PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (8-10, 2-3) at WEBER STATE WILDCATS (8-10, 3-2)

Thursday, January 19, 2023, 6 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (12,000), Ogden, UT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP

Portland State makes its lone road trip over a four-week span this week with a lot to gain. The Vikings travel to Weber State on Thursday, then Idaho State on Saturday, and has a chance to leap over both teams in the standings with a pair of wins.

The Big Sky Conference standings are starting to take shape with Portland State currently among a group of four teams in the middle. PSU (8-10, 2-3) is in seventh place in the Big Sky as it approaches games six and seven of the 18-game league schedule. The Wildcats (8-10, 3-2) are one game ahead of the Vikings as are the Bengals (6-12, 3-2). Montana is in sixth place at 3-3.

Portland State comes off a split at home last week. The Vikings had a thrilling 75-74 win over Northern Arizona, capped off by a game-winning three-pointer as time expired by JR F Hunter Woods. PSU found itself in a similar scenario two nights later, trailing Northern Colorado, 69-67, with seconds to play. But a pair of desperation shot attempts fell away and the Vikings lost.

SR G Cameron Parker comes off a big weekend in which he scored 33 points, had 18 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals in the two games. He now leads the Vikings in scoring (14.7 ppg) and continues to lead the Big Sky in assists (5.9). JR F Hunter Woods scored 18 points and had five rebounds in the win over NAU. He hit three-pointers with 9.8 seconds left and at the buzzer to bring the Vikings from a five-point deficit to a one-point win. PSU's bench carried the Vikings against Northern Colorado, getting 35 of the team's 67 points - including 13 from SR G Bobby Harvey - on 15-22 shooting (.682). However, the Bears rallied from a 14 points down in the second half to pull out the win.

The Vikings take a 3-6 road record to Weber State. Dee Events Center has been the most difficult place to play for the PSU program during its tenure in the Big Sky (4-22 in Big Sky games). Portland State took an 80-69 loss there last season, but did win games in its previous two trips to Ogden and has won four of the last six meetings with the Wildcats overall.

Weber State plays a much different game than the Vikings. The Wildcats are the lowest-scoring team in the Big Sky (66.1) while the Vikings are still the highest-scoring team (77.7). Whichever team can set the tempo early is likely to have an edge.

Weber State started the season poorly, winning just two of its first nine games. The Wildcats have since turned it around, winning six of the their last nine. They have done so behind the scintillating play of sophomore forward Dillon Jones. He leads the team with 14.8 points per game and leads the Big Sky with 10.6 rebounds while also averaging 3.7 assists. The Wildcats are 4-2 at home this season.

Thursday's game begins at 6 p.m. PT. All Big Sky Conference games can be seen on ESPN+.

COMING UP

Portland State will be home the next two weeks. The Vikings will have games against defending Big Sky Champion Montana State (Jan. 26), Montana (Jan. 28), Idaho (Feb. 2) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 4).

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. WEBER STATE

• THE SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series, 43-18, and the Big Sky Conference series, 39-18... the Wildcats lead 22-4 in Big Sky games played in Ogden... the teams split the season series last year with each winning on their home court... PSU has won four of the last six meetings overall.
• LAST SEASON: Dec. 4, 2021 at Ogden, WSU 80, PSU 69: The Wildcats improved to 8-0 with the win over the Vikings... Michael Carter III led four Vikings in double figures with 14 points. James Jean-Marie racked up a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds... Seikou Sisoho Jawara had 17 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures. He hit 5-10 three-pointers in the game. Dillon Jones scored 12 points with a game-high 14 rebounds and four assists. Feb. 24, 2022, PSU 81, WSU 75: Three electric dunks in the second half by Michael Carter III gave Portland State the spark it needed to take charge and pull out the win. Carter threw down an alley-oop dunk and a broken-play jam to start the second half, going on to score 15 of his team-high 19 after intermission. Fittingly, when the Wildcats rallied late and closed within 77-75 in the final minute, Carter made a put-back layup, then tacked on two free throws with seven seconds to play for the final margin. Carter made 8-11 shots from the field and 3-4 at the line for 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had six assists... Khalid Thomas put on a stat-sheet filler with 17 points, 5-7 from three-point range, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot.... Portland State shot 31-65 from the floor (.477) and 11-27 from behind the arc (.407), making 8-10 at the line... Weber State was led by 24 points from Koby McEwen. Dillon Jones added 13 rebounds.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his second season as Head Coach and has a 22-27 record overall. He is 1-1 against Weber State. Coburn spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft in his first season. He was a long-time assistant prior to being named head coach.

SCOUTING WEBER STATE

• Weber State is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats have won 22 Big Sky regular season championships, 10 Big Sky Tournament Championships and made 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Weber State is 8-10 on the season, 3-2 and tied for fourth place in the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats average 66.1 points and allow 67.6 points per game. They shoot a Big Sky-leading .805 at the free throw line. They rank last in three-point percentage (.330) and three-pointers made (6.7).
• Dillon Jones was a second team All-Big Sky Conference choice last season. He averages 14.8 points, a Big Sky-best 10.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Jones also shoots .866 at the line and has 27 steals.
• Steven Verplancken averages 12.5 points and leads the team with 35 three-point field goals. He shoots .417 from behind the arc and .923 at the line.

WHO IS HOT

• THE BENCH BUNCH: Portland State has had solid bench play all season and averages 31.5 points per game off the bench to rank 12th in the nation... the Viking bench had 35 of the team's 67 points against Northern Colorado, converting 15-22 field goals (.682)... SR G Bobby Harvey scored 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-4 3-pt) while JR G Isiah Kirby did not miss a shot, scoring 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-2 FT)... JR G Keshaun Saunders led the bench bunch with 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-2 3-pt), two rebounds, three assists and a steal in Thursday's win over Northern Arizona... SO F Kendall Munson swatted away a season-high four shots in that game... Harvey leads the bench bunch with 7.1 points per game... 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 .538 (42-78) and Munson is at .500 (17-34).
• PARKER PRODUCES: In the last three games SR G Cameron Parker has averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He has made 18-34 shots (.529) and 13-16 at the line (.813)... Parker had a game-high 19 points and season-high 11 assists in the win over Northern Arizona... in the last three games, Parker has jumped from 87th to 69th on the NCAA's all-time assists list (725).
• PORTAL PRODUCTION: SO F Isaiah Johnson was a late addition to the Vikings' roster last summer after leaving Oregon State. He is proving to be a great addition...  in the last eight games Johnson has averaged 8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, shot .571 from the field.
• AND ONE: SR G Cameron Parker ranks third in the Big Sky Conference with an .848 free throw percentage this season. He ranks sixth in the nation in free throws made and 22nd in free throw attempts (95-112).... he also ranks 16th in the nation with 5.9 assists per game.
• IN A HURRY: Portland State is first in the Big Sky Conference and 11th in the nation in fast break points (16.6 pg).
• BIG SKY LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in several categories. As a team, the Vikings lead in scoring (77.7), turnover margin (+4.5), turnovers forced (17.4), and steals (8.2)... the Vikings are 14th in the nation in turnovers forced... JR F Hunter Woods leads the Big Sky in steals (1.8), SR G Cameron Parker leads in assists (5.9).
• FREE THROW SHOOTERS: Portland State is shooting .745 at the line this season which is a school-record pace (.743).

1,000-700... THERE ARE ONLY TWO

SR G Cameron Parker passed 1,000 career points earlier this season then passed 700 career assists at Sacramento State on Dec. 31. Parker enters this week with 1,128 career points and 725 career assists in 125 career games. He is one of only two active players with 1,000 career points and 700 career assists. Jalen Pickett of Penn State has 1,851 points and 723 assists in 124 career games... 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... Parker currently ranks 69th on the NCAA's all-time assist list.

IT'S NOT WHO STARTS...

Portland State's bench has been very effective this season. Starters have logged 2,236 minutes and reserves have logged 1,364 minutes. Remarkably, in those minutes, the bench has kept a good scoring pace in relation to the starters, 830 to 567.

• Bench players have logged 38% of the minutes and 41% of the points.
• PSU ranks 12th in the nation in bench scoring at 31.5 points per game.
• The bench has outscored the starters on four occasions.
• Bench players (217-444, .489) have out-shot the starters (275-660, .417) from the field.

GAME WINNERS

• 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 (12/22) 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.
• WOODS DELIVERS (TWICE) IN THE LAST 10 SECONDS: A lot of things had to go right for the Vikings to pull off a come-from-behind 75-74 victory over Northern Arizona (1/12), and somehow they did. PSU led by 17 points in the first half, but ceded the lead to the Lumberjacks shortly after halftime and trailed almost the entire second half before the heroics of JR F Hunter Woods... NAU's Oakland Fort swished a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left and the Lumberjacks led, 73-67... SR G Cameron Parker raced back up court with the ball, got to the rim and scored to make it 73-69 with 19 seconds left... PSU then fouled NAU's Nik Mains who made one of two free throws with 17.8 seconds remaining... Again, the Vikings pushed the ball up court, Parker came off a Woods' screen at the top of the arc and pitched it back to Woods on the wing. He swished the three-pointer with 9.8 seconds to play. PSU now trailed only 74-72... Mains was fouled again, went to the line and missed both free throws with 8.4 seconds on the clock. However, Carson Towt grabbed the offensive rebound for the 'Jacks. He was fouled and NAU had two more free throws with 7.1 seconds to go. Then, Towt missed both free throws... Woods rebounded, quickly passed to Parker and it was a footrace to the other end. Parker went left and Woods went right. When pressure got to Parker just before the three-point line he winged a pass cross court to Woods directly in front of the PSU bench. Woods let fly just before the buzzer sounded and ripped the net for an improbable 75-74 win.