PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-3) at
SEATTLE REDHAWKS (2-5)

Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 7 p.m., Climate Pledge Arena (18,300), Seattle, WA
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
 

OPENING TIP

Portland State opens the month of December with a modest two-game winning streak and a trip up Interstate 5 to meet the Seattle Redhawks. The Vikings and the Western Athletic Conference Redhawks will meet for the first time in two seasons and just the second time in 13 years. Tip-off is 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The game airs on ESPN+.
           
The Vikings (4-3) come off a 71-68 victory over Utah Tech last Saturday at Viking Pavilion. PSU led the entire game before the Trailblazers tied the game late. But the Vikings pulled out the win in just the second home game of the season. SR G Jaylin Henderson had another splendid shooting night with 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-7 3-pt FG), SR G Qiant Myers turned in an all-around performance with nine points, five rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and a steal, while SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
           
PSU has averaged 85.3 points through the first seven games while shooting .484 from the field - the best team shooting pace in two decades. The Vikings' pressure defense has forced 16.7 turnovers per game, which ranks best in the Big Sky Conference and 17th-best in the nation.
           
The Vikings' top two scorers are off to great starts to the season. Henderson averages a team-high 15.6 points on .500 shooting from the field and a team-best 19-44 from three-point range (.432). He also has a team-leading 12 steals. SR F Isaiah Johnson, now in his third year on the Park Blocks, is on a career-best pace in scoring (11.6), rebounding (6.0) and shooting (.652/.400/.760).
           
Seattle (2-5) has lost two in a row, with the most recent coming at 11th-ranked Duke (70-48). However, the previous four losses were by seven points or less. The Redhawks are 1-1 at home this season.
           
Seattle is the second straight WAC opponent for the Vikings after PSU's meeting with Utah Tech. The Redhawks are the sixth so-called "mid-major" opponent among seven Division I games this season.
           
Portland State has a 2-3 record away from home, including 1-2 in true road games. The contest at Seattle is the first of six during December to round out the non-conference schedule.
 

COMING UP

Following the game with Seattle, Portland State will host Denver from the Summit League on Dec. 7. The game is part of the Big Sky - Summit Challenge featuring all teams in each conference.
           
The Vikings are home again on Dec. 14 against Northwest Indian College. PSU plays at University of the Pacific on Dec. 18, Bakersfield on Dec. 21, then rounds out non-conference play at home on Dec. 31 against Walla Walla.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SEATTLE

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Seattle leads the all-time series with Portland State, 9-8, including 5-1 in home games... since PSU reinstated basketball in 1996-97 and joined the Big Sky Conference it leads the series, 5-4, and is 1-3 in Seattle... the schools played twice a season from 2008-09 to 2011-12 but have met only once since then, an 83-71 Seattle home win on Nov. 13, 2022.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Portland State has beaten Utah Tech this season (71-68) and is 26-19 all-time against current members of the WAC... Vikings Head Coach Jase Coburn is 4-3 against WAC opponents.
• I RECOGNIZE THAT GUY: Former Viking Paris Dawson is now a member of the Seattle Redhawks. He played for PSU from 2020-22, averaging 6.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. This season he is averaging 9.7 points for the Redhawks.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his fourth season as Head Coach and is 47-54 overall. Coburn is 0-1 all-time against Seattle. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Redhawks are coached by Chris Victor (Concordia CA, 2004) in his fourth season. Victor has a 68-40 record, including 1-0 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS

• Seattle is a member of the Western Athletic Conference... the Redhawks were 23-14 last season, 11-9 and tied for fourth in the WAC... Seattle won the Ro College Basketball Invitational (formerly CBI) at the end of last season.
• This season the Redhawks are 2-5, including 1-1 at home... they average 69.9 points per game while allowing 69.7 points... Seattle has shot only .395 from the field, but have held a +4.0 rebounding margin over their opponents.
• Senior forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe leads the Redhawks in scoring (13.7), rebounding (10.7), shooting (.553) and steals (11)... junior guard John Cristofilis is averaging 10.7 points and has a team-high 14 three-pointers... junior guard Maleek Arrington averages a team-leading 5.1 assists.

 

HOT SHOTS

• WATCHING TV: SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott continues to impress with what seems to be a career-high in some form each game. Minott grabbed a career-high and PSU season-best 11 rebounds in the win over Utah Tech... Minott's play has taken a big leap from last year to this year. Last season, he averaged 1.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 5.4 minutes per game. This season, he has averaged 17.1 minutes, producing 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game... Minott had a career-high 12 points vs. Evergreen State and a career-high four blocked shots against Wofford. He is shooting a team-best .682 from the field.
• SPLASH BROTHERS: SR G Jaylin Henderson (19-44, .432) and JR G Ismail Habib (16-45, .356) have combined to make 35 three-point field goals in seven games (5.0 per game)... Henderson ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in percentage and third in made threes (2.7).
• SHOOT YOUR SHOT: After seven games, PSU is shooting .484 as a team. Yes, it's very early still, but the Vikings have not shot above .448 over the last seven seasons. The school record for a season is .492, set by the 2004-05 Big Sky Conference regular season champion team.
• WICHITA LINEMAN: SR G Jaylin Henderson, a native of Wichita, KS, is posting some pretty impressive scoring lines. He has scored 40 points in the last two games - both wins - shooting 15-26 from the field (.577) and 8-17 from three-point range (.471)... Henderson leads the Vikings in scoring (15.6), steals (12) and three-point shooting (19-44, .432)... he has already scored more points in seven games (109) than he did in 29 games at Louisiana Tech last season (107)... Glen Campbell would be proud.
• A BIG DAY FOR ZAY: SR F Isaiah Johnson had perhaps the best game of his Viking career in the win over Wofford. Johnson scored a career-high 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 FT) with a game-high nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and block. He scored four points with a steal in the final minute of the comeback win... Johnson is shooting a brilliant .652 from the field this season, .760 at the line and averaging career-highs of 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds.
• BLOCK PARTY: Portland State had a season-high eight blocked shots against Utah Tech, including a career-high three from SR G Qiant Myers. The Vikings lead the Big Sky in blocks this season (5.6).
• THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR: Trademarks of Jase Coburn-coached teams have been forcing turnovers and bench production. So far, PSU has forced an average of 16.7 turnovers per game (17th in the nation) for an average of 22.9 points per game... the Vikings average 30.7 bench points per game.
• LEADERS: Portland State currently leads the Big Sky Conference turnovers forced (16.7), blocked shots (5.6), bench points (30.7) and turnover margin (+2.6)... SR G Qiant Myers leads the Big Sky in assists (6.3).