WALLA WALLA WOLVES (2-8) at
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-5)

Tuesday, December 31, 2024, 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
 

OPENING TIP

Portland State completes its non-conference schedule with a Tuesday matinee against the Walla Walla Wolves. The Vikings host Walla Walla in a 2 p.m. game at Viking Pavilion that can be seen on ESPN+.
           
PSU (7-5) will go for a fourth straight victory when it takes on the Wolves. The last time PSU won as many consecutive games was a 5-0 start to the 2023-24 season. Portland State won a pair of road games prior to Christmas at Pacific (81-75) and Bakersfield (59-58).
           
SR F Isaiah Johnson and SO G Cole Farrell starred for the Vikings in the road wins. Johnson averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals in the two games while shooting .500 from the field and .800 at the line. Farrell came off the bench for 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the two wins. He was 11-18 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range.
           
Walla Walla (2-8) is a NAIA program that plays in the Cascade College Conference. The Wolves most recent game was an 85-81 victory over Whitman on Dec. 22. Walla Walla is 1-6 on the road this season.
           
PSU will try to improve on its 3-1 home record against the Wolves. The Vikings are 2-0 against lower division teams this season and 61-2 overall since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. PSU is 71-16 in non-conference home games over the past 16 years, including 39-1 against lower division schools over that span.
 

COMING UP

Big Sky Conference play opens on the road for the Vikings at the end of the week. PSU travels to Sacramento State for a Saturday afternoon game to open league play. The Vikings are home next week against Eastern Washington (Jan. 9) and Idaho (Jan. 11).
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. WALLA WALLA

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Walla Walla, 3-0. All three games were played in Portland, with the most recent coming during the 2016-17 season.
• PORTLAND STATE vs. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS: The Vikings are 61-2 against lower division schools in 29 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2024). Head Coach Jase Coburn is 9-0 against lower division schools... PSU has already beaten Evergreen State (131-84) and Northwest Indian (110-48) this season.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his fourth season as Head Coach. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach. Coburn's overall record is 50-56. He has never faced Walla Walla as a head coach... Brandon Broome is in his fourth year as Head Coach of the Wolves. He has an 18-80 record and has never faced the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING THE WOLVES

• Walla Walla University is an NAIA member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Wolves were 5-22 last season, 4-17 and 10th place in conference play.
• The Wolves are currently 2-8 this season. They have one common opponent with the Vikings. Walla Walla defeated Evergreen State, 79-74, on Dec. 6. The Vikings beat the Geoducks, 131-84, on Nov. 7... Walla Walla averages 69.4 points per game and allows 90.4 points. The team shoots .405 from the field, .302 from three-point range and .627 at the free throw line.
• Sophomore center Soren Dalan leads the team in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (9.3)... senior guard Andrew Vaughn averages 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds... senior forward Almonds Sebirokwa averages 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting .510 from the field.

 

HOT SHOTS

• SHOOT YOUR SHOT: PSU is shooting .495 as a team this season (first in the Big Sky, 28th-best in the nation). PSU shot .538 in the win at Bakersfield (21-39)... 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... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott leads the way at .683 (28-41) from the field. SR F Isaiah Johnson has also been excellent at .610 (50-82), and SR F Hayden Curtiss is shooting .583 (35-60, including 8-19 three-pointers)... in limited minutes, JR F Isaac Brice is at .588 (10-17).
• IT'S COLE'S WORLD: You will find him at @W0rldCole on social media. The Vikings are just glad to find SO G Cole Farrell doing his thing on the basketball court. He turned in a career-best game in the win at Pacific (12/18) with a career-high 18 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3-pt, 4-6 FT), five rebounds, three assists, two steals and some stellar defense. Farrell had a steal, two rebounds and eight points in the final five minutes of the game as the Vikings held off the Tigers... He followed up with 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3-pt), two rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win at Bakersfield (12/21)... Farrell has averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23 minutes per game off the bench in the last three outings. He shot 16-28 from the field in those games (.571), 4-6 from three-point range.
• DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOUBLE: Portland State had a pair of double-doubles of different varieties in the win over Pacific (12/18). SR F Isaiah Johnson got his first of the season with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots. SR G Qiant Myers had his third of the season with 10 points and 11 assists... Johnson followed up with team-highs of 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-5 FT) and six rebounds in the win at Bakersfield (12/21).
• BLOCK PARTY: Portland State had a season-high nine blocked shots in the win at Pacific (12/18). PSU has had eight blocked shots on two occasions and currently leads the Big Sky with 5.92 send-backs per game... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott has had a career-high four blocked shots twice this season (Wofford, Denver) and ranks second in the Big Sky at 1.83 per game.
• DUNK YOU VERY MUCH: The slam game has been strong for the Vikings this season. PSU had six more dunks at Bakersfield for a team-total of 58 throw-downs this season (4.8 per game). SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott (19) and SR G Jaylin Henderson (16) lead the way.
• THAT WINNING FEELING: Head Coach Jase Coburn has a 24-22 record in non-conference games in his four years at the helm of the Viking Ship. That includes a respectable 11-15 road record in those games... PSU was 9-4 in non-conference play last season, and is 7-5 this season guaranteeing a second straight winning mark in non-conference play.
• SHARING THE WEALTH: Portland State has had seven different leading scorers in 12 games played this season.
• LEADERS: Portland State currently leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage (.495), turnovers forced (15.3), blocked shots (5.92), bench points (29.3) and free throw attempts (21.7)... SR G Qiant Myers leads the Big Sky in assists (6.8) and ranks 10th in the nation.

 

NOT SO HOT

• YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS: While Portland State's field goal shooting has been strong, the free throw shooting has floundered. For the season, PSU shoots .635 at the line and has had only one game better than .688... the Vikings rank last in the Big Sky in free throw shooting.
• IT IS BETTER TO GIVE...: Portland State must have been in a giving mood just prior to Christmas. The Vikings gave away a season-high 25 turnovers to Bakersfield (12/21). Fortunately, they forced 20 and were able to pull out a 59-58 win.