PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (6-7, 0-0) at SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (6-6, 0-0)

Saturday, December 31, 2022, 2 p.m. • The Hornets Nest (1,012), Sacramento, CA
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
Portland State Basketball will embark on its 27th season of Big Sky Conference basketball this Saturday when it plays its league opener at Sacramento State. The Vikings and the Hornets will meet in a 2 p.m. contest that airs on ESPN+.
     
PSU (6-7) comes off a solid non-conference performance that includes the best non-conference record since 2019-20 (6-6). The schedule featured a host of a tough Division I opponents, none of whom had a losing record. The Vikings may play a 12th straight opponent with a non-losing record in Sacramento State. The Hornets are currently 6-6 and play Division II Stanislaus State on Wednesday prior to facing the Vikings.
     
The Vikings wrapped up non-conference play on Dec. 22 with a scintillating road win at California Baptist. JR C Jacob Eyman made a key blocked shot with 17 seconds to play keying a fast break that led to  JR G Jorell Saterfield's running jumper in the lane with 8.2 seconds remaining, giving PSU a 73-72 advantage. The Vikings went on to win 74-72 and will go into Big Sky play on a high note.
     
Games at Sacramento State, Eastern Washington (Jan. 5) and Idaho (Jan. 7) open the league slate as the Vikings conclude a stretch of four straight and six out of seven on the road. When PSU hosts Northern Arizona at Viking Pavilion on Jan. 12 it will be the first home game in 26 days and only the second in 40 days. PSU is playing its 10th of 14 games away from home at Sacramento State. Beginning with the Northern Arizona game the Vikings will play nine of their final 15 regular season games at home.
     
But first comes a meeting with the Hornets. Sacramento State is 3-0 at home heading into the game with Stanislaus State. PSU and SAC have one common opponent, Santa Clara, and both lost on the road to the Broncos - the Hornets by seven and the Vikings by three.  
     
Portland State and Sacramento State have developed an extremely-closely played series over the years. In the last six seasons only one of 11 games have been decided by more than 10 points. PSU has a three-game winning streak over the Hornets, but those wins were by four, five and eight points.
 

A QUICK LOOK BACK AT NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

Portland State had a pretty good non-conference performance when you consider nine of 13 games were away from home, the Vikings did not play a Division I opponent with a losing record, two are currently nationally ranked (Gonzaga, West Virginia) and the opponents have a combined 88-42 record entering this week's play.
     
Certainly, the highlight of preseason was 79-66 win at Oregon State on Nov. 19, but just as certainly another win over OSU, 83-71, on Nov. 27 during the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament came in a close second. The Vikings' signature home win was a 68-64 comeback victory over Air Force (now 9-4) on Dec. 3. The 74-72 win over California Baptist on Dec. 22 may have been the most exciting as the lead changed hands seven times in the last 3:40 of the game before JR G Jorell Saterfield hit the gamer with 8.2 seconds to play.
     
PSU's 6-7 record is tied for fourth-best in the Big Sky Conference in non-conference play, but only one game behind the best - 7-6 for defending Big Sky Champion Montana State.
     
Other non-conference highlights include PSU leading the Big Sky in scoring (79.9), turnovers forced (17.8), turnover margin (+4.5) and steals (8.2). 
     
JR G Jorell Saterfield led the Big Sky in non-conference three-pointers made (34/2.6 pg) and three-point percentage (.382), while JR F Hunter Woods led in steals (24/1.8). SR G Cameron Parker led the Big Sky in free throw percentage (.864) in non-conference games, was second in assists (5.4) and passed the 1,000-point mark in his career (now 1,069).
     

PORTLAND STATE AND THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE

Portland State begins its 27th campaign in the Big Sky Conference this week. PSU joined the league in 1996-97, reinstating a once-dormant (for 15 seasons) basketball program.
     
The Vikings have won Big Sky Conference regular season titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. They won Big Sky Tournament titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each season. Since then, PSU's best finish in the Big Sky has been third place.
     
Prior to the start of the 2022-23 Big Sky campaign, Portland State was 212-220 all-time in Big Sky Conference games, 226-236 including Big Sky Tournament games. PSU is 145-78 in home games, 72-146 in road games and 9-12 in neutral-site games.
     
Head Coach Jase Coburn is PSU's seventh Head Coach in the Big Sky era and 14th all-time in its 62nd competitive season. He led the Vikings to a 10-10 Big Sky record last season. PSU reached the Big Sky Tournament semifinals with wins over Idaho State and second-place Southern Utah before losing to number-three Northern Colorado.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SACRAMENTO STATE

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 34-20, and the Big Sky Conference series, 33-19... PSU is 11-14 all-time in Big Sky games at The Hornets Nest... the Vikings have won three in a row in the series, including a series sweep last season.
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 15 at the Hornets Nest, PSU 67, SAC 62: A long layoff from games worked in Portland State's favor as the Vikings won at the Hornets' Nest. The Vikings had lost five in a row, but got an inadvertent reset over the previous two weeks as they and the Big Sky Conference were sidelined with COVID issues. PSU was playing its first game of 2022... Jacob Eyman scored a career-high 14 points, hitting 6-10 shots from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Vikings... Khalid Thomas had 13 points and 10 rebounds... Defensively, a key for the Vikings was keeping Hornets' top scorer Bryce Fowler under wraps. After getting 30 points in his last outing and being named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, Fowler came into the contest averaging 17.5 points. He managed seven assists, but was held to a season-low six points by the Vikings on 2-9 shooting... Sacramento State was led by 17 points and 10 rebounds from Cameron Wilbon. Feb. 5 at Viking Pavilion, PSU 73, SAC 65: The Vikings' full-court pressure forced Sacramento State into 24 turnovers for 26 points keying the victory... Zeke Alley had another big night with a season-high 26 points on 10-18 from the field, 4-8 from three-point range and 2-3 at the line... For all the shots Alley hit, defense was the difference. The Vikings made 16 steals on the night. Ian Burke and Alley had five each to lead the way. The defensive pressure was too much for the Hornets, who otherwise shot the ball well… when they got shots. Sacramento State was 23-49 from the field (.469) and 9-17 (.529) from three-point range... Bryce Fowler scored 21 points to lead the Hornets.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his second season as Head Coach and has a 20-24 record overall. He is 2-0 against Sacramento State. Coburn spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Hornets are led by first-year Head Coach David Patrick (Louisiana, 2000). 

 

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE

• Sacramento State was 11-18 last season, 6-14 and tied for 10th in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornet program joined the Big Sky Conference the same year as Portland State, 1996-97.
• The Hornets have begun this season at 6-6 with a final non-conference game to play on Wednesday against Stanislaus State. The Hornets average 66.8 points and allow 69.4 points per game. They hold a +3.5 rebounding average over opponents.
• Senior guard Zach Chappell averages 14.9 points and has made 26 three-point field goals to lead the team. 7-foot-1 senior center Callum McRae averages 11.5 points and Big Sky Conference-bests of 9.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Junior forward Akol Mewein averages 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds.

 

WHO IS HOT

• POST PRESENCE: JR C Jacob Eyman is known more for his defense than his scoring but has been on an offensive run lately. Eyman has made 13-18 field goals (.722) over the last three games while averaging 9.3 points... Eyman scored a season-high 12 points with six rebounds and two blocked shots in the win at California Baptist... Eyman is shooting .556 from the field this season.
• AND ONE: SR G Cameron Parker leads the Big Sky Conference with an .864 free throw percentage this season. He ranks third in the nation in free throws made and 14th in free throw attempts (76-88).
• THE BENCH: Portland State has had solid bench play all season and averages 32.8 points per game off the bench to rank 12th in the nation... JR G Keshaun Saunders came off the bench for nine points against UC Santa Barbara (4-8 FG, 1-2 FT) then had eight in the win at California Baptist (3-8 FG, 2-5 3-pt)... JR G Isiah Kirby is the leading scorer off the bench at 7.4 points... SO C Hayden Curtiss leads the team with a .667 field goal percentage off the bench (16-24) while SO F Isaiah Johnson is shooting .511 (23-45) and Saunders is shooting .500  (23-66).
• BIG SKY LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in several categories. Individually, JR G Jorell Saterfield leads in three-point field goals made per game (2.6) and three-point percentage (.382); JR F Hunter Woods leads in steals (1.8), SR G Cameron Parker leads in free throw percentage (.864)... as a team, the Vikings lead in scoring (79.9), turnover margin (+4.5), turnovers forced (17.8), and steals (8.2)... the Vikings are 18th in the nation in turnovers forced.
• FREE THROW SHOOTERS: Portland State was 19-22 from the line at California Baptist (.864). PSU is now .749 at the line this season which is slightly better than a school-record pace (.743).

 

THE COMPETITION IS STIFF

Portland State will play its 12th Division I opponent among 14 games on Saturday when it faces Sacramento State. The Vikings have yet to face a D-1 team with a losing record at the time of the game or currently, and only two of those games have come at home. Those teams began the week with a combined 88-42 record. Here is how the opponents stack up:
 
11/11  at Portland (0-0, 19-15 in 2021-22, now 8-7)
11/13  at Seattle (2-0, now 9-4)
11/19  at Oregon State (3-0, now 7-6)
11/24  vs. Gonzaga (3-1, now 10-3)
11/25  vs. West Virginia (4-1, now 10-2)
11/27  vs. Oregon State (3-3, now 7-6)
12/3    Air Force (5-3, now 9-4)
12/10  at Cal Poly (4-3, now 6-6)
12/13  at Santa Clara (8-3, now 12-3)
12/17  at UC Santa Barbara (7-2, now 9-2)
12/22  at California Baptist (8-4, now 8-5)
12/31  at Sacramento State (6-6)
 

FOUR BOUNCES, A BUCKET, AND A FAMILIAR STORY

When JR G Jorell Saterfield tossed up a soft running jumper in the lane at California Baptist last Thursday night it bounced on the rim four times before settling through the net. That bucket gave the Vikings a 73-72 lead with 8.2 seconds to play. It was the seventh and final lead change in the last 3:40 of the game as PSU won 74-72. That basket also marked the first game-winner in the final 10 seconds of a game by a Viking since Jan. 11, 2020. On a remarkably similar play and game, Holland "Boo Boo" Woods hit a runner in the lane with 2.4 seconds to play at Montana State for a 77-76 win. That game, also on the road, saw the lead change hands eight times in the last 3:25 of the contest.
 

RARIFIED AIR

SR G Cameron Parker passed 1,000 career points earlier this season. He is about to pass 700 career assists. Parker enters Saturday's game with 1,069 career points and 696 career assists in 121 career games. If he gets four assists it could make him the only active player at the Division I level with a 1,000-700 resume, though he will be joined soon (or beaten to the mark) by Jalen Pickett of Penn State. Pickett has 1,751 points and 691 assists in 119 games. Penn State plays Thursday and Sunday this week... there are a handful of other active players at 1,000 career points and more than 600 assists, though none would reach 700 assists until at least late January based on current pace.
 

GRAND LARCENY

Remarkably, Portland State has led the Big Sky Conference in team steals per game for the past seven seasons. They lead once again with an 8.22 mark heading into conference play. Thievery on the basketball court was also prevalent during the Barret Peery and Tyler Geving coaching eras. In addition, PSU has had two individual steals leaders. A look:
 
Season, steals per game
2015-16: 8.5
2016-17: 9.9, individual: Calaen Robinson, 2.35
2017-18: 9.8
2018-19: 8.3
2019-20: 8.7, individual: Holland Woods, 2.06
2020-21: 8.2
2021-22: 9.3
2022-23: 8.2, individual: Hunter Woods, 1.85
 

IT'S NOT WHO STARTS...

Portland State's bench has been very effective this season. Starters have logged 1,607 minutes and reserves have logged 993 minutes. Remarkably, in those minutes, the bench has kept a good scoring pace in relation to the starters, 613 to 426.

• PSU ranks 12th in the nation in bench scoring at 32.8 points per game.
• The bench has outscored the starters on three occasions.
• Bench players (161-328, .491) have out-shot the starters (198-471, .420) from the field.

 

SHOOTING, SCORING... IT ALL MAKES SENSE

After 13 games this season...

• The Vikings are 6-0 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents. They are 0-6 when they do not, 0-1 when shooting even.
• The Vikings are 5-1 when they lead at halftime, 0-5 when trailing. They are 1-1 when the game is tied at halftime.

 

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL

Nov. 16, Portland State 113, Evergreen 40: PSU scored its most points in four years in winning its home-opening game. The Vikings led wire-to-wire, making 15 three-point field goals. Seven players scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Isiah Kirby. The Vikings shot .547 from the field and out-rebounded the Geoducks, 59-26.
Nov. 19, Portland State 79, Oregon State 66: The Vikings ended a long drought to the Beavers in picking up its first-ever win over the Pac-12 program. Jorell Saterfield led the way with a career-high 26 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3-pt, 6-6 FT) and five rebounds. Hunter Woods came off the bench to score 19 points (7-12 FG, 3-7 3-pt, 2-2 FT) and led a 42-point bench effort. The Vikings forced 18 OSU turnovers and turned them into 21 points.
Nov. 27, Portland State 83, Oregon State 71: For the second time in eight days Portland State knocked off Oregon State. The Vikings led for all 40 minutes and had six players score in double figures. PSU out-rebounded the Beavers, 35-30, and forced them into 18 turnovers.
Nov. 30, Portland State 114, Portland Bible 31: The Vikings scored the first 38 points of the game and led 63-9 by halftime. They won every facet of the game, out-shooting the Arrows, .605 to .250, out-rebounding them, 51-17, and forcing 25 turnovers while only committing six. It was PSU's second win in a row and seventh straight at home dating to last season. Five Vikings were in double figures, led by 18 points from SR G Bobby Harvey.
Dec. 3, Portland State 68, Air Force 64: After leading for most of the opening 30 minutes, the Vikings found themselves down 51-39 with 7:53 to play. They went on a 14-2 run, and 29-13 down the stretch to beat Air Force Academy. SR G Cameron Parker and JR G Jorell Saterfield scored 24 points each, combining for 32 in the second half and 25 of the Vikings' last 29 points. They were a combined 15-23 from the field (.652) and 15-18 at the line (.833). PSU shot .500 from the field overall in winning its third straight game and eighth in a row at home dating to 2021-22.
Dec. 3, Cameron Parker Reaches 1,000 Points: SR G Cameron Parker passes 1,000 career points in his 116th career collegiate game, and he did so in style. Parker scored a career-high 24 points (5-6 FG, 14-16) with six assists in a 68-64 win over Air Force. Parker had 18 of his 24 in the second half as the Vikings rallied from 12 points down to win.
Dec. 22, Portland State 74, California Baptist 72: The Vikings picked up another quality win, outlasting the Lancers in the closing moments. JR G Jorell Saterfield hit a running jumper in the lane with 8.2 seconds left to give PSU a 73-72 lead and the eventual win. It was the seventh lead change in the last 3:40 of the game. The Vikings were clutch in other ways, making 19-22 free throws, holding CBU to .286 second-half shooting, and getting a key blocked shot from Jacob Eyman with 17 seconds left that set up Saterfield's game-winner. SR G Cameron Parker led the Vikings with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.