GAME #1
at Butler
7 p.m. | Fri., Nov. 8
Game Links:
Live Stats | Live Video
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open the 2013-14 season this weekend, traveling to Butler for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Friday, November 8. Friday's game will mark the start of the 40th season of Cleveland State women's basketball, and the 11th under current head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. The Vikings return six letterwinners and three starters from last year's team, including Preseason Horizon League Second Team honoree Cori Coleman.
PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE
For the 2013-14 season the Vikings return a core group of starters in the junior trio of Cori Coleman (12.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg), Kiersten Green (10.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.9 apg), and Imani Gordon (7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 apg). Last season this group combined for 86 starts and accounted for 45-percent of CSU's offense. The Vikings will also have veteran leadership from Haley Schmitt (5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.6 apg) this season, who returns for her final campaign in a Viking uniform as the lone senior on the roster. Sophomores Adesuwa Aideyman (0.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.5 apg) and Allison Mitchell (0.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg, 0.0 apg) round out the returning letterwinners for the 2013-14 campaign, and will be joined by four freshmen; guards Chrishna Butler (Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln), Khayla Livingston (Hollywood, Fla./Archbishop Edward McCarthy), Brooke Smith (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), and forward Olivia Voskuhl (Elsmere, Ky./Notre Dame Academy).
SCOUTING BUTLER
Butler returns nine letterwinners and three starters for the 2013-14 season under 12-year head coach Beth Couture. Last season the Bulldogs recorded a 17-14 overall mark, advancing to the first round of the WNIT. Senior Daress McClung led the returning letterwinners in points (16.4 ppg), rebounds (9.0 rpg), and steals (2.2 spg) last season, while junior Taylor Schippers averaged a team-high 4.0 assists per game. Butler's nine returning letterwinners will be joined by five newcomers - three freshman and two transfers. In their lone exhibition of the season last Sunday, the Bulldogs defeated DePauw, 63-41.
VIKINGS VICTORIOUS IN LONE EXHIBITION CONTEST
Cleveland State hosted Ursuline College in its lone exhibition contest of the 2013-14 season last Sunday (Nov. 3), defeating the Arrows, 87-59. Imani Gordon and Cori Coleman each tallied double-doubles to the lead the Vikings - Gordon with 22 points and 13 rebounds and Coleman with 28 points and 15 boards. Adesuwa Aideyman also posted double-digit points for CSU (12 points), including a trio of three-pointers.
…VIKING FRESHMEN SEE FIRST COLLEGIATE ACTION
All four freshmen saw time in the exhibition contest last Sunday, with all four of them recording statistics. Brooke Smith (Twinsburg, Ohio) led the quartet with six points, five rebounds and three assists, while Chrishna Butler (Gahanna, Ohio) tallied three points and three rebounds, Khayla Livingston (Hollywood, Fla.) posted two points, three boards and three steals, and Olivia Voskuhl (Elsmere, Ky.) recorded two rebounds and one assist.
HEAD COACH KATE PETERSON ABIAD
Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson Abiad is entering her 11th season at the helm of the Vikings, and enters the 2013-14 season with a 131-176 career mark at CSU. Peterson Abiad became the winningest coach in program history during the 2011-12 season, and is just 19 wins shy of reaching the 150-win milestone. During her tenure, Peterson Abiad has led the Vikings to four 19-win seasons, two Horizon League Championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
COLEMAN NAMED PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE
Junior Cori Coleman was named to the 2013-14 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team in voting conducted by the league's nine head coaches, sports information directors and select media. Coleman's selection to the preseason team marked her first Horizon League honor and the eighth straight year that a Viking has earned preseason recognition. Among Horizon League returners, Coleman finished the 2012-13 season ranked third in field goal percentage (.428) and steals (1.8), fifth in scoring (12.5), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.365), and seventh in three-point field goals made (1.8).
…COLEMAN PICKS UP COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS HONOR
Along with her Horizon League accolades, Coleman also picked up preseason honors from College Sports Madness - who recently announced its version of the Horizon League preseason teams.
VIKING COACHING STAFF CHANGES
During the offseason, Kate Peterson Abiad made some changes to her coaching staff, including promoting Bernard Scott to Associate Head Coach. The 2013-14 season will mark Scott's fourth year with the team. Darryl Brown joined the Viking family as an assistant coach - coming to CSU after spending five seasons at Pepperdine. Former Viking Kaila Montgomery (2008-13) was named the Graduate Assistant, after spending four years in a Cleveland State uniform.
CSU VS. TEAMS IN 2013 POSTSEASON
The Vikings will play 11 games against teams that advanced to postseason play last year, including Green Bay who made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. CSU will also face five teams that made it to the WNIT - Butler, IUPUI, East Carolina, Miami (Ohio) & Youngstown State - and two teams that appeared in the WBI - Detroit & South Dakota.