GAME #31
at Valparaiso
4:00 p.m. EST | Sat., March 1
Valparaiso, Ind. • Athletics & Recreation Center
Audio | Live Stats | Video
THE OPENING TIP:
• Cleveland State concludes the regular season when the Vikings travel to Valparaiso for a 4:00 p.m. contest on Saturday (March 1).
• The game is part of the Horizon League Network Regional TV schedule and will be broadcast live on SportsTime Ohio.
• The Vikings are 20-10 overall and are 11-4 in the Horizon League, having won nine of their last 10 games and 10 of the last 12.
• CSU has won five straight road games, but has not played a road contest since a victory at Wright State on Feb. 8.
• CSU has clinched the No. 2 seed in the league tournament and will have a bye to the semifinals.
• The Vikings clinched the No. 2 seed with a 70-69 overtime win against Youngstown State on Tuesday, combined with Valparaiso's loss at Wright State.
• Valparaiso is 17-13 overall and 9-6 in the league.
• The Crusaders are tied for third place with Wright State, but WSU holds the tie-breaker having swept the season series from Valpo this year.
• Valparaiso will be the No. 3 seed in the league tournament with a win over CSU, coupled with a WSU loss to UIC on Saturday.
• Any other pair of results would lock the Crusaders into the fourth seed.
• CSU won the first meeting between the two teams this year (Jan. 25) in Cleveland, 69-50, as five players scored in double figures, led by 17 from Trey Lewis.
• The Vikings led at halftime, 31-20, after holding the Crusaders to 5-of-24 (.208) shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes.
• CSU leads the all-time series with Valparaiso, 29-13, with the win in January snapping a four-game win streak by the Crusaders.
• The Crusaders have won six of the last nine meetings overall.
• CSU is 11-8 all-time in Valparaiso, but has not won in the Athletics Recreation Center since a 71-64 victory in 2008-09.
VIKINGS CLINCH #2 SEED IN HL TOURNEY:
• CSU's 70-69 overtime win vs. Youngstown State on Tuesday, combined with Valparaiso's loss at Wright State, allowed CSU to clinch the No. 2 seed in the league tournament.
• The Vikings have earned a bye to the semifinals of the tournament and will play on Saturday (March 8) at 7:00 p.m. EST against an opponent to be determined.
• The game will be played at the Resch Center in Green Bay, the top seed of the tournament.
• CSU's game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and shown on tape delay at 11:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU.
GRADY BATTLES THROUGH ILLNESS:
• Anton Grady turned in one of his best all around performances on Tuesday against Youngstown State despite battling the flu and getting sick on the sideline during the game.
• Grady finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.
• His biggest play came at the end of overtime when he blocked Kendrick Perry's 18-footer at the buzzer to preserve a 70-69 win.
VIKINGS REACH 20 WINS:
• CSU won its 20th game of the season on Tuesday night.
• It is the 10th time the Vikings have won 20 games in a season and the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
• Eighth year head coach Gary Waters claims five of the 10 20-win seasons at CSU.
• The 1985-86 squad holds the school record with 29 wins.
LEE AT THE LINE:
• Charlie Lee ranks second in the league and seventh in the nation in free throw percentage (77-84; .917).
• He has made 31 straight free throws, the second longest streak in program history (Damon Stringer; 32 in 1999-00).
• Lee also had a streak of 27 made free throws this year.
• Lee is 41-of-41 from the free throw line in the final five minutes and overtime of games this season.
• He is attempting to become the first player in CSU history to shoot 90-percent at the free throw line in a season. Franklin Edwards holds the single season school record, shooting .882 (134-152) in 1980-81.
FORBES SETS THREE POINT RECORD:
• Sophomore Bryn Forbes hit three three-pointers on Tuesday night against Youngstown State.
• He has hit 73 three's this year, setting a CSU single season record.
• The old mark was 71 three's by Trey Harmon in 2011-12.
• Forbes has made 134 career three-pointers and is closing in on the all-time top-10 list at CSU, needing six more to move past Norris Cole and into 10th place on the all-time list.
THE CENTURY MARK:
• Charlie Lee has 107 assists this year, while Trey Lewis has 101 assists.
• It is the sixth time in program history that the team had two players with 100 assists in a season.
• Lee and Lewis are the first CSU duo to reach 100 assists in the same season since Gravelle Craig had 167 and Craig Caldwell tallied 102 assists in 1992-93.
WORKING OVERTIME:
• Tuesday's game vs. Youngstown State was the 81st overtime game in program history. The win puts CSU at 42-39 all-time.
• It was the first overtime game at the Wolstein Center since CSU lost to Chicago State, 82-77, on Dec. 19, 2006.
• It was CSU's second overtime contest this year. The Vikings dropped a triple overtime contest at Drexel on Dec. 4.
• After going 170 games and almost five years without an OT game, CSU has played three in its last 61 contests.
FOR THREE:
• CSU is shooting .412 from three-point (222-539) this year, the second best percentage in the nation (Creighton; .428).
• CSU's 222 three-pointers are the second most in a season in program history, topped by the 2010-11 squad which made 237.
• The Vikings have hit 200 three's in a season for the fifth time in school history and the fourth straight season.
• CSU has made a three in 497 straight games, including a school-record tying 14 three-pointers at Oakland (Feb. 6).
• The last time CSU failed to make a three was Feb. 21, 1998, when the Vikings were 0-for-8 in a 60-57 win over Detroit.
• The Vikings have made at least three trey's in 46 straight games, the longest streak in school history.
10 IN THE LEAGUE:
• At 11-4 in the Horizon League, CSU has reached double figure wins in the league for the sixth time in the last seven years.
• It is the 11th time overall that the Vikings reached double-digit league wins.
PROTECTING THE ROCK:
• CSU tied a school-record with just four turnovers in a Feb. 15) loss to Green Bay.
• It was the second time in school history CSU had just four turnovers in a game. (vs. South Florida; 12/22/10).
FROM THE FIELD:
• CSU has shot 60% or better from the field four times (vs. Ball State, Notre Dame College & Oakland twice), tying the school record for most games in a season (2010-11).
• Prior to Gary Waters arriving at CSU in 2006-07, CSU shot better than 60% from the floor just once in the 11 prior seasons.
• CSU has shot better than 50% from the floor in 15 games this year, going 12-3.
• The Vikings top the Horizon League and are 32nd in the country in field goal percentage (.473).
WATERS SETS CSU WINS RECORD:
• Gary Waters became the all-time winningest coach in CSU history on Jan. 28 with his 150th career win at Eastern Illinois.
• He now has 156 career wins at CSU.
• He passed Ray Dieringer who won 149 games (1969-83).
• Waters' .585 winning percentage at CSU is second all-time, trailing Kevin Mackey's .673.
• Waters is 327-245 (.574) in 18 seasons as a head coach.
• Led his team's to the postseason 10 times in his first 17 seasons, including four times at CSU (one NCAA and three NIT's).
A LOOK AT SCORING:
• CSU is averaging 74.1 points per game.
• The Vikings are on pace to average at least 70.0 points for just the second time in the last 14 years.
• The 2010-11 squad averaged 71.0 points.
• CSU has scored 80 or more points in 10 games this year, the most since it topped 80 points 12 times in 1999-00
• CSU's 97 points in a Dec. 18 win over Notre Dame (OH) were the most since the Vikings scored 113 in a win over Wilberforce on Dec. 12, 2009.
AT THE CHARITY STRIPE:
• CSU is shooting .748 (454-607) at the free throw line to rank first in the league and rank 29th in the nation.
• It puts CSU on pace to shoot better than 70-percent at the free throw line for the eighth straight season under Gary Waters.
• Prior to Waters arriving at CSU (2006-07), the Vikings shot 70-percent or better just two times (1979-80; .724 & 1986-87; .700).
• The school record for free throw percentage in a season is .749 (477-637) in 2009-10.
FABULOUS FORBES:
• Bryn Forbes ranks seventh in the Horizon League in scoring (15.9 ppg) and second in three-pointers per game (2.5).
• Missed first career game against Green Bay (Feb. 15) with a stomach virus, the first game he missed in his career.
• Has 13 career 20-point games, including nine this year.
• Career-high 27 points vs. Notre Dame (OH) and at Detroit.
• He has 869 career points and is the fourth player in CSU history to reach 800 points as a sophomore (Ken McFadden, Clinton Ransey, Franklin Edwards).
• Made a three-pointer in all 28 games he has played this year.
• Has made a CSU single season record 73 three-pointers this year, besting the old mark of 71 by Trey Harmon in 2011-12.
• Forbes made 30 straight free throws to open the season and is sixth in the league in free throw percentage (.818; 99-121).
• Last year's Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, he was a preseason second team all-league pick.
GENERAL LEE:
• Charlie Lee is 27th in the league in scoring (9.7), seventh in assists 4.0) and steals (1.7), second in FT% (77-84; .917) and three-point percentage (41-89; .461).
• He dished out a CSU season-high nine assists vs. Detroit (Jan. 8), one off tying his career-high.
• Has 334 career assists and is five assists shy of moving into the CSU career top-10 (Lee Reed, 339 assists from 1979-83).
• Lee has made 31 straight free throws with his last miss coming against Oakland on Jan. 16.
• Had a streak of 27 consecutive made free throws earlier in the year.
• Is 41-of-41 at the free throw line in the final five minutes and overtime of games this year.
THE SIXTH MAN:
• Jon Harris is a strong candidate for Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, coming off the bench in all 29 games.
• The Miami (OH) transfer ranks 22nd in the league in scoring (10.7) and sixth in rebounding (6.2).
• He is fifth in the league in field goals percentage, shooting .544 (112-206) from the field.
• Notched his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Wright State (Jan. 19).
• Second career double-double at UIC (Jan. 22) with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Scored a career-high 27 points at Drexel (Dec. 4), breaking his old high of 21 points against Akron last year.
• Scored in double figures in 15 games this year, the most in a season by a CSU reserve (Anton Grady had 13 in 2011-12).
• Has 39 assists, 28 steals and 23 blocked shots, the 13th player in school history with at least 20 of each in a season and the first to do it without starting a game.
A VERY GRADY SEASON:
• After missing all but six games last season with a knee injury, Anton Grady has rounded back into form this year.
• He is 24th in the league in scoring (10.5), fifth in rebounding (6.7) and 10th in blocked shots (1.0).
• In league only games, Grady tops the circuit with 8.6 rebounds per game and is 18th in scoring (11.7).
• He has five double-doubles this year with four coming in league play (Green Bay, Milwaukee, UIC, Wright State).
• After scoring in double figures in just four of the first 12 games, he has reached double figures in 12 of the last 16 contests.
• He is fifth in CSU history with 81 blocks.
LOOKIN' AT LEWIS:
• Trey Lewis is 10th in the league in scoring (13.2) and ninth in assists (3.4). He sat out last year after transferring from Penn State.
• Has started 23 of the 30 games this year.
• Made a career-high five three-pointers, going 5-of-6, on Jan. 13 at Youngstown State.
• Scored a career-high 29 points vs. Oakland (Jan. 16), going 9-of-14 from the field.
• Played 53 of 55 minutes in triple overtime at Drexel (Dec. 4), the third most minutes played by a player in school history.
• Has scored in double figures in 23 of 30 games this year with four 20-point games.
TEACH ME HOW TO DOUGLAS:
• Sebastian Douglas is averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds off the bench this year.
• Played in 25 games with seven starts, missing five (Jan. 16-28) games with a concussion.
• Returned to the lineup at Detroit (Jan. 31), scoring 14 points with four assists.
• Leads the Horizon League in field goal percentage (.621), hitting 87-of-140 from the field.
• He has been perfect from the field in four games this year, going 4-4 against Robert Morris, 6-6 versus Western Carolina, 5-5 at Kent State and 3-3 at Green Bay.
NDAYE RETURNS:
• After missing the first 27 games with a shoulder injury, Ludovic Ndaye returned against Green Bay (Feb. 15).
• Played eight minutes, scoring two points with two rebounds and two blocks.
• Averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes off the bench in three games this year.
JUMP SHOTS
• CSU's 73-59 win over Iona (Nov. 9) matched the second largest halftime deficit CSU has overcome to win. The Vikings trailed at the half, 44-29. CSU came back from a 21-point deficit (44-23) against Detroit on Feb. 5, 2005.
• CSU's 82 points at San Francisco were the most points in a loss since an 87-83 setback to Milwaukee on Feb. 24, 2011.
• The Vikings had five players foul out at Eastern Michigan, the most in a game in school history (old record was four players done multiple times).
• CSU had six players in double figures vs. Robert Morris (Forbes -18, Lee - 17, Grady and Lewis - 13, Harris - 11, Douglas - 10).
• The 21,067 fans that CSU played in front of at Kentucky (Nov. 25) was the second largest crowd in CSU history, topped only by the 21,713 that watched CSU defeat St. Joseph's in the NCAA East Regional at the Carrier Dome (3/16/86).
• CSU's 97 points against Notre Dame College were the most since the Vikings defeated Wilberforce 113-61 on Dec. 12, 2009.
• LaRoche was 0-for-1 at the free throw line on Dec. 23. The zero free throws are tied for the least by a CSU opponent with St. Francis, Pa. (12/13/72). The one attempt is tied for the second fewest in a game by a CSU opponent. St. Francis, Pa., did not attempt a free throw on Dec. 13, 1972.
• CSU held Milwaukee to 0-of-16 from three-point on Jan. 4. It was the 16th time in program history that a team failed to make a three-pointer against the Vikings.
• The Vikings had a 96.2% assisted-basket% on Jan. 8 vs. Detroit, assisting on 25 of their 26 baskets. It is the best percentage in a game in the nation this year.
• The 4.17 assist-to-turnover ratio (4.17) against Detroit on Jan. 8 was the best in school history in a game.
• CSU had a season-low four turnovers vs. Green Bay (Feb. 15), tied for lowest in a game in school history (South Florida; 12/22/10).
UP NEXT:
• CSU will open play in the Horizon League Championship with a semifinal game on Saturday (March 8).
• The No. 2 seed Vikings will play an opponent to be determined at 7:00 p.m. EST at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
• The game will be shown live on ESPN3 and on tape delay at 11:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU.
