GAME #28
Cleveland State vs. Detroit
Thursday, February 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
PDF GAME NOTES
Cleveland State vs. Detroit
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will begin the final week of regular season play on Thursday evening, hosting the Detroit Mercy Titans at 7:00 p.m. Entering Thursday's Horizon League contest the Vikings stand at 13-14 overall this season and 8-8 in league play after picking up a victory over NKU last time out, while Detroit stands at 15-12 overall this year and 11-5 in league play.
A WIN THURSDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins for the fifth time this season…Put the Vikings back at .500 for the year…Give Cleveland State a split in the season series against Detroit…Give the Vikings a 4-3 record during the month of February.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DETROIT SERIES
This will be the 57th meeting between the two teams, with Detroit owning a 39-17 advantage in the overall series. Detroit has picked up four straight wins against the Vikings entering Thursday's game, including a 66-54 victory earlier this season. UDM head coach Bernard Scott is a familiar face for the Vikings, as he served as an associate head coach on the Cleveland State sideline from 2010-15.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 15-12 and a Horizon League mark of 11-5…The Titans have won five of their last seven games, most recently defeating league-leading Wright State, 85-80…Detroit is currently tied for third in the league standings with just two games left in the regular season…Three Titans are averaging double-digit points this season, led by Rosanna Reynolds who ranks fifth in the league with 16.2 points per game…Reynolds also ranks second in assists (5.2), while Brianne Cohen (.596) and Kelsey Mitchell (.575) hold the top-two spots in the league in field goal percentage.
LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings got back on the winning track, picking up a 77-58 victory over Northern Kentucky to sweep the season series. Cleveland State had four players finish in double-figures, led by Khayla Livingston with 19 points. Ashanti Abshaw posted 15 points on the game, and became the 27th Viking all-time to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career.
VIKINGS RETURN TO THE WOLSTEIN CENTER
After playing the first half of the month away from home, Cleveland State will finally return to the Wolstein Center for a four-game homestand to close out the regular season. The Vikings have been on the road for seven of their last nine contests, and haven't had more than a two-game homestand since non-league play back in November.
#THINK PINK
For the remainder of the 2016-17 regular season, the Vikings will be trading in their normal green & white jerseys and wearing special pink uniforms in honor of the team's annual #ThinkPink initiative. Throughout all of the games fans will be able to purchase raffle tickets to win one of the pink jerseys, with all funds going to Play4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
ABSHAW REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
After posting 15 points against Northern Kentucky last time out, redshirt sophomore Ashanti Abshaw eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, finishing the game with 1,007 career points. Abshaw became the 27th Viking all-time to reach the 1,000-point milestone, and the 11th under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. Abshaw achieved the 1,000-point feat in her 62nd game as a Viking, becoming the third fastest Cleveland State player to reach the scoring milestone.
…CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS & 500 REBOUNDS
Entering Thursday's game against Detroit, Ashanti Abshaw is closing in on becoming the first Viking since the 2014-15 season to eclipse 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Entering the week, Abshaw has 1,007 points and 483 rebounds on her career, leading all current Vikings in both categories. With 17 more boards, Abshaw would become the 18th Viking all-time to reach both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound milestones.
LIVINGSTON CRACKS TOP-10 ON CAREER 3-POINT LIST
After going 6-for-14 from behind-the-arc during this season's Wisconsin swing (Feb. 9-11), Khayla Livingston cracked the top-10 in three-pointers made in the CSU Career Record book, currently ranking ninth with 138 made three-pointers. Livingston, who has 54 three-pointers this season, has now recorded at least 50 shots from behind-the-arc in back-to-back seasons. Entering Thursday's game against Detroit, Livingston ranks fourth among Horizon League players averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game.
BOSLEY ON CSU CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS LIST
After recording three blocked shots against NKU last time out, junior Shadae Bosley moved into a tie for sixth place in the CSU Career Record book, finishing the game with 83 career blocks. Bosley, who is one of just eight Vikings to record 80 career blocked shots, has tallied 37 blocks this season and ranks second in the Horizon League averaging 1.5 blocks per game. Bosley enters Thursday's game seven blocks shy of recording her 90th career blocked shot and moving into fifth place on the list.
…VOSKUHL CLOSING IN ON 50 CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS
Entering Thursday's contest against Detroit, Olivia Voskuhl is closing in on becoming the seventh player under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad to record 50 blocked shots, entering the game with 49 career blocks after posting two against NKU last time out. Voskuhl, who has 18 total blocks this season, ranks ninth among Horizon League players averaging 0.7 blocks per contest.
ABSHAW IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Redshirt sophomore Ashanti Abshaw is the only Viking to be a part of the starting five during every game this season, and marked her 56th consecutive start for the Vikings against Northern Kentucky last time out. Abshaw, who played just six games as a freshman before tearing her ACL, returned to start all 29 games as a redshirt freshman and has started all 27 games this year. Abshaw's 56 career starts leads all current Vikings.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will close out the regular season on Saturday, February 25, hosting Oakland at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's game will serve as Senior Day for the duo of Chrishna Butler and Lex Eckles, with the Vikings honoring both players prior to tipoff.
