GEORGE FOX BRUINS (7-2)
at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-2)

Saturday, December 9, 2023, 2 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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OPENING TIP

This Saturday's basketball matinee should be a free-wheeling, up-tempo thrill ride as the Portland State Vikings host the George Fox Bruins at Viking Pavilion. PSU, 7-2 overall and 3-0 at home, comes off a 104-point effort in a win over Lewis & Clark, while George Fox, also 7-2, scored 114 points in its most recent game and averages more than 90 points for the season.
     
The Division I Vikings should be the prohibitive favorites against the Division III Bruins, but the game does not come without some danger. George Fox has won three in a row and averaged 101 points per game doing so. For the season, the Bruins have a +19.7 scoring margin. They use a pressure defense that is making 12.9 steals and creating more than 20 turnovers per game of its opponents. George Fox shoots a solid .478 from the field and is not afraid to shoot the three-pointer.
     
Portland State comes off a 104-60 drubbing of Lewis & Clark on Wednesday. All 11 players available to compete saw significant action and scored. JR C Hayden Curtiss had a career game with 19 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and five blocked shots in a first-ever start. SR G Keshaun Saunders came off the bench for 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 1-1 FT), his most ever as a Viking, in just 18 minutes of action. Most important for the Vikings, they shot the ball well with a season-high .581 field goal percentage. That came after their poorest shooting performance of the year at Washington (.309) and instilled some confidence in the offense.
     
PSU's win also tied another "best start" mark in the history book. The 7-2 record matches the best nine-game record in program history which has been accomplished six other times. Another win would tie a best-ever 10-game mark (8-2), achieved four times previously.
     
Other marks worth improving on include: PSU's 67-15 home court record in non-conference games over the past 15 seasons, and the 58-2 mark against lower division schools in the Big Sky era.
     
The Vikings and Bruins will tip it off at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Viking Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with live statistics available at www.ViksLive.com.
 

COMING UP

Portland State's final two games before Big Sky Conference play are Dec. 15 at San Diego and Dec. 18 at Fresno State. PSU begins Big Sky play on the road at Eastern Washington on Dec. 28.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. GEORGE FOX

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 7-0... the Vikings and Bruins have met four times during the Big Sky Conference era, most recently during the 2021-22 season - a 104-58 Portland State win.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS: The Vikings are 58-2 against lower division schools in 28 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2024). Head Coach Jase Coburn is 6-0 against lower division schools... PSU and George Fox have one common opponent. The Vikings defeated Lewis and Clark, 104-60, on Wednesday. The Bruins beat Lewis and Clark, 91-84, on Dec. 1.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his third season as Head Coach and is 33-38 overall. Coburn is 1-0 against George Fox. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Bruins are coached by Maco Hamilton (Eastern Oregon, 2001) in his 11th season. Hamilton has a career record of 99-153, including 0-2 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING GEORGE FOX

• George Fox is an NCAA III member of the Northwest Conference, located in Newberg, OR... The Bruins were 9-17 last season, 8-8 and fourth place in the NWC.
• The Bruins are 7-2 this season and have won their last three in a row... GFU shoots .478 from the field, .336 from three-point range and .692 at the free throw line while averaging 90.9 points per game and allowing 71.2 points... the Bruins force 20.1 turnovers per game and make 12.9 steals.
• Freshman guard Aiden Price leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game and shoots .621 from the field... senior forward James Moore averages 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds... junior guard Samuel Stewart IV is the team leader in rebounds (5.4), steals (2.1) and blocked shots (8).

 

WHO IS HOT

• THE VIKINGS: Portland State has matched the best five-, six-, seven- and nine-game records in program history so far this season... the best 10-game start is 8-2, set on four previous occasions. PSU could match that with a win on Saturday (see below).
• THEIR MOMENT: JR C Hayden Curtiss moved to the starting lineup on Wednesday to fill in for an injured JR F Kendall Munson. Curtiss responded with career-highs of 19 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-2 FT) and seven rebounds, and blocked five shots, in just 22 minutes of action... SR G Keshaun Saunders posted his scoring high at Portland State with 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, two assists and three steals in only 18 minutes... FR G Cole Farrell went for PSU-bests of eight points (3-7 FG, 2-4 FT) and five assists in 18 minutes... JR C Tre-Vaughn Minott posted his best numbers so far in a short PSU career with six points (2-3 FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and a blocked shot in 18 minutes.
• POSSESSION IS 9/10 OF THE LAW: After losing point guard Cameron Parker to graduation last season, one concern for the Vikings in 2023-24 was ball-handling. Well, fear not... the Vikings average a mere 9.1 turnovers per game this season which ranks first in the Big Sky Conference and 13th in the nation... in the last three games, PSU had a total of 20 turnovers (6.7)... PSU's turnover margin is a +4.6 per game... the team assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.45 - also best in the Big Sky.
• THE BENCH BUNCH: Portland State averaged 27.9 points per game off the bench last season to rank 12th in the nation. Nothing has changed as PSU has 261 bench points (29.0) so far this season... the Vikings got 51 points, 24 rebounds, 16 assists and 10 steals from its bench against Lewis and Clark.
• THE VIKINGS HAVE NEVER LOST WHEN...: Playing at home (3-0)... leading at halftime (4-0)... out-shooting an opponent from the field (4-0)... scoring 80 or more points (2-0).

 

BEST STARTS FOR THE VIKINGS IN PROGRAM HISTORY

While level of play and quality of schedule has varied over the years, it is worth noting that the Vikings have matched their best-ever five-, six-, seven- and nine-game records in program history this year. The program competed at the NAIA level in the 1950s (while actually being a two-year school up until 1954), and the NCAA College Division level for much of the 1960s (forerunner of Division II), and Division I independent in the 1970s.
     
PSU's five- and six-game records this season are the best-ever during the Big Sky Conference era (1996-present). Best records by games played are listed below with Division I-level records underlined. The current Vikings have a chance for a few more entries on this list.
 
BEST RECORDS
5-game 5-0: 1976-77, 2023-24
6-game 5-1: 1976-77, 2023-24
7-game 6-1: 1976-77, 2008-09, 2023-24
8-game 7-1: 2008-09
9-game 7-2: 1950-51, 1955-56, 1958-59, 1976-77, 2008-09, 2017-18, 2023-24
10-game 8-2: 1950-51, 1955-56, 1958-59, 2017-18
11-game 9-2: 1950-51, 1955-56
12-game 9-3: 1950-51, 1955-56, 2008-09, 2017-18
13-game 10-3: 1950-51, 1966-67, 2008-09, 2017-18
 

READY WHEN YOUR NUMBER IS CALLED

Continuing the trend of last season, Head Coach Jase Coburn continues to go deep into his bench. The Vikings have 723 bench minutes out of 1800 total minutes, getting 261 points and 139 rebounds from the backups.

• The bench is shooting better than the starters. PSU shoots 99-219 (.452) off the bench and 140-339 (.413) from the starters.
• The Vikings have had all available players appear in seven of nine games.
• Last season, PSU's bench logged 36% of the total minutes and 37% of the points. The Vikings ranked 12th in the nation in bench scoring at 27.9 points per game. Bench players (330-698, .473) out-shot the starters (505-1,167, .433) from the field and had 52 of the team's 105 blocked shots (49%).