GAME #6
Cleveland State (1-4) at RV Arkansas State (6-1)
Wednesday, November 30 | 8:00 pm ET | Jonesboro, Ark.
Live Stats | Live Video | AM 1420 WHK
PDF GAME NOTES
Cleveland State at Arkansas State
GAME PREVIEW:
• Cleveland State concludes its four-game road trip with an 8:00 pm ET contest at Arkansas State on Wednesday (Nov. 30).
• The Vikings are 1-4 this year following a 78-71 setback at Duquesne on Sunday (Nov. 27) as CSU has been away from home for four of its first five games this season.
• Arkansas State is 6-1 this year and has won six straight since losing the season opener. The Redwolves earned a 97-89 win over Lehigh at home on Sunday (Nov. 27).
• ASU received one vote in this week's AP Top-25 poll.
• Wednesday's game will be broadcast on AM 1420 and AM 1440 with Al Pawlowski providing the play-by-play.
THE ARKANSAS STATE SERIES:
• Wednesday's game will be the first-ever meeting between CSU and Arkansas State in men's basketball.
• This will be the second of five teams that CSU will be playing for the first time in program history this year (UT-Martin, Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Purdue, Lake Erie).
GAME 5 REVIEW: DUQUESNE 78, CSU 71 (11/27/16)
• CSU used an 18-0 run midway through the second half to tie the game at 61-61 with 5:18 to play, but Duquesne used a 10-4 run over the final three minutes to claim the win.
• Kasheem Thomas tallied 16 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals for CSU.
• Rob Edwards had 15 points and eight rebounds, whle Jibri Blount finished with nine points and four rebounds.
• Kenny Carpenter scored 13 points off the bench.
FLANNIGAN & HALES MAKE SEASON DEBUTS:
• Senior Demonte Flannigan and junior Terrell Hales both made their season debuts on Sunday (Nov. 27) at Duquesne.
• Flannigan (ill) and Hales (hamstring) each missed the first four games of the year due to injuries.
• Flannigan played 19 minutes off the bench on Sunday, scoring six points with one rebound.
• Hales played one minute off the bench at Duquesne.
FOR THREE:
• CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school-record 571 straight games.
• The Vikings have hit at least three three's in 119 straight games.
• The last time CSU failed to make a three-pointer was Feb. 21, 1998, when the Vikings were 0-for-8 in a 60-57 win over Detroit.
EDWARDS NETS CAREER HIGH:
• Sophomore Rob Edwards scored a career-high 28 points in the Nov. 23 setback at No. 1 ranked Kentucky.
• Edwards also set career-highs in field goals made (12) and attempted (21).
• His old career-high was 26 points set last season at Detroit.
• Edwards has six career 20-point games, including two this year.
... AND PROVES WORTHY OF PRESEASON HONOR:
• Sophomore Rob Edwards was named to the preseason All-Horizon League second team.
• He ranks seventh in the Horizon League in scoring (18.8) and has averaged 21.7 points over the last three contests.
• Edwards is ranked 11th in the League in field goal pecentage, shooting .493 (35-71) from the floor.
• Last year, he averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game last year, earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman team.
• He started 30 games last year, the most for a freshman in CSU history, and also logged a CSU freshman record 994 minutes.
KASH DROPPING DIMES:
• Freshman Kasheem Thomas ranks second in the Horizon League with 5.0 assists per game.
• Thomas' 25 assists are the fifth most by a League player this year.
• He has recorded at least six assists in three games this year with nine in the season opener vs. Kent State (Nov. 12), seven against Canisius (Nov. 15) and six assists at Duquense (Nov. 27).
• Thomas has a 2.1 assist-to-turnover-ratio, committing just 12 turnovers to his 25 assists to rank fifth in the League.
... AND HE'S JUST A FRESHMAN:
• Kasheem Thomas is averaging 7.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists through five games.
• Thomas became the first CSU freshman to start a season opener since 2003-04 (Walt Waters) when he drew a starting assignment vs. Kent State (Nov. 12).
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
• Sophomore Jibri Blount is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount who played 14 seasons for the Black and Gold.
• As a starting forward this year, he is averaging 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• Blount tied his career-high with 11 rebounds at UT-Martin (Nov. 18).
• Blount had a strong freshman season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 29 games, including five starts.
WORD UP:
• Junior Bobby Word made his CSU debut against Kent State (Nov. 12). He sat out last season after transferring from Oral Robets.
• He ranks 18th in the League in scoring (11.8), fourth in three-pointers (2.4) and 14th in three-point percentage (.375; 12-32).
• Word scored a team-high 17 points against Kent State (Nov. 12), hitting four three-pointers and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
• As a sophomore at ORU, Word averaged 8.4 points and was tops on the team with 56 three's.
• He scored in double figures 14 times, including a career-high 22 points in the second round of the CBI against Loyola (Ill.).
THE LONE SENIOR:
• Demonte Flannigan is the lone senior on this year's 17 player roster. He made his season debut on Sunday at Duquense (Nov. 27) after missing the first four games (ill).
• Last season, Flannigan ranked second on team in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (5.4).
• He was also 10th in the League in blocked shots (0.9), 13th in field goal percentage (.485), 16th in rebounding, 21st in scoring.
• He posted five double-doubles as a junior and poured in a career-high 30 points in a win at Youngstown State (Feb. 13).
SLOAN STEPS IN:
• With Demonte Flannigan out of the lineup to start the season, junior Derek Sloan has started the first five games of the season.
• Sloan has responded well, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds, while shooting .632 (12-19) from the field.
• Sloan set career highs in points (10) and rebounds (7) against Canisius (Nov. 15), hitting five of his seven shots from the floor in just 17 minutes.
• He made 4-of-5 field goals at UT-Martin (Nov. 18), tying his career high with 10 points.
UP NEXT:
• The Vikings return home on Saturday (Dec. 3) when CSU hosts Bethune Cookman at 12:00 pm at Quicken Loans Arena.
• CSU will play its second and final game of the season at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 7) when the Viking host Western Michigan at 7:00 pm.