IDAHO VANDALS (8-15, 2-8) at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (9-13, 3-6)

Thursday, February 2, 2023, 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

Portland State enters the final month of the regular season in seventh place in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings will play five of their remaining nine league games at home, beginning with a Thursday night contest against Idaho.
     
PSU (9-13, 3-6) needs to reverse a trend at home as they have lost three straight in the Viking Pavilion and four of five games overall. All four Big Sky contests at home have been close, but PSU has managed to win just one. Inconsistent offense on recent nights had gotten the Vikings off to a slow start, forcing them to play catch up.
     
Idaho might be a remedy for that as the Vikings beat the Vandals, 74-58, in Moscow on Jan. 7. PSU shot 52% from the field, hitting 9-14 from three-point range and 13-16 at the free throw line. Both teams average 76 points per game and prefer to play at a higher tempo, which may also kick-start the Vikings.
     
Idaho (8-15, 2-8) comes to The Ship having lost three in a row and nine of its last 11. However, the Vandals have beaten defending Big Sky Champion Montana State, and last season knocked off the Vikings in the Pavilion. The Vandals also feature one of the top players in the Big Sky in big man Isaac Jones, who averages 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 26 blocked shots.
     
Portland State is 4-4 at home this season. Idaho brings a 3-8 road record to the contest.
     
SR G Cameron Parker has been a highlight for the Vikings in recent weeks, averaging 17.9 points and 6.3 assists over the last seven games. Last weekend, he averaged 22.0 points and 7.0 assists in PSU's losses to Montana State and Montana.
     
However, the Vikings seek more offense from more sources. In the past seven games, they have gone 3-4. In the three wins, PSU scored 70+ points while in the four losses they have scored 68 or less. 
     
If recent trends continue, the Vikings should be just fine in the month of February. Over the past five seasons, one of which Jase Coburn was head coach and four of which he was an assistant coach, the Viking program has gone a combined 25-12 (.675) in Big Sky games played in February. That includes a 5-2 mark last season.
     
Thursday's game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 

COMING UP

On Saturday night, Portland State takes on first place and undefeated Eastern Washington (16-7, 10-0) in the final game of its four-game home stand. PSU travels to Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona next week.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 19-17, and the Big Sky series, 9-7... the Vikings have won five of the last six and eight of the last 11 meetings... the teams split the season series last year with each winning on the other's home court... PSU is 5-3 in Big Sky games played in Portland.
• LAST MEETING: Jan. 7 at ICCU Arena, PSU 74, UI 58: Cameron Parker scored 16 of his game-high 18 points to lead Portland State's second-half surge. PSU's second half, in which it shot .696 from the field, including 6-7 from three-point range and 9-11 at the free throw line, had to be one of its best of the season.  PSU was 16-23 from the field after halftime, outscoring the Vandals 47-28... Parker's 18 points came on 7-11 from the field, 1-1 from three-point range and 3-4 at the line. He added a team-high six rebounds, three assists and a steal. After intermission, he was 6-8 from the field, 3-3 at the line, had four rebounds and two assists... Jorell Saterfield scored 13 points, hitting 5-7 shots and all three of his three-pointers... The Vikings shot 26-50 (.520) from the field and 9-14 (.643) from three-point range. Perhaps just as impressive was holding Idaho, the second-leading scoring team in the Big Sky behind the Vikings, to 58 points... Idaho shot .396 from the field and had 13 turnovers. The Vikings, with eight steals, turned those turnovers into 23 points.
•  COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his second season as Head Coach and has a 23-30 record overall. He is 2-1 against Idaho. Coburn spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Vandals are led by Head Coach Zac Claus (Eastern Washington, 1998) in his fourth season. Claus is 26-82 overall, 2-5 against the Vikings... Claus was a Portland State assistant coach from 2000-2002.

 

SCOUTING IDAHO

• Idaho is located in Moscow, ID. The Vandals have been members of the Big Sky Conference 1963-86 and 2014 to present. Idaho has won four Big Sky regular season championships, four Big Sky Tournament championships, and made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Idaho is 8-15 on the season, 2-8 and 10th place in the Big Sky. The Vandals average 76.1 points per game and allow 72.7 points. Their strength is shooting as they lead the league with a .481 field goal percentage.
• The Vandals have two of the top players in the Big Sky in center Isaac Jones and guard Divant'e Moffitt. Jones averages 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game. He ranks second in scoring, fifth in rebounding, first in blocked shots and field goal percentage (.662)... Moffitt averages 18.6 points to rank third in the Big Sky, and 5.2 assists to rank second.

 

WHO IS HOT

• PARKER PUSHING THE PEDAL: SR G Cameron Parker's play has been elevating in recent weeks as he has averaged 17.9 points and 6.3 assists while shooting .513 in the last seven games. Parker averaged 22.0 points and 7.0 assists in last week's two games, making 16-30 from the field (.533). He now leads the team in scoring (15.5) and the Big Sky in assists (5.9)... Parker ranks fifth in the nation in free throws made (125) and is shooting .828 at the line this year. He ranks 15th in the nation in assists.
• THE BENCH BUNCH: Portland State has had solid bench play all season and averages 30.2 points per game off the bench to rank 10th in the nation... SO F Isaiah Johnson had 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-4 FT) and a career-high three blocked shots against Montana... SR G Bobby Harvey leads the bench bunch with 7.5 points per game and has made 39 threes (.394)... SO C Hayden Curtiss leads the team with a .600 field goal percentage off the bench (18-30) while SO F Isaiah Johnson is shooting .576 (57-99)... JR G Isiah Kirby is .864 at the line (19-22).
• 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 nine games Johnson has averaged 9.0 points and shot .630 from the field.
• BOBBY THREE-BALL: SR G Bobby Harvey has made at least one three-point field goal in 18 straight games. His 39 for the season rank second on the team. He is averaging 10.0 points over the last five games.
• IN A HURRY: Portland State is first in the Big Sky Conference and 10th in the nation in fast break points (15.7 pg).
• BIG SKY LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (+4.0), turnovers forced (16.5), and steals (7.6)... the Vikings are 23rd in the nation in turnovers forced... SR G Cameron Parker leads in assists (5.9).

 

NO FOOLS IN FEBRUARY

The month of February approaches and that bodes well for the Vikings. Portland State has had a lot of success in Big Sky Conference play in February in recent seasons. This season the Vikings play nine games during February's 28 days, with five at home and four on the road.

• In the past five seasons the Vikings are 25-12 (.675) in February, including 5-2 last year. (2018: 5-3; 2019: 5-3; 2020: 5-2; 2021: 5-2; 2022: 5-2)
• PSU was 48-44 in Big Sky games overall the last five seasons, which means the Vikings were 23-32 (.418) in non-February games.

 

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 7.6 mark through 22 games. 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: 7.6
 

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 currently has 1,202 career points and 748 career assists in 129 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 1,922 points and 744 assists in 128 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 some time February based on current pace... Parker currently ranks 56nd on the NCAA's all-time assist list... Yuri Collins of Saint Louis has career totals of 885 points and 766 assists. He is the active NCAA assist leader (49th all-time). Parker is currently number two among active assist leaders.
 

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.