Idaho State (7-6, 4-2) vs. Portland State (2-7, 1-3)
The Viking Pavilion, Portland, Oregon; Thursday, 10:05 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Portland State looks for its fourth straight win over Idaho State at The Viking Pavilion. The last victory for the Bengals at Portland State was a 73-70 win on Jan. 16, 2016.
LEADING THE CHARGE: James Scott has averaged 15.2 points and 6.3 rebounds to lead the charge for the Vikings. Khalid Thomas is also a key contributor, putting up 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In the other locker room, this will be a Portland homecoming for junior Robert Ford III, who is averaging 12.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. Ford has been complemented by Tarik Cool, who’s putting up 14.5 points per game.
BIG SKY IMPROVEMENT: The Bengals have scored 76.5 points per game against conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 55 per game they recorded against non-conference competition.FORD III IS A FORCE: Ford has connected on 38.6 percent of the 57 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 6 of 19 over his last five games. He’s also made 73.5 percent of his foul shots this season.
WINLESS WHEN: Portland State is 0-7 this year when it scores 73 points or fewer and 2-0 when it scores at least 74.
PERFECT WHEN: Idaho State is a perfect 6-0 when it scores at least 71 points. The Bengals are 1-6 when scoring any fewer than 71.
DID YOU KNOW: Portland State is ranked first among Big Sky teams with an offensive rebound percentage of 34.9 percent. The Vikings have averaged 14.7 offensive boards per game, but that total has slipped to 12.8 over their four-game losing streak.
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