GAME #22
Cleveland State @ Milwaukee
Thursday, February 11 | 12:00 p.m. EST | Milwaukee, Wis.
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Cleveland State @ Milwaukee
SETTING THE SCENE
After spending the last two weeks in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center, the Cleveland State women's basketball team will return to the road this weekend, beginning with a 12:00 p.m. EST contest at Milwaukee on Thursday, February 11. Thursday's contest will be Milwaukee's annual School Day Game, with over 1,500 kids expected to attend. Entering the weekend Cleveland State stands at 5-16 overall this season and 2-9 in Horizon League play, while Milwaukee is currently 12-9 overall and 6-4 in league action.
A WIN THURSDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins for the second time this season…Give the two teams a season split in the series…Put Cleveland State at 2-1 for the month of February…Bring Kate Peterson Abiad within five wins of the 175th of her head coaching career.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES
This will be the 50th meeting between the two teams, with Milwaukee owning a slight 26-23 advantage in the overall series. Milwaukee will become one of six opponents that the Vikings will face at least 50 times in program history. The last time Cleveland State won at Milwaukee was during the 2011-12 season, since then, the Vikings have dropped three straight in the Klotsche Center.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters Thursday's contest with a 12-9 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Horizon League play…The Panthers begin the week ranked fourth in the league standings…Although Milwaukee has won six of its last eight contests, the Panthers fell to Green Bay last time out, 69-46…As a team, the Panthers rank second in the league in free throw percentage (.732) and rebounding margin (+5.9), while they rank third in rebounding (40.7) and offensive rebounds (14.6)…Individually, Sierra Ford-Washington has been Milwaukee's top offensive threat, ranking 11th among league players averaging 13.4 points per game…Steph Kostowicz is right behind Ford-Washington, ranking 14th averaging 12.5 points per game and fourth averaging 8.8 rebounds per game…Jenny Lindner ranks second with a .887 free throw percentage, with Sydney Howard ranking fourth with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio.
VIKINGS PLAYING EXTRA
Last time out Cleveland State played in its second overtime game of the season, playing an extra five minutes to come away with an 88-75 victory against Oakland. So far this season the Vikings are 1-1 in overtime games, while they own a 10-2 record in overtime contests over the past seven seasons.
BOSLEY BLOCK PARTY
Shadae Bosley posted a career-high seven blocked shots against Oakland last time out, marking a season-high among Horizon League players this year. The seven blocked shots is also tied for second on the Cleveland State individual game record list, while it gives her 27 total blocks on the season. All seven of Bosley's blocked shots came during the second half and overtime against the Golden Grizzlies, with four coming during the final 2:45 of the fourth quarter. For her career, Bosley has 37 total blocks, ranking second among active Vikings (Alexis Eckles; 51).
VIKINGS ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Last time out, Cleveland State recorded double-digit steals for the 15th time this season, posting 10 takeaways against Oakland. The Vikings, who lead the Horizon League averaging 10.3 steals per game, have 217 total steals this season, including a season-high of 14 at Valparaiso (Jan. 21).
…SMITH ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Brooke Smith has been Cleveland State's top defensive player this season, as she is averaging a league-best 3.1 steals per game. Smith, who is the only league player to average more than 3.0 steals per game, has notched at least two steals in all but four games this season, and notched a career-high of eight against UNCG and Oakland earlier this year. Nationally, Smith ranks ninth with her 3.1 steals per game, while she also ranks 16th with her 66 total steals this season.
VIKINGS HAVE TWO PLAYERS WITH 20-POINT PERFORMANCES
For the first time this season two Vikings finished with 20-point performances in the same game, as Ashanti Abshaw and Khayla Livingston both tallied 24 points against Oakland. The duo combined for 48 of Cleveland State's 88 points on the game, with 24 of the points coming off of three-pointers. So far this season, Abshaw has been averaging a team-best 15.9 points per season, while Livingston ranks second on the team averaging 11.9 points per game - the only two Vikings to average double-digit points.
…LIVINGSTON NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH AGAINST OAKLAND
Khayla Livingston's 24-point performance against Oakland marked a career-high for the redshirt sophomore, while it also marked her fourth 20-point game of the season. Livingston was 6-for-13 from the floor against the Golden Grizzlies, including a 4-for-8 clip from three-point range. She was also a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, marking the seventh time this season that she was unblemished from the free throw line.
SEEING DOUBLE AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES
Last time out Ashanti Abshaw and Olivia Voskuhl both tallied double-doubles against Oakland, marking the second time this season that the duo has tallied double-doubles in the same game. Abshaw finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Voskuhl posted 17 points and 11 boards. This marked the sixth double-double of the season for Abshaw, and the second of the year for Voskuhl.
…ABSHAW TALLIES CAREER-HIGH AGAINST OAKLAND
Ashanti Abshaw's 17-rebound performance against Oakland marked a career-high for the redshirt freshman, as she topped her previous career-best of 13 boards that she last set at Detroit. Abshaw has been averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game this season, and is one of just two freshmen/redshirt freshmen under Kate Peterson Abiad to record at least 150 rebounds during their rookie campaigns (enters Thursday's game with 184 boards), joining Shalonda Winton (2009-12) who finished her career with a program-record 1,086 rebounds.
AIDEYMAN CONTINUES OFFENSIVE SURGE
Adesuwa Aideyman continued her offensive surge against Oakland last time out, notching 13 points - her second straight double-digit performance. Over the last two games Aideyman has been averaging 15.0 points per game, while she entered last week averaging just 7.4 ppg. During the last two games, 21 of Aideyman's 30 points have come on three-pointers, as she has been shooting 58-percent from behind-the-arc (7-for-12) over this stretch. She is now just four points shy of 500 for her career, entering Thursday's game with 496 career points.
LIVINGSTON FROM BEHIND-THE-ARC
Redshirt sophomore Khayla Livingston currently sits atop the Cleveland State career record book with a .398 three-point field goal percentage (71-for-178), and has been Cleveland State's top three-point shooter this season. For the year, Livingston is 47-for-114 (.412) from behind-the-arc, converting at least one three-pointer in all but one contest this year, including a career-high six at Detroit earlier this season. Among Horizon League players, Livingston ranks fifth with her .412 clip from behind-the-arc and ranks sixth averaging 2.2 three-pointers per game.
