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Portland State University Athletics

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Kyle Greeley 122020 vs. Weber State
Larry Lawson
Kyle Greeley is averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season.

Men's Basketball by Mike Lund

Vikings Host Nighthawks Saturday In Late Add To The Schedule

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-4, 1-1) vs. NORTHWEST NAZARENE NIGHTHAWKS (0-0)

Saturday, January 9, 2021, 12:05 p.m., Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: Pluto TV Ch. 1051, www.pluto.tv, www.WatchBigSky.com
      Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

THE OPENING TIP

When life hands you lemons....
     
The Vikings will try to make some lemonade this Saturday when they play a last-minute scheduled game against Northwest Nazarene. And really, is there any other way to look at?
     
For the second week in a row, Portland State has had its pair of Big Sky Conference games canceled due to positive COVID tests from the opponents. Last week's games with Eastern Washington and this week's with Sacramento State have been canceled. The conference has announced league games will not be rescheduled.
     
As of Jan. 8, Portland State has played a total of six games in the 2020-21 season, and seven have been canceled.
     
So, that left the Vikings looking for an opponent just to get some game action. Enter Northwest Nazarene, an NCAA II member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Nighthawks will be playing their first game of the season as the GNAC has opted out of competition for the season, allowing member schools to play independent games if they choose.
     
PSU and NNU will tip it off at the same time as the previously scheduled game, 12:05 p.m. Saturday, at Viking Pavilion. The non-conference affair will be the Vikings seventh game of the season at a time when they have usually played at least twice that number. It will have been 18 days since Portland State last played a game (Dec. 22).
     
In the Big Sky, only four of the nine games scheduled last week were played due to COVID-related concerns. On Thursday night, three of the five scheduled games were played. Though PSU has played only six games, that is not the fewest. Sacramento State has played just five.
     
PSU will attempt to resume Big Sky play at Montana State next week.
     
Saturday's game is a 12:05 p.m. start at Viking Pavilion. The game will be live streamed at www.pluto.tv, www.WatchBigSky.com and Pluto TV Channel 1051. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
     

CANCELED GAMES THIS SEASON

Portland State has presently had seven games canceled this season. Six were due to COVID-related issues with opponents. The game with Washington was canceled as PSU was not given permission by the Oregon Health Authority to begin full-contact practice until Nov. 25. Canceled games:
 
Nov. 25 at Washington
Nov. 27 vs. Cal State Fullerton in Seattle
Nov. 28 vs. San Diego in Seattle
Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 at Eastern Washington
Jan. 7 at Sacramento State
Jan. 9 vs. Sacramento State in Portland
 
In the meantime, PSU has added two games since the season started in early December; Dec. 22 at Oregon State and this Saturday's contest. Portland State is actively seeking additional home games for its bye week coming up (Jan. 25-31).

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTHWEST NAZARENE

  • THE SERIES: Portland State and Northwest Nazarene have met only once previously - a 91-75 PSU win on Nov. 24, 2018 at a tournament in Boise, ID.
  • PORTLAND STATE vs. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS: With a victory over Northwest (WA) University earlier this season, Portland State has won 38 straight games against lower division schools dating back to 2002.... the Vikings are 50-1 against lower division schools in 25 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2021)... Head Coach Barret Peery is 9-0 as a Viking Coach against lower division schools.
  • COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his fourth season on the Park Blocks and has a 56-48 career record. Peery is 1-0 all-time against Northwest Nazarene... 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)... Paul Rush is in his fourth season with Northwest Nazarene. He has a 48-32 record, including 0-1 against Portland State
 

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

  • Northwest Nazarene is an NCAA II program and a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  It is located in Nampa, ID.
  • The Nighthawks were 15-11 last season, 12-8 in the GNAC.
 

 
 
 

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