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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (11-14, 6-8) vs.
                    IDAHO STATE BENGALS (9-15, 5-10)
Thursday, February 21, 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
Portland State comes off an excellent week of play with two wins, but has a lot more to get done before the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
     
The Vikings beat Northern Arizona (103-94) and Southern Utah (78-69) last week to improve its record to 11-14 overall, 6-8 in the Big Sky. That moved them up to seventh place in the league standings.
     
This week, Portland State is home for two more games, hosting Idaho State (9-15, 5-10) and Sacramento State (11-12, 5-9), at the Viking Pavilion. PSU needs to continue to win if it wants to continue to climb in the standings and get to at least fifth place and a first-round bye in the Big Sky Tournament.
     
The schedule is favorable as four of the final six games are at home for the Vikings. They have won four straight in Viking Pavilion, and are 8-4 at home overall this season. This week, they must avenge a pair of road losses at ISU (69-67 on Feb. 2) and SAC (78-67 on Feb. 11).
     
The standings between fifth and 10th place remain extremely close (see below). PSU is currently a game-and-a-half behind fifth-place Eastern Washington (7-6) as the Eagles go into a Monday night home game against Idaho (1-12).
     
Idaho State comes to the Viking Pavilion losers of three straight games. The Bengals are 5-9 on the road this season, 3-5 in Big Sky road games. However, they do have an earlier win over the Vikings. ISU features a strong three-point shooting team as it ranks second in the league in three-point field goals made per game (9.4) and three-point percentage (.370).
     
Portland State appears revitalized by its return home. The Vikings had played the fewest home games of any Big Sky team entering last week and, along with Montana, have still played the fewest entering this week (6).
     
The Vikings shot 66-121 (.545) from the field in last week's two wins, averaging 90.5 points. Those kind of numbers can win almost any night. SO G Holland Woods averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games. JR G Michael Nuga (17.0 ppg, 2.0 apg) and JR C Sal Nuhu (14.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg) also had big weekends. The Vikings got back to improved defensive pressure and ball-handling, forcing 15.5 turnovers in the two games and committing only 11.0 (+4.5 per game).
     
Thursday night's game against Idaho State tips off at 7:05 p.m. It will be live streamed on Pluto TV Channel 232, pluto.tv and WatchBigSky.com. Matt Richert will have the play-by-play call. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State hosts Sacramento State on Saturday night. The final road trip of the season comes next week when PSU plays at Idaho (Feb. 28) and Eastern Washington (Mar. 2).
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Montana, 12-2, vs. Montana State, Sat; vs. Northern Colorado, Mon, Feb. 25
2. Northern Colorado, 11-4, at Montana, Mon, Feb. 25
3. Weber State, 10-5, at Sacramento State, Thurs
4. Montana State, 9-6, at Montana, Sat
5. Eastern Washington, 7-6, vs. Idaho, Mon; at Southern Utah, Thurs; at Northern Arizona, Sat
6. Southern Utah, 7-8, vs. Eastern Washington, Thurs; vs. Idaho, Sat
7. Portland State, 6-8, vs. Idaho State, Thurs; vs. Sacramento State, Sat
8. Northern Arizona, 6-9; vs. Idaho, Thurs; vs. Eastern Washington, Sat
9. Sacramento State, 5-9; vs. Weber State, Thurs; at Portland State, Sat
10. Idaho State, 5-10; at Portland State, Thurs
11. Idaho, 1-12, at Eastern Washington, Mon; at Northern Arizona, Thurs; at Southern Utah, Sat
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO STATE
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Idaho State, 32-21, and the Big Sky series, 28-17... PSU leads the Big Sky series in Portland, 17-5.
• Feb. 2, 2019, ISU 69, PSU 67 at Pocatello: The Bengals had a solid offensive performance, shooting .509 from the field and committing only seven turnovers. The game was tied 62-62 with four minutes to play, but the Vikings came up empty on four of their next five possessions, allowing ISU to go up 69-64. PSU still had a chance, but Deante Strickland missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer. Gary Chivichyan scored 16 points to lead Idaho State. Holland Woods and Jamie Orme had 14 each for the Vikings.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 31-28 career record. Peery is 2-1 against Idaho State... 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 Bengals are coached by Bill Evans (Southern Utah, 1972) in his seventh season. Evans has a 68-137 record at Idaho State, and in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach he is 276-360. Evans is 6-5 all-time against Portland State.
• THE APPLE HASN'T FALLEN FAR FROM THE TREE: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery belongs to the Bill Evans coaching tree. Peery was an assistant coach for Evans at Southern Utah from 1998-2002. The 2000-01 team won the Mid-Continent Conference title, reaching the NCAA Tournament, and compiled a 25-6 record. Peery was also a graduate assistant for Evans in 1995-96, and played for Evans from 1993-95. Peery has won two of the first three meetings against his mentor.
 
IDAHO STATE BENGALS
• Idaho State, located in Pocatello, ID, is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals have won two Big Sky Conference regular season championships, two Big Sky Tournament championships and made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, Idaho State was 14-16 overall, 9-9 and tied for sixth in the Big Sky Conference. Three starters and eight letterwinners return from that team, including third-team All-Big Sky selection Jared Stutzman and honorable mention guard Brandon Boyd.
• This season the Bengals are 9-15 overall, 5-10 and in 10th place in the Big Sky Conference. ISU has lost three straight games and is 5-9 on the road. The Bengals rank as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the Big Sky Conference, hitting .370 from distance and 9.4 threes per game.
• Brandon Boyd leads the team with 14.5 points per game, ranking 10th in the Big Sky Conference. He also averages 3.9 assists which is sixth in the league.
• Balint Mocsan averages 11.8 points per game and shoots .458 from three-point range. He is third in the Big Sky in percentage and third in threes made per game (2.5).
• Chier Maker grabs a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the Big Sky Conference.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 11-14 on the season, 8-4 at home, 2-9 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The Vikings have won four in a row at home and lost three in a row on the road.
• PSU is 6-8 in Big Sky Conference play, 4-2 at home, 2-6 on the road.
• The Vikings are 1-1 in overtime... Head Coach Barret Peery is 3-2 all-time in overtime.
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 - 12 games, 8-4
  - 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 - 304 games, 215-89 at home overall
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 128-50 at home, including 75-40 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 191-206 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (12-13).
• PSU is 124-65 in home games, 61-131 in road games and 6-10 in neutral-site games.
 
WHO IS HOT
• SO G Holland Woods averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in last week's two wins. He shot 18-30 from the field (.600)... the Viking point guard came up two points short of his career high with 27 points (11-15 FG, 1-4 3-pt, 4-5 FT), 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals against Northern Arizona... Woods totaled 19 points and eight assists against Southern Utah... Woods now has three double-doubles this season.
• JR G Michael Nuga has averaged 17.7 points over the last three games, shooting 19-36 from the field (.528) and 10-26 (.385) from three-point range. He scored 22 points in the win over Northern Arizona.
• JR C Sal Nuhu averaged 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots in last week's two wins. He tied his career high with 20 points (7-11 FG, 6-9 FT), grabbed eight rebounds, tied his career-high with six blocked shots and made two steals against Northern Arizona... Nuhu has 19 blocked shots in his last five games (3.8 per game).
• Since returning to the starting lineup eight games ago, SR F Jamie Orme is shooting 31-47 from the field (.660), 11-18 from three-point range (.611) and 13-17 at the line (.765).
• In Big Sky Conference games, PSU has shot .743 from the free throw line. During the 11 non-conference games, PSU shot .647 as a team.
• Portland State continues to lead the nation in offensive rebounding (16.1 pg).
 
THE 800 CLUB: Portland State's basketball history includes time as a junior college, NAIA, NCAA College Division and NCAA I member. PSU is now in its 58th season of basketball competition (23rd in the Big Sky Conference). Saturday's win over Southern Utah was the 800th all-time victory for the Viking Basketball Program. PSU now has an all-time mark of 800-776 against santioned NCAA programs. (PSU was 19-6 all-time against non-counting games against Canadian teams played in the 1960s and 1970s)
 
YOU'VE GOT TO PUT THE BISCUIT IN THE BASKET: There is no question that shooting efficiency is the most important element in basketball. This season, 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 are 9-0 when out-shooting their opponents, 2-14 when they don't.
• In 11 of PSU's 14 losses, they have shot 39% or less.
• Field goal percentage: .425 (10th in Big Sky)
• Three-point percentage: .300 (11th in Big Sky)
• Shooting in wins: .492/.354
• Shooting in losses: .369/.262
• Shooting in home games: .479/.347
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .377/.262
 
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 15.8 turnovers per game and have a +1.1 turnover margin. PSU has scored 408 points off turnovers compared to 395 for opponents.
• The Vikings average 16.1 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 9.2. PSU has a huge advantage on its opponents in second-chance points this season (387-239).
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (27) and total offensive rebounds (172) is 199 extra possessions compared to opponents (8.0 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 208 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 10 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods leads the Vikings' in scoring (15.0) and assists (5.5). He ranks eighth in the Big Sky in scoring, leads in assists and is third in steals (1.5).
• He has led the team in scoring 13 times and assists 21 times this season, and has three double-doubles.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 46 of 58 career games. He ranks fifth all-time at Portland State with 322 career assists in less than two seasons.
• Scored in double figures 18 times with six 20+ point games.
 
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 in scoring at 11.1 points per game in 20 minutes per night.
• He leads the team with 39 3-pt FG and a .364 3-pt FG%.
• Has scored in double figures 14 times with three 20+ point games.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 10.0 points in 22 minutes per game.
• He averages 6.2 rebounds to lead the Vikings and rank ninth in the Big Sky. He leads the Vikings and ranks seventh in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.521) and while leading in blocked shots (2.0).
• Has scored in double figures 12 times and led the team in rebounding eight times.
 
FINDING HIS F-ORME: SR F Jamie Orme has been looked to for a big step forward in 2018-19. Last season he averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. This year he is averaging 8.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 19 minutes per game.
• Orme returned to the starting lineup eight games ago and has been on fire, shooting .660/.611/.765 in those games.
• Scored in double figures 12 times and has two double-doubles this season.
• Has season highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds (twice) and five assists.
 
THE REAL McCOY: In his first season as a Viking, JR F Robert McCoy has stepped into a key role as a starter. He averages 22.8 minutes, ranking second on the team.
• McCoy averages 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking 14th in the Big Sky Conference.
• He has led the Vikings in scoring twice, rebounding six times and has two double-doubles.
• Has season-highs of 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.
 
DUNK YOU VERY MUCH  
• JR C Sal Nuhu has a new school record of 36 dunks on the season.
• Portland State has a total of 70 dunks this season in 25 games which ranks as the most ever as a team (PSU had 50 all of last year).
• The Vikings had a season-high of 11 dunks against Portland Bible (12/1). They had seven slams in a win over Eastern Washington (1/24), including four by Nuhu... Nuhu also had four against Northern Arizona (2/14).
 
Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
Rebounds Per Game  40.0
Offensive Rebounds   16.1
Rebounding Margin    +7.5
Steals                            8.7
Holland Woods, assists       5.5
Sal Nuhu, blocked shots      2.0