was out-shot from the field .473 to .386. JR G Michael scored a season-high 24 points, JR F Robert McCoy grabbed 12 rebounds and SO G Holland Woods handed off nine assists for the Vikings.
• Dec. 31: Northern Colorado 73, PSU 60: The Vikings lose their forth straight game with a familiar refrain: poor shooting. PSU makes only 19-51 from the field (.373). Jordan Davis (27 points) and Bodie Hume (19) lead the Bears to the win. SR G Derek Brown comes off the bench to match his season high with 16 points.
• Jan. 3: Montana State 98, PSU 88: Montana State's backcourt of Tyler Hall and Harald Frey combined for 57 points in leading the Bobcats to the win. MSU shot .536 from the field, .462 from three-point range and .743 at the line and led for the last 36 minutes of the game. SR G Michael Mayhew and SO G Holland Woods each scored 17 points to lead the Vikings. Wood added seven rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
• Jan. 5: PSU 79, Montana 74 (ot): Portland State removed several monkeys from its back with a road win in Missoula. The Vikings ended a five-game losing streak, picked up their first road win, and won at Montana for the first time since 2008. They also ended a 20-game home winning streak for the Griz. PSU came from seven points down with just over two minutes to play to send the game to OT. SO G Holland Woods hit a three-pointer to tie it with 40 seconds left. In the extra session, JR F Robert McCoy scored twice inside, then Woods hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to decide the game. Woods scored a season-high 28 points (6-11/3-4/13-15) while McCoy added a double-double (10 pts, 11 reb).