GAME #22
@ Green Bay | Sat., Feb. 7 | 2:00 p.m. EST | Green Bay, Wis.
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Cleveland State @ Green Bay
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will conclude its three-game roadswing Saturday afternoon (Feb. 7), traveling to Horizon League leader Green Bay for a 2:00 p.m. EST contest. Entering the matchup Cleveland State stands at 13-8 overall this season and 5-3 in league play, while Green Bay is 17-4 overall and 7-1 in league games. This will be the 62nd meeting between the two teams, with Green Bay owning a 56-5 advantage in the overall series.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Put Cleveland State on a four-game winstreak for the first time this season…Snap a nine-game winstreak for the Phoenix in the series…Give Green Bay back-to-back loses for the first time this season…Put Cleveland State at 2-0 to start the month of February for the third time under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay enters Saturday's contest with a 17-4 overall record and a Horizon League best 7-1 mark in league action…The Phoenix snapped an eight-game winstreak and dropped their first league contest of the season last time out, falling to Oakland (70-67)…In league contests only, Green Bay leads all teams in scoring defense (53.1 ppg), scoring margin (+13.8), field goal percentage defense (.340), and assists (17.0)…Overall this season the Phoenix are allowing their opponents to average just 57.6 points per game…Individually, Megan Lukan leads the league averaging 5.3 assists per game in league contests only, while Kaili Lukan ranks second with a .900 free throw percentage (18-for-20).
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings won their third straight contest last time out, earning a 75-73 overtime victory at UIC. After trailing by 10 points at the halftime break, the Vikings were able to post a strong second half surge and then carried the momentum into the overtime period. Imani Gordon led the Vikings with 23 points, while Alexis Eckles tallied her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Saturday's contest against Green Bay will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, as the Phoenix earned a 65-61 victory at Cleveland State earlier this season (Jan. 22). In the first meeting, Imani Gordon tallied a team-high 20 points along with a team-high seven rebounds, while Cori Coleman added 16 points and Kiersten Green added 13. As a team, the Vikings shot 45-percent from the field (20-for-44), and recorded 13 assists on their 20 made field goals.
FIRST HALF OF LEAGUE PLAY
Saturday's contest at Green Bay will mark the beginning of the second half of the Horizon League slate for the Vikings, as Cleveland State tallied a 5-3 record during the first half of league play. The Vikings' 5-3 record puts them third in the league standings, while it also marks the second straight season that the Vikings enter the second half of league play with a 5-3 record.
CLEVELAND STATE IN OVERTIME GAMES
Wednesday's game at UIC marked the first overtime contest of the 2014-15 season for the Vikings, and the 12th under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. CSU owns an 8-4 record in overtime contests under Peterson Abiad, and a 21-16 record overall. The contest also marked just the second overtime game between Horizon League schools this season.
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
The Vikings have improved their rebounding efforts over the last few weeks, notching 40 or more boards in five of the last six games. During this six-game span, the Vikings are averaging 40.5 rebounds per game, compared to 35.8 boards per game that CSU was averaging prior to this stretch. On the season, Alexis Eckles has a team-high 155 rebounds, while Imani Gordon has grabbed 138 boards and Cori Coleman has notched 123.
ECKLES NOTCHES BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Alexis Eckles recorded her fourth double-double over the last six games and her second straight last time out, posting 11 points and 10 rebounds at UIC. Eckles now has six double-doubles on the season - one of six Horizon League players with at least six double-doubles this year. Over the last six games, Eckles has been just shy of averaging a double-double, with 10.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. During this stretch Eckles has also notched a team-high .542 clip from the field (26-for-48).
…ECKLES ON THE BLOCK
Entering Saturday's contest, Alexis Eckles ranks second averaging 1.3 blocked shots per game in league contests only. Eckles, who has notched a team-high 32 blocked shots this season, is just four shy of cracking the CSU single-season record list. In addition, Eckles also has the highest amount of career blocks out of all current Vikings - achieving the mark in just one season of play.
GREEN CRACKS TOP-20 SCORING LIST
Following her 21-point performance at Oakland last Saturday, senior Kiersten Green cracked the top-20 on the CSU career scoring list. Green, who is averaging 12.1 points per game this season, enters Saturday's contest ranked 20th on the list with 1,111 career points. Green has notched almost 40-percent of her points off of three-pointers, as she also ranks seventh on the CSU career three-point field goal list with 142 converted shots from behind-the-arc.
…GORDON & COLEMAN CONTINUE TO CLIMB SCORING LIST
Seniors Cori Coleman and Imani Gordon are also on the CSU career scoring list - Coleman ranking eighth with 1,419 points and Gordon ranking 16th with 1,145 points. The senior trio of Coleman, Gordon, and Green has combined for 941 of Cleveland State's 1,496 points so far this season - accounting for 63-percent of CSU's offense. This trio also represents the first time in program history that three Vikings on the same roster have recorded 1,000 career points.
VIKINGS IN CLOSE GAMES
Through 21 games so far this season for the Vikings, 14 have been decided by eight points or less, including Wednesday's contest at UIC (75-73 OT). Cleveland State owns a 10-4 record when games are decided by eight points or less this season, including a 4-1 mark in Horizon League play. In the 10 wins, CSU has outscored its opponents 124-106 over the last five minutes of the contest, including a 65-for-88 performance from the free throw line.
COLEMAN CLOSING IN ON 1,400 POINTS, 200 ASSISTS, 200 STEALS
With just one more steal, Cori Coleman would become the third Viking all-time with 1,400 points, 200 assists, and 200 steals on their career. Coleman, who enters Saturday's contest with 1,419 points, 205 assists, and 199 steals, would join Viking greats Audra Cook (1996-00) and Shawnita Garland (2007-11) in the exclusive club. Coleman would also become the first current Horizon League player to achieve the feat.
GORDON ON THE REBOUNDING CHARTS
Senior Imani Gordon continues to improve her standing on the Cleveland State career rebounding charts - entering Saturday's contest ranked 10th with 677 total rebounds, fourth with 459 defensive rebounds, and eighth with 218 offensive boards. So far this season Gordon is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game, and is just 23 rebounds shy of becoming the 10th Viking all-time to record 700 rebounds on their career.
