PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (3-8, 2-4) vs. SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS (0-3)

Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 6:05 p.m., Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
 
Live Stream: Pluto TV Channel 1051, www.pluto.tv, www.WatchBigSky.com
      Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP

The Portland State ship got a course correction last Saturday afternoon and now hopes to sail on calmer seas in the coming weeks. The Vikings put together a tour de force defensive performance in a 69-43 win over Idaho State that ended a five-game losing streak and perhaps showed what PSU is capable of doing.
     
PSU (3-8, 2-4) must now take advantage of four more games at home in the coming two weeks as the Big Sky Conference season has reached the midpoint. The Vikings have a bye week in conference play, but will host a pair of non-conference games this week. PSU will battle Division II Saint Martin's on Tuesday night, then NAIA Simpson on Friday afternoon. A return to Big Sky play next week includes a pair of home games against Montana.
     
Portland State has defended and rebounded well throughout the 2020-21 season, but had been held back by inconsistent offensive play. The Vikings were solid on offense against ISU - which entered the game in second place in the Big Sky - but were devastating on defense in the win. The Vikings forced 14 first-half turnovers by the Bengals in building an 11-point halftime lead, then held them to 5-27 from the field (.185) in the second half in running away with the victory. ISU shot only 13-47 (.277) for the game and turned it over 18 times. The 43 points allowed were the fewest by a Division I opponent in 12 years.
     
"Let's give the guys a lot of credit for bouncing back after a disappointing Thursday night. They really responded with how we need to play and what we need to do to win. The story of the game was our defense in the half court, in the full court and how we defended the three-point line," said Viking Head Coach Barret Peery afterward.
     
The Vikings must build on that performance and continue to progress on offense. This week's games are an opportunity to do so as PSU plays out of conference.
     
Saint Martin's (0-3) is a Division II member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference playing a limited schedule in 2020-21. The GNAC has opted out of conference play, which is why the Saints have played only three games thus far.
     
Tuesday's game is available via live stream on Pluto TV Channel 1051, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com. Tip-off is 6:05 p.m. Live stats can be found at www.ViksLive.com.
 
Portland State continues its six-game home stand on Friday afternoon against Simpson in a 3:05 p.m. game. The home stand concludes with games against Montana on Feb. 4 and 6.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SAINT MARTIN'S

• THE SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Saint Martin's, 7-4. However the schools have not met since Jan. 25, 1975... all 11 games were played between 1955 and 1975... the early series was marked by high-scoring games including 110-90, 118-91, 89-108, 117-106.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS: The Vikings are 50-2 against lower division schools in 25 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2021). However, they lost their most recent matchup, a 75-72 loss to Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 9. Prior to that, Portland State had won 38 straight games against lower division schools dating back to 2002.... Head Coach Barret Peery is 9-1 as a Viking Coach against lower division schools.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his third season on the Park Blocks and has a 57-52 career record. He has never faced St. Martin's.. 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 Saints are coached by Aaron Landon (LaVerne) in his second season. He has a 6-26 record and has never faced Portland State.

 

SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS

• Saint Martin's University is located in Lacey, WA. The Saints are an NCAA II member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
• The Saints were 6-23 last season, 4-16 in the GNAC.
• This season, the Saints have played three games and are 0-3. They average 68.7 points per game and allow 86.3. The Saints are shooting .399 from the field and have allowed opponents to shoot .512. The three games were against Seattle University and Seattle Pacific (twice).
• Sophomore guard Tyke Thompson leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game and grabs 6.0 rebounds. He is shooting .571 from three-point range.
• Senior guard Ty Velasquez averages 13.3 points and shoots .412 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Alex Schumacher is averaging 13.0 points per game.
• Senior center Marky Adams leads the team with 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game.

 

WHO IS HOT

• Portland State's defense allowed the fewest points (43) to a Division I opponent in 12 seasons in the win over Idaho State. The last time the Vikings allowed fewer to a D1 school was a 59-42 over Sacramento State on Jan. 8, 2009.
• GR C Amari McCray has averaged 13.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots over the last five games. He scored 21 points (10-11 FG) with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots against Northwest Nazarene (1/9). It was his second double-double of the season... his .909 field goal percentage is third-best in school history for a game (10 FGA minimum).
• In the last three games, SR F Khalid Thomas has averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 assists. He has shot 12-24 (.500) from the field and 12-14 (.867) at the free throw line.
• SO C Jacob Eyman was limited to 6:59 of playing time against Idaho State due to foul trouble. But he made the most of his time, scoring a season-high 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 FT) and blocking a shot.
• PSU ranks eighth in the nation in offensive rebounding at 14.5 per game.

 

THE FULL MONTY

SR G James "Monty" Scott has proven to be a solid transfer for the Vikings. He leads the team in scoring (14.5), rebounding (5.6), assists (2.0) and steals (18).

• Ranks 9th in the Big Sky Conference in scoring, 14th in rebounding and fourth in steals... he leads the Big Sky in steals in conference games (2.2).
• Scott has scored 20 or more points three times this season, and led the team in scoring in six games.
• Opened the season with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists at Portland (12/5).
• Scored 26 points with six rebounds, six steals and three assists in a win over Weber State (12/20).
• Had 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds at Montana State (1/14).
• Scored 15 points with six rebounds and six assists at Montana State (1/16).

 

THE McCRAY WAY

When GR C Amari McCray plays, he has his way. The big man has been saddled with foul trouble a lot this season, averaging only 17.4 minutes per game. But, in the last five contests, he has averaged 24 minutes, improving his numbers to 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

• McCray averages 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season. He shoots .539 from the field.
• He is tied for first in the Big Sky Conference with 1.3 blocked shots per game.
• McCray had 12 points and 11 rebounds at Washington State (12/13).
• Posted 21 points (10-11 FG), 12 rebounds and two blocked shots against Northwest Nazarene.

 

SHOOTING STAR

With his long-range skills, SR F Khalid Thomas is expected to be a shooting star for the Vikings this season. Currently, he ranks second on the team in scoring (10.6) and third in rebounding (5.0) and has mde 15 three-point field goals made.

• Thomas has a shooting line of .459/.357/.828. He has led the team in scoring once and rebounding four times.
• Scored 20 points (7-14 FG, 3-6 3-pt, 3-5 FT) with six rebounds and two steals in a win over Weber State (12/20).
• Went for 14 points (4-6 FG, 6-7 FT), six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in a win over Idaho State (1/23).

 

TO ERR IS HUMAN... UNLESS YOU ARE IAN BURKE

JR G Ian Burke ranks third on the team in minutes played this season (21.7 per game) with seven starts. He has committed only two turnovers... in 43 career games at Portland State, Burke has only 17 turnovers, or one every 48 minutes of play.
 

BIG GAMES OFF THE BENCH

• FR G Paris Dawson scored 18 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 4-5 FT) with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes at Washington State (12/13).
• GR F John Hall had eight points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in 20 minutes against Weber State (12/18).
• FR G Paris Dawson had 13 points and two rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench against Oregon State (12/22).
• JR G Elijah Hardy came off the bench for a season-high 17 points (7-14 FG, 3-7 3-pt) at Montana State (1/14).
• SR C Jacob Eyman scored 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 FT) win a blocked shot in only seven minutes of a win over Idaho State (1/23).