GAME #24
Wright State | Wednesday, Feb. 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
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Cleveland State vs. Wright State
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out its brief two-game homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 18), hosting Wright State at 7:00 p.m. Entering the contest, the Vikings rank third in the Horizon League standings with a 14-9 overall record and a 6-4 mark in league play, while the Raiders rank second with a 19-6 overall mark and 8-3 record in the league. This will be the 65th meeting between the two teams, with the Vikings holding a slight 34-30 advantage in the overall series.
A WIN WEDNESDAY WOULD…
Give Cleveland State back-to-back wins for the fifth time this season…Mark CSU's fifth win out of its last six games…Improve the Vikings to 11-2 at home this season - and 5-1 in league contests…Split the season series between the two teams…Give the Vikings 15 wins for the first time over the past four seasons.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters Wednesday's contest ranked second in the Horizon League standings, owning a 19-6 overall record and an 8-3 mark in league games…The Raiders have won five out of their last six contests, the lone loss coming at league-leading Green Bay (61-45)…Wright State leads the league averaging 78.0 points per game, while the Raiders are also tops in the league with a +15.2 scoring margin…The Raiders grab a league-best 45.8 rebounds per game, with Tayler Stanton ranking second individually averaging 10.6 boards per game…Tay'ler Mingo is averaging a league-best 22.8 points per game - the only league player to average 20 or more points…Mingo also leads the league averaging 5.6 assists per game and 3.6 steals per game.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings picked up their second overtime victory of the season last Saturday, earning an 80-74 overtime victory against Oakland. Saturday's win gave CSU the season sweep of the Grizzlies, while it also improved the Vikings to 2-1 during the month of February. Cori Coleman (22 pts, 10 rbs) and Imani Gordon (21 pts, 10 rbs) both notched double-doubles on the contest, while Kiersten Green tallied 19 points - giving the senior trio 62 of Cleveland State's 80 points.
THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Wednesday's contest against Wright State will be the second matchup of the season, as the Raiders captured an 82-65 victory in Fairborn last month. Alexis Eckles recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Raiders, while Cori Coleman notched a team-high 23 points and became the all-time leading three-point shooter in program history after knocking down five triples.
VIKINGS WITH THE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
So far this season Cleveland State has been able to take advantage of its home court, owning a 10-2 record while playing at home this season. The Vikings' 10 wins at home is tied for sixth most in program history, and makes the 2014-15 team just the seventh squad in program history to post double-digit wins at home. If CSU is able to win the remaining three home games (vs. Wright State, Youngstown State & UIC), the Vikings would tie the record for most home wins in a season (13).
CLEVELAND STATE IN OVERTIME GAMES
Saturday's game against Oakland marked the second overtime contest of the 2014-15 season for the Vikings, and the 13th under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. CSU owns a 9-4 record in overtime contests under Peterson Abiad, and a 22-16 record overall. The contest also marked just the fourth overtime game between Horizon League schools this season.
VIKINGS ON THE GLASS
Last time out the Vikings notched a season-high 50 rebounds, grabbing 13 offensive boards and 37 defensive boards against Oakland. This is just the second time that the Vikings have posted 50 rebounds in a single game over the last three seasons, also doing so at Illinois during the 2012-13 season. For the year, CSU is averaging 36.3 rebounds per game, but over the last six games the Vikings have been averaging 41.5 boards.
…INDIVIDUAL REBOUNDING PERFORMANCES
Three Vikings are averaging at least 6.0 rebounds per game so far this season, with Alexis Eckles averaging 7.3 boards, Imani Gordon notching 6.7 rebounds, and Cori Coleman posting 6.1 rebounds. This trio has accounted for 462 rebounds this season, including 161 offensive boards. Eckles ranks ninth among Horizon League players with her 7.3 rebounds per game, while Gordon ranks 11th and Coleman ranks 12th.
GORDON & COLEMAN DOUBLE-DOUBLES
For the first time this season, the Vikings had two players notch double-doubles in the same game, as Imani Gordon and Cori Coleman both notched double-doubles against Oakland last Saturday. Gordon recorded her third double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Coleman tallied her second double-double with 22 points and 10 boards against the Grizzlies.
ECKLES ON THE BLOCK
Entering Wednesday's contest, Alexis Eckles ranks second among Horizon League players averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game. Eckles, who has notched a team-high 36 blocks this season, ranks 10th on the single-season record list and needs five more to move into ninth place on the 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.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Cleveland State senior trio of Cori Coleman (394 pts), Imani Gordon (368), and Kiersten Green (276) has combined for 1,038 of CSU's 1,626 points so far this season - accounting for 63-percent of CSU's offense. All three seniors are ranked in the top-20 on the CSU career scoring list, Coleman ranking seventh with 1,464 points, Gordon ranking 14th (1,176), and Green ranking 20th (1,132). 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 23 games so far this season for the Vikings, 15 have been decided by eight points or less, including Saturday's 80-74 overtime victory against Oakland. Cleveland State owns an 11-4 record when games are decided by eight points or less this season, including a 5-1 mark in Horizon League play. In the 11 wins, CSU has outscored its opponents 138-114 over the last five minutes of the contest, including a 73-for-99 performance from the free throw line.
COLEMAN CLOSING IN ON 1,500 POINTS, 200 ASSISTS, 200 STEALS
Entering Wednesday's contest against Wright State, Cori Coleman is just 36 points shy of becoming the second Viking all-time with 1,500 points, 200 assists, and 200 steals on their career. Coleman, who enters Wednesday's contest with 1,464 points, 209 assists, and 206 steals, would join Viking great Audra Cook (1996-00) 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 Wednesday's contest ranked 10th with 693 total rebounds, fourth with 468 defensive rebounds, and eighth with 225 offensive boards. So far this season Gordon is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, and is just seven rebounds shy of becoming the 10th Viking all-time to record 700 rebounds on their career.
