Game Day: Portland State at Eastern Washington
http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2010/01/game_day_portland_state_at_eas.html
When: 7 tonight
Where: Reese Court (6,000), Cheney, Wash.
Records: Portland State (8-12, 3-5 Big Sky Conference); Eastern Washington (6-15, 2-6)
On the air: Radio on KPDQ (800)
Probable starters: Portland State -- F Julius Thomas (8.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), F Paul Guede (4.4 ppg), C Jamie Jones (12.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg), G Melvin Jones (13.3 ppg), Dominic Waters (18.6 ppg, 4.7 apg); Eastern Washington - F Mark Dunn (11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg), C Brandon Moore (8.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg), G Glen Dean (11.9 ppg, 4.0 apg), G Jeffrey Forbes (9.6 ppg), G Kevin Winford (6.4 ppg).
Briefly: The Vikings have lost three consecutive games and five of the last six, falling into a tie with Idaho State for sixth place in the Big Sky heading into the second half of the conference schedule. The top six teams qualify for the league playoffs and a chance to earn the Big Sky's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. ... PSU's Phil Nelson was lost for the season when the junior forward broke a bone in his left foot during Tuesday's practice. Nelson started all 20 games he played, averaging 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32 minutes a game. Julius Thomas and Melvin Jones, who had been splitting starts depending on the match-up, will now both start full-time with Nelson out of the lineup. Philip "Tree" Thomas, the 6-foot-8 junior transfer from Oakland, also is expected to see more playing time off the bench. ... The Vikings have won the last four games in the series, including a 98-75 rout at the Stott Center on Dec. 5 when PSU shot 68.8 percent (33 of 48) from the field. ... The Eagles have lost four in a row and 10 of the last 12 games. Eastern Washington leads the series 17-15, including an 11-5 record in games played at Reese Court.
