This month in sports

While most PSU students will be home for the holidays this month, Viking athletes will be hard at work. Both the men and women’s basketball programs have a full schedule for December. The men will enjoy the cozy confines of the Stott Center for six of their seven games including a Saturday contest versus hated UP at 7 p.m.

The long home stand will only be broken up by an important Dec. 11 trip to Columbus, Ohio to face the Ohio State Buckeyes. Four home games will then close out the month for the men, with games against Bethune Cookman, Tennessee-Martin, Warner Pacific and Maryland-Eastern Shore preparing the Viks for Big Sky conference play, which begins at the start of January against Weber State.

The struggling women’s program, coming off of a serious beating at the hands of Boise State, does not have the advantage of a strong home schedule in December. The Lady Viks will take their act on the road in all but three of their December contests, with their next road game coming up against Washington State Friday evening. The Vikings get Idaho at home on Sunday, Dec. 12 and then begin a two game away jaunt against UC-Irvine on Friday Dec. 17 and Gonzaga the following Monday. The Lady Vikings will begin their regular season play starting Jan. 15 against Eastern Washington.

Men’s basketball time and dates
Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004
Portland (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004
Evergreen State (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004
at Ohio State (Columbus, OH)
5 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004
Bethune Cookman (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004
Tennessee Martin (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004
Warner Pacific (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004
Maryland-Eastern Shore (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Women’s basketball time and dates
Friday, Dec. 3, 2004
at Washington State (Pullman, WA)
7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004
Idaho (STOTT CENTER)
2 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 17, 2004
at UC Irvine (Irvine, CA)
7 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 20, 2004
at Gonzaga (Spokane, WA)
7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004
Utah Valley State (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004
at Santa Clara (Santa Clara, CA)
7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005
San Jose State (STOTT CENTER)
7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005
at BYU (Provo, UT)
2 p.m.