GAME #22
vs. Wright State
Sat., Feb. 8 | 2 p.m.
Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio
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Live Stats | Live Video
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will look to continue its winning ways this weekend, as the Vikings host Wright State at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 8). Entering the weekend CSU stands at 10-11 overall and 5-3 in Horizon League play, while Wright State is 17-6 overall and 6-2 in league action. The Vikings will be going for the season sweep of the Raiders, as CSU earned a 98-82 victory at Wright State earlier this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings handed league-leading Youngstown State its first Horizon League loss of the season last Saturday, defeating the Penguins, 84-80. The Vikings grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes of the contest at the 11:06 mark in the second half, and were able to hold on for the four-point victory. All five starters notched double-figure points for CSU, while Imani Gordon tallied a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Give CSU the season sweep of Wright State…Put the Vikings back to .500 on the season (11-11)…Mark a three-game win streak for the second time this season…Keep the Vikings undefeated in the month of February.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters Saturday's contest with a 17-6 overall record and a 6-2 mark in league play…After winning their last two contests, the Raiders are in a three-way tie for first place in the league standings…WSU has gone 4-1 since the Wright State/Cleveland State contest earlier this season (Jan. 12)…The Raiders are averaging a league-best 80.7 points per contest this year, and have scored at least 90 points eight times this season…WSU also leads the league in steals (10.2) and turnover margin (+9.8), and is tied for the lead in three-point field goals made per game (8.5)…WSU's Kim Demmings is the first league player to reach 500 points this season, and leads the league averaging 21.7 points per game…Abby Jump leads the league with a .443 three-point field goal percentage, converting 31 of her 70 attempts…Tayler Stanton ranks fourth averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.
#THINKPINK
Saturday's contest against Wright State will be the Vikings' annual Think Pink game, with Cleveland State players trading in their normal green & white jerseys for pink jerseys. At all women's home games during the month of February, fans will be able to purchase pink sunglasses for $5, with all proceeds benefitting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. For more information on the Play 4Kay initiative, visit www.WBCA.org.
COLEMAN NAMED HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season Cori Coleman picked up weekly honors from the Horizon League, as she was named the Player of the Week following her performances against Valparaiso (Jan. 27) and Youngstown State (Feb. 1). Coleman notched back-to-back 20-point performances against the Crusaders and the Penguins, leading the Vikings to a pair of wins. Over the two games, Coleman was 16-for-28 (.571) from the field and 8-for-17 (.471) from three-point.
…COLEMAN CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Following her back-to-back 20-point performances last week, Cori Coleman now has 937 career points. Coleman, who needs just 63 more points (an average of 7.8 ppg) to become the 24th Viking to record 1,000 points on their career, ranks ninth in the league averaging 15.2 points per game this season.
GORDON NOTCHES SEVENTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Imani Gordon tallied her seventh double-double of the season against Youngstown State last weekend, notching 11 points and 11 rebounds. Gordon, who ranks seventh in scoring (17.0 ppg) and second in rebounding (9.4 rpg), is one of just three Horizon League players with at least seven double-doubles on the season.
CSU ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Last time out, Cleveland State grabbed a season-high 46 rebounds, including a season-high 23 offensive boards. Entering the contest, CSU was averaging just 32.3 rebounds and 11.1 offensive boards per game. Imani Gordon and Cori Coleman each tallied six offensive boards, while Kiersten Green added five to lead the Vikings. The 23 offensive boards is the second best mark among league teams this season.
GREEN FILLING THE STAT SHEET
Following a career-high tying eight assists and 19 points against Youngstown State, Kiersten Green became the first Viking and second league player (Wright State's Tay'ler Mingo) to record 300 points, 70 assists, and 30 steals this season. Entering Saturday's contest Green has 315 points, 71 assists, and 32 steals - ranking 10th among league players in scoring and assists, and 12th in steals.
CLEVELAND STATE OFFENSE
Through the first 21 games of the season the Vikings have three players averaging double-digit points - with all three of them ranking in the top-10 in the league standings. Imani Gordon ranks seventh (17.0 ppg), Cori Coleman ranks ninth (15.2 ppg) and Kiersten Green ranks 10th (15.0 ppg), making Cleveland State the only team with three players ranked in the top-10. Cleveland State is also the only team that has three players averaging 15 or more points per game.
VIKING STARTING FIVE
So far this season Cleveland State is the only Horizon League team to start the same starting lineup in all of their games, as Imani Gordon, Adesuwa Aideyman, Cori Coleman, Kiersten Green, and Haley Schmitt have started all 21 games for the Vikings. All five starters are averaging at least 23.0 minutes per game, led by Gordon who is averaging 37.7 minutes per contest.
…STARTING FIVE ON FIRE OFFENSIVELY
All five players in CSU's starting lineup tallied double-digit points against Youngstown State last Saturday (Coleman-22, Green-19, Aideyman-14, Schmitt-12, Gordon-11), marking just the third time this has happened under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. The Vikings are the third league team to have all five starters tally double-digits in a league matchup, as UIC and Wright State both achieved the feat earlier this season.
COLEMAN ON THE 3-POINT TOP-10 LIST
Cori Coleman has now tallied multiple three-pointers in the last four games - and six of the last seven - notching a team-high 46 on the season. Coleman enters Saturday's contest ranked eighth on the CSU career three-point list with 131 converted shots from behind-the-arc. She needs just two more three-pointers to move into seventh place and eight more to move into sixth place on the list. For the year, Coleman ranks fourth among league players averaging 2.2 three-pointers per game.
…CSU CLOSING IN ON 3-POINT SINGLE-SEASON LIST
After posting 10 three-pointers against Youngstown State - the 10th time that the Vikings have tallied at least 10 three-pointers this season - Cleveland State now has 179 three-pointers on the season, and is closing in on a top-five single-season mark. The Vikings, who are averaging a league-best 8.5 three-pointers per game, are just 12 three-pointers shy of cracking the top-five, and just 21 three-pointers shy of becoming the fifth team in program history to convert 200 shots from behind-the-arc in a single season.