SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (6-12, 2-9) at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-13, 5-7)

Saturday, February 5, 2022, 7 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: ESPN+ • Play-by-Play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP

Despite all the challenges thrown Portland State's way, the Vikings keep on rolling.
     
Portland State (7-13, 5-7), down a starter from its recent configuration, then down three more due to injury and foul outs, came from behind to win at Northern Colorado, 106-99, on Thursday night. The win was PSU's third in a row and has the Vikings 4-2 in Big Sky Conference road games.
     
Now the Vikings hope the momentum of a three-game winning streak continues at home on Saturday night as they host Sacramento State in a 7 p.m. game at Viking Pavilion.
     
PSU is unquestionably playing its best basketball of the season, having averaged 94.0 points, shot .510 from the field and made 13.0 three-pointers during its three-game streak. Contributions are coming from everyone that is healthy as evidenced by the six players in double figures in PSU's win over the Bears.
     
Particularly hot is SR G Ezekiel Alley, who had a season-high 23 points in the win at Northern Colorado. That total eclipsed his previous season-high of 22 points, which came on Monday against Northern Colorado in Portland. JR G Marlon Ruffin (20 pts, 5 reb) came off the bench for a big game, while JR Gs Michael Carter III (15 pts) and Ian Burke (14 pts) had big games.
     
The most significant aspect of PSU's run is shooting. After 15 games this season, PSU was averaging 67.7 points and shooting below .400 from the field. As mentioned above, that has all turned around.
     
PSU's three-game run, which was ignited by a move to a "small-ball" lineup, has moved it up to seventh place in the Big Sky standings and only 1/2 game behind sixth-place Eastern Washington (5-6).
     
No doubt Sacramento State (6-12, 2-9) will try to slow the Vikings down on Saturday. The Hornets are known for their half-court game and are a good defensive program. Forward Bryce Fowler is one of the top players in the Big Sky, averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. PSU will need to limit him as it did in a 67-62 win in Sacramento on Jan. 15.
     
The Hornets are 2-6 on the road this season, 1-4 in Big Sky road games. The Vikings are just 1-5 in Big Sky home games this season.
     
The game with the Hornets also signals the end of a stretch of 10 games in 22 days for the Vikings brought about by the addition of three makeup dates from postponements. That game in Sacramento was the first in the string of 10. PSU is 4-5 in the first nine games while working with a shortened and makeshift lineup.
     
Saturday's game with Sacramento State can be seen on ESPN+. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 

COMING UP

Portland State will travel to Montana State (Feb. 10) and Montana (Feb.12) next week. Both games are live streamed on ESPN+. PSU's next home game is Feb. 17 against Northern Arizona.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SACRAMENTO STATE

• THE SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 33-20, and the Big Sky Conference series, 33-19... the teams split the season series in 2019-20 with each winning on their home court... Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference series, 19-8, in Portland... PSU has won its last two home games against the Hornets and three of the last four meetings overall.
• THIS SEASON: Jan. 15 at Sacramento, PSU 67, SAC 62: Playing its first game of 2022, after a 16-day layoff, PSU picked up a much-needed win... Junior forward Jacob Eyman scored a career-high 14 points, hitting 6-10 shots from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Vikings... Senior forward Khalid Thomas had his second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Zeke Alley came off the bench for 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals... The Vikings led 7-2 early before Sacramento State went on a 13-2 run. The 15-9 advantage was the largest lead by either side in the first half. PSU chipped away at the deficit, then closed out the half on a 10-2 run for a 32-27 lead at the break... PSU took the lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half and led the remainder of the game... A big play for the Vikings came midway through the second half. Up against an expiring shot clock, Michael Carter III launched a fall-away three-point shot. The ball banked in off the glass, and Carter was fouled. He converted the four-point play to give PSU a 49-40 lead... Zeke Alley's three-pointer with 6:46 to go completed a 12-3 Portland State run. It gave PSU the only double-digit lead of the game at 53-43... The Hornets briefly cut the Viking lead to five, but Thomas got back-to-back baskets inside and the Viking edge was back to 59-50 with 2:18 to go... The Hornets scrambled to get within 65-62 inside the final minute before Thomas iced the game with a pair of free throws with six seconds to play... A key for the Vikings was keeping Hornets' top scorer Bryce Fowler under wraps. After getting 30 points in his previous 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.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his first season as Head Coach. He has spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Hornets are led by Interim Head Coach Brandon Laird (UC Davis, 2001) in his first season. He has spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant in the program.

 

SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS

• Sacramento State joined the Big Sky Conference the same season as Portland State, 1996-97. The Hornets have never won a Big Sky title.
• The Hornets were 8-12 last season, 5-9 and ninth in the Big Sky Conference. Two starters and seven letterwinners return from that team.
• Sacramento State is 6-12 this season, 2-9 and ninth in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets average 64.6 points per game and allow 69.5 points per game. They rank last in team rebound margin at -4.8 per game and free throw shooting at .637.
• Forward Bryce Fowler is the Hornets' top player, averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Guard Zach Chappell averages 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Guard William Fitzpatrick is the top three-point shooter having made 43-106 (.406) this season.

 

WHO IS HOT

• The Vikings have won three games in a row and are 4-2 in Big Sky Conference road games. The Vikings beat Northern Colorado 106-99 on Thursday, shooting 33-63 from the field (.524), 14-25 from three-point range (.560) and 26-32 at the line (.813). It was the most points against a Division I opponent since a 106-81 win over Cal on Dec. 21, 2017. 
• SR G Ezekiel Alley had a second straight season high in the win at Northern Colorado on Thursday. He scored a season-high 22 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3-pt, 5-5 FT) with six rebounds and two assists in the win over Northern Colorado on Monday. Then, he followed with 23 points (7-15 FG, 4-7 3-pt, 5-7), four rebounds and two assists on Thursday. He is shooting 43-82 from the field (.524) in the last nine games... Alley is averaging 16.8 points in the last four games.
• JR G Ian Burke scored a season-high 21 points (8-11 FG, 3-5 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with a season-high five assists and two steals at Northern Arizona. He had 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-3 3-pt) in the win over Northern Colorado on Monday, then 14 more in the win on Thursday. In four games back since missing three with illness, Burke is averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals. He has made 19-33 field goals (.578), 10-17 three-pointers (.588) and 9-9 free throws... Burke is shooting .512 from the field this season and .465 from three-point range.
• JR G Marlon Ruffin scored 20 points (7-12 FG, 3-3 3-pt, 3-3 FT) with five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win at Northern Colorado. He is averaging 16.0 points in the last two games and has made 5-5 three-point field goals.
• FR G Paris Dawson is 39-45 at the free throw line this season (.867) to rank second in the Big Sky Conference... in the last five games, he has made 19-34 from the field (.559) and 9-17 from three-point range (.529).
• Portland State continues to lead the Big Sky Conference in steals with 8.9 per game.

 

TRAVEL WEARY

Saturday's game with Sacramento State ends a 10-game-in-22-day stretch for the Vikings that, ironically, began in Sacramento on Jan. 15. PSU's last five games have been home, road, home, road, home. And the sixth will be a road game at Montana State next Thursday. The Vikings played at home on Jan. 27 against Southern Utah, then flew to Northern Arizona for a Jan. 29 afternoon game (approx. 2,500 mile round trip, including a four-hour round trip drive to Flagstaff from Phoenix). After playing Northern Colorado at home on Monday, the Vikings flew to Northern Colorado for a Thursday game, then fly back for Saturday's game with Sacramento State (approx. another 2,500 miles round trip, including a two-hour round trip drive to Greeley from Denver). Next week, PSU goes on the road again for the Montana/Montana State trip.
 

BATTERED AND BRUISED

Portland State has had a rough go of it health-wise this season. While the Vikings have been impacted by COVID-19 like virtually every other program in the country, they have also had a variety of injuries preventing them from fielding a full squad virtually every game this year. Hips, knees, fingers and non-COVID illnesses have all played a role in player availability.

• Just nine of 14 players were available to face Idaho on Jan. 24. That number increased to 11 players for four games, then just 10 on Thursday.
• Only two players, SR F Khalid Thomas and SR G Ezekiel Alley, have been healthy enough to play in every game this season.
• The Vikings have started 11 different players this season and had nine different starting lineups.
• Head Coach Jase Coburn has started eight different lineups in the last 12 games.

 

GRAND LARCENY

Remarkably, Portland State has led the Big Sky Conference in team steals per game for the past seven seasons. The same is true this year under first-year Head Coach Jase Coburn, as the Vikings are currently averaging 8.9 steals per game. 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: 8.9 (currently)