GAME #6
vs. IUPUI
5 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 30
Greenville, N.C.
Live Stats
GAME #7
at East Carolina
2:30 p.m. | Sun., Dec. 1
Greenville, N.C.
Live Stats | Subscription Video
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will hit the road for the first time in three weeks, as the Vikings are set to participate in the ECU Pirate Thanksgiving Tournament. The tournament field consists of IUPUI, the Vikings and East Carolina. Cleveland State will open the weekend with a 5:00 p.m. contest against IUPUI on Saturday, November 30, before taking on the host Pirates at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 1. The Vikings enter the tournament with a 2-3 record, after going 2-2 during their four-game homestand.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings got back on the winning track Wednesday afternoon, earning a 76-67 victory over Morehead State. After getting down early on in the contest, CSU responded with a 29-2 run that gave the Vikings control of the contest and a lead that they would hold for the rest of the game. Once again the Vikings had three players score in double-figures - Kiersten Green (21), Imani Gordon (19), and Haley Schmitt (11).
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI enters the tournament with a 5-1 mark so far this season, with its lone loss coming against No. 22 Purdue. The Jaguars own a perfect 2-0 mark on the road this year, and will face East Carolina prior to Saturday's matchup against CSU. IUPUI is averaging 77.3 points per game, and has just one player averaging double-digit points - DeAirra Goss (10.7). Along with Goss, the Jaguars have four other players averaging at least 8.0 points per game. Shanika Maddox has a team-high .639 field goal percentage (23-36), while Nevena Markovic has a .610 clip from the floor (25-41). Shanika Maddox (6.3 rpg) and Mikale Rogers (5.2 rpg) lead the team in rebounding, combining for 69 boards through the first five games.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
East Carolina enters the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record - marking the first time since the 2009-10 season that ECU has opened the season on a five-game winning streak. Through the first five contests, ECU has earned victories over Virginia Intermont, George Mason, William & Mary, Loyola Maryland, and Elon. The Pirates have averaged 81.4 points per game so far this season, and have outscored their opponents by an average of 21.2 points per game. East Carolina has two players averaging double-digit points - Jada Payne (18.6) and Abria Trice (16.4) - while Kristine Mial is just shy with 9.5 points per contest. The Pirates have been averaging 46.6 rebounds per game this season, with Ondrea Shaw averaging a team-high 7.0 per contest.
GORDON SETS CAREER-HIGH…AGAIN
After posting a career-high 18 points against Florida Atlantic last weekend, junior Imani Gordon did that one better against Morehead State (Nov. 27), posting 19 points against the Eagles. Gordon was 5-for-9 from the field against MSU and 8-for-10 from the free throw line, while also adding five rebounds and one steal.
GREEN TALLIES ANOTHER 20-POINT PERFORMANCE
For the second time this season Kiersten Green posted a 20-point performance, scoring a team-high 21 points against Morehead State. Green, who ranks fourth in the league averaging 18.6 points per game, has posted double-digit points in every contest this season, including a career-high of 28 in the season opener against Butler (Nov. 8). She is also now one of seven league players with multiple 20-point performances this season.
SCHMITT & GREEN EFFICIENT FROM THE FIELD
Senior Haley Schmitt and junior Kiersten Green have been efficient from the floor through the first five games of the season, ranking third and fourth in the league, respectively, in field goal percentage. Schmitt has tallied a .548 field goal percentage (17-31), while Green has notched a .529 clip from the floor (27-51). Imani Gordon is close behind, ranking seventh with a .469 shooting percentage, making Cleveland State the only school with three players ranked in the top-10 in the category.
…VIKINGS FROM THE FIELD
As a team, the Vikings lead the league with a .444 field goal percentage (120-270), while also leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (.389, 37-95). CSU had a season-high .547 clip (29-53) from the floor against Florida Atlantic (Nov. 23), and followed that up with a .512 clip (21-41) against Morehead State - notching the top-two performances among league teams so far this season.
GREEN FROM BEHIND THE ARC
Kiersten Green currently leads the team and the league with a .600 three-point field goal percentage, knocking down nine three-pointers so far this season. Green has tallied at least one three-pointer in four of the five games this year, including a career-best five against Butler (Nov. 8).
COLEMAN MAKING THE STEAL
Junior Cori Coleman enters the weekend averaging a league-high 2.6 steals per contest, and has notched at least one steal in all but one game so far this season. Against Lake Erie (Nov. 14), Coleman tallied a career-high seven steals - which also marks a league-high after the first four weeks of play.
GORDON IN THE LEAGUE STATS
Entering the weekend Imani Gordon ranks seventh in the Horizon League in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and ninth in scoring (14.8 ppg), one of five league players to be ranked in the top-10 in both categories. Gordon, who has a team-high 40 boards on the season, ranks second in defensive rebounds only, averaging 6.6 per game.