In the final game of the first round of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament, Portland State takes on 6th ranked Gonzaga. Portland State, out of the Big Sky Conference, comes in at 2-2 and fresh off an upset win over Oregon State. Gonzaga, out of the WCC, avoided a two-game losing streak after dismantling the #4 Kentucky Wildcats at home on Sunday. The opening tap for this matchup is scheduled for 9:30pm EST.
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The Portland State Vikings come into this tournament off a high after evening their record to 2-2 on the season with an upset road win over Power-Five conference team, Oregon State on Thursday. After an 0-16 stretch against Oregon State, the Vikings finally got over the hump with a 79-66 win over the Beavers. Jorell Saterfield led the way with a career-high 26 points as the Vikings shot 46% on the night and hit 35% from long range. They won the turnover battle, committing 14 while forcing 18 in the game. Portland State also shot 90% from the free throw line as they did all the little things to end their 16-game losing streak to the Beavers.
“This team is mentally tough. We know there's going to be highs and lows within a game. It's good for us to be tested early with highs and lows and be able to still fight through adversity and play at a high level, and that's what we did tonight,” Portland State head co ach Jase Coburn said of his team's win over the Beavers.
Consider this our informal application to the @pac12.#GoViks | #DefendTheShip pic.twitter.com/S03BMpgPrT
— Portland State Men's Basketball (@psuviksMBB) November 20, 2022
Portland State by the numbers thus far includes a team averaging nearly 92 points per game through their first four games and averaging a +18 scoring differential. They are shooting 44% overall and 31% from the 3pt stripe. Defensively, the Vikings are holding the opposition to just 36% shooting overall and 32% from 3pt range. One thing that may become an issue will be the fact that the Vikings are allowing the opposition to take nearly 12 more free throw attempts than they take per game. Gonzaga's inside game could give them trouble. The Vikings are averaging +5.7 more rebounds per game than the opposition. Lastly, in the turnover department, Portland State holds a +7.3 turnover differential on the season.