The Portland State Vikings bring their three-game winning streak back home to the Stott Center tonight as they face the Montana State Bobcats.
Senior guard Charles Odum, who was named Big Sky Player of the Week on Monday for the second straight week, continues to be the focal point of the Vikings offense as of late, averaging 23.6 points per game during the streak.
The Vikings currently sit in fourth place in the Big Sky Conference after winning four of their last five matches, including road wins at Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington. The latter game was a thriller, as Odum hit a game-winning jumper in overtime with two seconds left on the clock to give the Vikings the 78-76 win. Those two road wins are the Vikings’ only road wins this year.
Point guard Lateef McMullan is emerging as a solid starter for the Viks, averaging 16 points in the past three games, helped by a career-high 20-point performance in the Northern Colorado win.
“He’s got a great IQ for the game,” head coach Tyler Geving said. “He’s a competitor that really wants to win. It’s good to see him playing this well.”
The Vikings continue to be the best shooting team in the conference, averaging more than 48 percent from the field this season. Despite having improved over the past few games, the team still sits in the bottom of the conference in three-point shooting at 31 percent.
“We just need to keep improving, and I think we will.” Geving said. “We can get through this next stretch of games and keep the momentum going.”
The Viking’s upcoming games are against Big Sky Conference leaders. After tonight’s matchup, the Vikings will play second-place Montana on Sunday then travel to face conference-leading Weber State on Feb. 2. After those games, the team’s schedule lightens up as their remaining opponents are all lower than the Vikings in the standings.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, will bring their 5-2 conference record to the South Park Blocks. The Bobcats defeated the Vikings 86-73 in their first meeting this season on Dec. 30 in Bozeman, Mont. In the game, Odum delivered one of his eight 20-point performances this year, seven of which have come on the road.
Players to watch for the Bobcats are guard Xavier Blunt, who leads the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game, and guard Christian Moon, who averages 11.2 per game and has hit 39 three-pointers this year—fourth in the Big Sky. The Bobcats also boast the Big Sky’s leading shot blocker in center Mohammed Fall, with 27 total this year.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.