Sports in brief
Officiating in last week’s football game between first-place Montana and Eastern Washington was reviewed by Big Sky officials, according to a statement released by the conference.
“The officiating in Saturday’s EWU-UM game was not up to the standards we expect and require,” said Doug Fullerton, commissioner for the Big Sky Conference.
Independent observers and Doug Toole, the conference’s director of football operations, reviewed the game film and found two calls made against Eastern Washington “particularly troubling.”
A player from Eastern Washington was called for delivering a late hit out of bounds in the fourth quarter. Yet, the review found that he was illegally blocked in the back by a member of the Montana squad, which caused him to collide with the Montana player out of bounds.
In the third quarter, an Eastern Washington wide receiver received an unsportsmanlike conduct call for slowing down on his way to the end zone, but the review also found that call to be an error.
“We don’t normally comment on officiating, nor do we plan to regularly do so in the future. However, there are cases where it is warranted, and this is one,” Fullerton said.
Picked to finish second in the Big Sky Conference media poll is the Portland State men’s basketball team, according to a statement released by the league.
The two-time conference postseason champions were also predicted to finish fourth in the coaches poll.
The Vikings finished the regular season in second place last year, but won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
Portland State comes off back-to-back 23-10 seasons and is looking to be the first team in the conference to win three consecutive postseasons since Weber State in 1978–80.
This season will be head coach Tyler Geving’s first year at the helm since taking over for Ken Bone. Geving has been with the program for four years, and was associate head coach for two years.
Broadcasted online will be every game of the Trail Blazers’ 15-game KGW television schedule, according to a statement released by the team.
The feed will stream live and in high-definition, and be available at a cost of $3.99 per game or $39.99 for the entire season.
The feed will include the KGW broadcast with Mike Barrett and Mike Rice, real-time stats, live blogging, fan feedback and a fantasy basketball application that allows viewers to choose their starting five.
