GAME #32
vs. Wright State
7:00 p.m. EST | Sat., March 8
Green Bay, Wis. • Resch Center
Horizon League Championship Semifinals
Audio | Live Stats | Video
Radio: AM 1220 WHKW, AM 1420 WHK, AM 1440 WHKZ (Al Pawlowski)
TV: ESPN3 (Jim Barbar & Malcolm Huckaby)
Livestats: CSUVikings.com
Series: CSU leads, 31-30
Last Mt'g: CSU 72, @WSU 68 (2/8/14)
Tickets: Contact the CSU Ticket Office at (216) 687-4848
THE OPENING TIP:
• Second-seeded Cleveland State opens play in the 2014 Horizon League Championship with a semifinal game on Saturday (March 8) against third-seeded Wright State at the Resch Center in Green Bay at 7:00 p.m. EST.
• The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Jim Barbar and Malcolm Huckaby on the call.
• ESPNU will have a tape delay broadcast of the game at 11:30 p.m. EST.
• Al Pawlowski will have the play-by-play of the semifinal game on AM 1220 WHKW and AM 1420 WHK.
• The Vikings are 21-10 overall and this season and finished in second place in the Horizon League with a 12-4 mark.
• CSU earned a bye to the tournament semifinals and has not played since a 63-52 win at Valparaiso on March 1 to close the regular season.
• The Vikings have won 10 of their last 11 games and 11 of the last 13 contests.
• Saturday's game will be the first neutral site game of the year for CSU.
• Wright State is 19-13 overall and finished third in the league at 10-6.
• The Raiders earned a first round bye in the league tournament and advanced to the semifinals with a 73-57 win over Oakland on Friday night.
• CSU leads the all-time series with the Raiders, 31-30, with WSU winning three of the last four meetings. CSU had won seven of the previous eight.
• The teams split their two meetings this year with WSU winning at CSU, 49-46, on Jan. 19, and the Vikings winning in Fairborn, 72-68, on Feb. 8.
• The Vikings were without Anton Grady and Sebastian Douglas for the meeting in Cleveland. Both missed the game with concussions.
• CSU used 25 points from Charlie Lee and a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds to win at Wright State.
FORBES & HARRIS EARN ALL-LEAGUE HONORS:
• Bryn Forbes was named to the All-Horizon League second team, while Jon Harris was voted the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
• Forbes, last year's Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, ranks seventh in the league in scoring (15.7) and second in three-pointers (2.5).
• Harris is 23rd in the league in scoring (10.6) and seventh in rebounding (6.7).
• He has 15 double digit scoring games off the bench this season.
CSU IN THE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:
• The Vikings are 11-17 all-time in the Horizon League tournament and 22-24 all-time in conference tournaments.
• CSU is 8-6 in the HL tournament under Gary Waters.
• This is the third time in the last seven years (2008, 2012, 2013) that CSU has been the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League tournament.
• CSU claimed the 2009 Horizon League tournament title, winning four games, including a 57-54 win at Butler in the championship game.
ON THE ROAD:
• The Vikings are 9-7 on the road this year.
• CSU has won six straight road games and haven't lost away from home since a 67-66 loss at Youngstown State on Jan. 13.
• The nine road wins are the fourth most in a season in school history.
FOR THREE:
• CSU is shooting .409 from three-point (228-557) this year, the third best percentage in the nation behind Creighton (.418) and Utah State (.410).
• CSU's 228 three-pointers are the second most in a season in program history, topped by the 2010-11 (237 three's).
• 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 498 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 47 straight games, the longest streak in school history.
20-20-20 VISION:
• The Vikings have three players who have amassed 20 assists, 20 steals and 20 blocked shots this year.
• Anton Grady has 53 assists, 28 blocks and 21 steals, while Marlin Mason has 33 assists, 33 blocks and 20 steals.
• Jon Harris has amassed 42 assists, 23 blocks and 30 steals and is the first player in program history to accomplish the feat without starting a game.
• The trio are the 13th, 14th and 15th players in school history to reach 20 in each category.
• It is the first time CSU has had three players accomplish the feat in the same season.
VIKINGS REACH 20 WINS:
• CSU enters the league tournament with a 21-10 record.
• The Vikings have won 10 of their last 11 games to reach 20 wons for the 10th time in school history and the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
• Eighth year head coach Gary Waters claims five of the ten 20-win seasons at CSU.
• The 1985-86 squad holds the school record with 29 wins.
10 IN THE LEAGUE:
• The Vikings finished 12-4 in the Horizon League.
• It is the sixth time in the last seven seasons that CSU reached double digits in league wins.
• It is the 11th time overall that the Vikings reached double-digit league wins.
• The 12 league wins are tied for the third most in a season in school history.
LEE AT THE LINE:
• Charlie Lee ranks second in the league and 10th in the nation in free throw percentage (77-85; .906).
• Lee had a string of 31 straight free throws end at Valparaiso (March 1). It was the second longest streak in CSU history.
• He also had a streak of 27 straight makes earlier 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 3-POINT RECORD:
• Bryn Forbes has made 75 three-pointers this year, the most in a season in program history.
• The old mark was 71 three's by Trey Harmon in 2011-12.
• Forbes has made a three-pointer in all 30 games he has played in this season.
• Forbes has made 136 career three-pointers and is closing in on the all-time top-10 list at CSU.
• He needs four more to move past Norris Cole (139 three's) into 10th place on the all-time list.
THE CENTURY MARK:
• Charlie Lee has 113 assists this year, while Trey Lewis has 105 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.
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 rank second in the league and are 38th 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 157 career wins at CSU.
• He passed Ray Dieringer who won 149 games (1969-83).
• Waters' .588 winning percentage at CSU is second all-time, Kevin Mackey (.673).
• Has five 20 win seasons at CSU over the last seven years.
• Waters is 328-245 (.572) 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 73.7 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 .746 (467-626) at the free throw line to rank first in the league and rank 25th 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.
UP NEXT:
• If CSU wins its semifinal game, the Vikings will advance to the Horizon League Championship on Tuesday (March 11) with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.