PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-6) at LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS (5-6)
Thursday, December 19, 2019, 7 p.m. • Galen Center at USC, Los Angeles, CA
Live Stream: https://watchstadium.com/live/portland-state-at-loyola-marmount/
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf
THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will seek out a .500 non-conference record when it plays Loyola Marymount this Thursday night at USC's Galen Center. The game will be played on the USC campus as the Democratic National Debate will be taking place on the LMU campus at the same time.
The Vikings go into the game with a 5-6 record following a 77-71 loss at Pepperdine on Tuesday. PSU led for over 30 minutes in the game and had a seven-point advantage with under eight minutes to play. But the Vikings went cold down the stretch, missing 10 straight shots. PSU got 23 points from JR G Holland Woods, and also saw the return of injured big men SR F Alonzo Walker and SR C Sal Nuhu.
A win against the Lions this Thursday would get Portland State to 6-6 at the conclusion of its out-of-conference slate. That would one-up last year's 5-6 non-conference record. The Vikings will open Big Sky Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 28 at home against Northern Colorado.
PSU shot the ball well for the first 30 minutes against Pepperdine, and had one of its' best three-point shooting performances of the season (12-26, .462). However, the Vikings went cold late in the game, and were also hindered by a season-high 16 turnovers.
Those shortcomings will need to be remedied on Thursday against Loyola Marymount. The game should be a contrast in styles as the Lions play a more deliberate, half-court game than the up-tempo Vikings. The Lions are also 5-6 on the season. However, they rank as one of the best shooting teams in the country with .520 from the field and .393 from three-point range.
LMU is 4-1 in home games this season, but the off-site home game at the Galen Center may level things a bit for the Vikings. PSU is 1-5 in road games, 1-0 at neutral sites.
The game marks the fourth straight year the teams have met. LMU has won two of the previous three, including an 85-58 victory at Viking Pavilion last season.
Thursday's game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be viewed at https://watchstadium.com/live/portland-state-at-loyola-marmount/. Live statistics can be found at www.ViksLive.com.
COMING UP
Big Sky Conference play begins Dec. 28 at home against Northern Colorado. As PSU's lone afternoon home game of the season tip time will be 2:05 p.m. The Vikings follow with a home game on Monday, Dec. 30 against Southern Utah beginning at 7:05 p.m.
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• ALL-TIME SERIES: The all-time series, which dates back to the 1997-98 season, is tied 4-4. LMU leads the series 3-2 at home, but will be playing an "off-site" home game against the Vikings... this marks the fourth straight year the teams have met.
• LAST YEAR: Dec. 20, 2018 at Viking Pavilion, LMU 85, PSU 58: Loyola Marymount dominated the game from the start as the Vikings couldn't get going offensively. The Lions led 43-25 at halftime and rolled on from there. LMU shot .481 from the field, .412 from three-point range and .712 at the line. Meanwhile, the Vikings shot a mere .347/.211/.667. James Batemon of the Lions led all scorers with 26. Eli Scott came off the bench for 14 points and eight rebounds. PSU got 12 points apiece from Rashaad Goolsby and Holland Woods.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Portland State is 40-76 all-time against the West Coast Conference, including losses to Portland and Pepperdine this season... LMU is the third and final member of the conference the Vikings will play this season... Head Coach Barret Peery is 4-5 all-time against members of the WCC.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his third season on the Park Blocks and has a 41-36 career record. Peery is 1-1 against LMU... Peery's 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 sixth season. He has a 75-93 record with LMU, including 2-1 against the Vikings... in 20 seasons of collegiate coaching, Dunlap is 403-197.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
• Loyola Marymount is a member of the West Coast Conference, located in Los Angeles, CA.
• The Lions were 22-12 last season, 8-8 and fifth in the WCC. Three starters and six letterwinners return from that team.
• This season, Loyola Marymount has started out 5-6 overall, 4-1 at home. The Lions shoot an outstanding .520 from the field to rank third in the nation, and .393 from three-point range. Surprisingly, they shoot only .606 at the free throw line... LMU plays a slower tempo game, averaging 70.6 points and allowing 68.4 points.
• Junior forward Eli Scott averages team-highs of 15.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He shoots .578 from the field.
• Sophomore forward Ivan Alipiev averages 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds. He has a team-high 20 three-pointers.
WHO IS HOT
• PSU leads the Big Sky Conference in steals (9.6) and ranks 21st in the nation.
• Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference and the nation in offensive rebounding (17.0 per game).
• FR G Kyle Greeley has scored 26 points off the bench in the past two games, making 8-10 shots (.800), 5-6 three-pointers (.833) and 5-5 free throws (1.000)... Greeley leads the team in shooting overall with .556 from the field and .882 at the line.
• JR G Holland Woods had his sixth 20-point game of the season with 23 against Pepperdine. Woods ranks third in the Big Sky Conference in scoring (18.4)... he also shoots a career-high .862 at the free throw line.
• SR F Rashaad Goolsby has averaged 9.7 rebounds over the last seven games, leading the team in six of those games.
WHO IS NOT
• Portland State shot only .383 in the loss to Pepperdine, missing 10 straight shots at one point late in the second half. The Vikings also had a season-high 16 turnovers.
• The Vikings are last in scoring defense in the Big Sky Conference (74.8).
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
The completion of the Viking Pavilion prior to the 2018-19 basketball season was transformative for the entire Portland State Athletic Program. So far, the results on the court have been better than ever. PSU is 15-5 in the Viking Pavilion (.750 winning percentage). The previous main home court, the old Peter W. Stott Center gym, produced a .721 winning percentage after reinstating basketball and joining the Big Sky Conference between 1996-97 and 2017-18. In all, PSU's four different home venues prior to the Viking Pavilion produced a .709 winning mark.
