GAME #13
@ South Dakota
3 p.m. EST | Sat., Jan. 4
Vermillion, S.D.
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SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the non-league portion of its schedule this weekend, traveling to South Dakota for a 3:00 p.m. EST contest on Saturday, Jan. 4. Entering the weekend the Vikings stand at 5-7 on the year, while the Coyotes own an 8-6 mark. Saturday's contest will be just the second meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning the 1-0 advantage after earning a 60-46 victory last season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings dropped a 91-80 contest at Miami University last Sunday (Dec. 29), falling in consecutive games for the first time since early November. CSU was paced offensively by junior Cori Coleman who notched a career-high 27 points, while classmate Imani Gordon had a team-best seven boards. The Vikings combined for 13 three-pointers against the RedHawks - tying their season-best mark.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Keep the Vikings perfect against South Dakota all-time (2-0)…Give the Coyotes their first home loss of the season…Get the Vikings back on the winning track heading into the Horizon League slate.
SCOUTING THE COYOTES
South Dakota enters the contest with an 8-6 record after picking up an 81-70 victory over Valparaiso last time out…After going 2-5 to start the season, the Coyotes have now won six of their last seven contests and own a perfect 6-0 mark at home…South Dakota has three players averaging double-digit points; Nicole Seekamp (15.2), Raeshel Contreras (1.5), and Polly Harrington (10.4), while Tia Hemiller (9.1) is just shy of the double-digit mark…Seekamp also leads the team in steals (23), assists (45), and blocks (10), while Hemiller leads the Coyotes in rebounding (82)…South Dakota has been averaging 71.9 points per game, shooting .408 from the field, and outscoring their opponents by an average of 3.3 points per contest…The Coyotes have also owned the advantage in rebouding this season, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 4.6 boards per game.
COLEMAN BETTERS CAREER-HIGH AGAINST MIAMI
After posting a career-high 24 points against Indiana (Dec. 21), Cori Coleman bettered that mark at Miami University last Sunday (Dec. 29), notching 27 points against the RedHawks. Coleman went 10-for-16 from the field and 5-for-9 from three-point, marking career-highs in both categories. For the first time in her career, Coleman posted back-to-back 20-point games - and enters the weekend ranked 13th among Horizon League players averaging 13.6 points per game this season.
…AND NAMED HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following her career-high performance at Miami, Cori Coleman was named the Horizon League Player of the Week - earning the first weekly honor of her career. Over the last three games Coleman has picked up her offensive play, averaging 23.0 points per game on a 57-percent clip from the floor (23-for-40), and a 56-percent clip from behind-the-arc (13-for-23).
AIDEYMAN TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Through the first 12 games of the season, sophomore Adesuwa Aideyman has notched a team-best 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio, posting 34 assists and just 19 turnovers. The 19 turnovers marks a team-low out of the five Viking starters, while her 34 assists ranks second on the team. Aideyman is averaging 2.8 assists per game - just shy of making the 3.0 assist per game minimum for league stats - or else she would rank third among league players. So far this season, Aideyman has recorded more assists than turnovers in all but one game, including a season-best 5-to-1 mark last time out.
GORDON REACHES 100 REBOUNDS
Following her seven-rebound performance at Miami last Sunday, Imani Gordon reached the 100-rebound mark for the year - achieving the feat for the third straight season. Gordon, who now has 356 boards on her career, is one of only five Horizon League players to grab at least 100 boards this season. Gordon ranks fourth in the league averaging 8.3 rebounds per contest, while she ranks third in defensive boards (5.9 rpg), and 13th in offensive rebounds (2.4 rpg).
…GORDON ALSO CONVERTS ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Imani Gordon has also been one of Cleveland State's top offensive threats throughout the season - notching double-digit points in 11 of the first 12 games this year. Gordon leads the team and ranks eighth in the league averaging 15.8 points per game - one of just two players to rank in the top-10 in both scoring and rebounding.
COLEMAN CLOSING IN ON 3-POINT TOP-10 LIST
Following back-to-back games with five three-pointers, Cori Coleman is closing in on the career top-10 list at CSU, entering Saturday's contest with 109 career three-pointers. Coleman, who has notched a three-pointer in all but one game this season, is just 13 three-pointers shy of cracking the top-10 list. For the year, Coleman is shooting 40-percent from three-point (24-for-60), ranking seventh among league players.
…CLEVELAND STATE FROM BEHIND-THE-ARC
For the second time this season, the Vikings posted a season-best mark from behind-the-arc last time out, converting 13 three-point field goals at Miami (Dec. 29). The 13 three-point field goals is tied for fifth all-time in program history, as the Vikings also knocked down 13 shots from behind-the-arc against VCU earlier this season. For the year, CSU is shooting .367 (104-for-283) from three-point range - leading the Horizon League in the category.