The Portland State men’s basketball team begins its final two-game road trip of the regular season today in Flagstaff, Ariz., where they take on Northern Arizona. Both teams enter the game riding late-season losing streaks—four in a row for the Lumberjacks, and three for the Vikings—and each needs a win to secure a spot in the Big Sky Tournament.
Portland State (10–15, 5–6 Big Sky) sits in fifth place in the conference standings and sixth-placed Northern Arizona (11–¬13, 5–8 Big Sky) is nipping at their heels. Whichever team wins tonight’s contest will enter the weekend in fifth place.
Revenge may be in order for PSU after the Lumberjacks won 93–86 in January to end a run of six consecutive losses to the Vikings. That win for NAU also put an end to Portland State’s 13-game winning streak in the Stott Center, one that extended into last season.
The Vikings have won their last two games played on NAU’s court, including a 92–91, four-overtime marathon that saw senior guard Dominic Waters chalk 41 points.
Leading the pack for the Lumberjacks is guard Cameron Jones, who is averaging 18.9 points per game and scored 24 points against the Vikings in January. Guard Eric Platt leads his team in three-point shooting with a .431 average from beyond the arc, and forward Shane Johannsen leads with a .624 average in field-goal shooting.
Waters leads the Vikings with an average of 18 points per game. He scored 21 points on Saturday against Montana State and 26 points against the Lumberjacks in January. With backup from senior forward Julius Thomas, who leads his team with .669 field-goal shooting, and senior forward Jamie Jones, who is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, the Vikings should make the Lumberjacks work for their points.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and the action can be watched on Dish Network, channel 9411, or heard on 800 AM, KPDQ.