GAME #30
2017 HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT | SECOND ROUND
No. 6 Cleveland State vs. No. 3 Detroit
Sunday, March 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Detroit, Mich.
Live Stats | Live Video
PDF GAME NOTES
Cleveland State Horizon League Tournament Notes | Horizon League Tournament Bracket
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will participate in the 2017 Horizon League Tournament this weekend, entering the championship as the No. 6 seed. The Vikings enter tournament action with a 14-15 overall record, and finished the regular season with a 9-9 mark against Horizon League opponents.
CLEVELAND STATE IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad the Vikings own an 11-11 record in the Horizon League Tournament, advancing to the semifinals five times and earning an appearance in the championship game twice. Cleveland State has won the Horizon League tournament title in both of its championship appearances, capturing the crown during the 2007-08 and 2009-10 seasons.
2017 HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT DESIGN
New for the 2016-17 season, the Horizon League men's and women's basketball tournament will run concurrently, with 'Motor City Madness' running Friday, March 3 through Tuesday, March 7 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. The five-day tournament will feature two first round games, four second round games, two semifinals, and a championship contest. All nine games will be carried on the ESPN network.
HORIZON LEAGUE POSTSEASON HONORS
ASHANTI ABSHAW | Abshaw picked up postseason honors for the second straight year, earning a spot on the All-Horizon League First Team. Abshaw, who has played in and started every game this season, leads the Vikings averaging 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Abshaw has notched six double-doubles on the year, and has tallied double-digit points in all but two games this season - including 12 20-point performances.
KHAYLA LIVINGSTON | Livingston was named to an All-League team for the second time in her career, and picked up All-League Second Team honors for the first time. On the season, Livingston is averaging 15.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Among league players, Livingston ranks sixth in scoring and third in assists. For the season, Livingston has 134 total helpers, a mark that is just shy of the top-10 in the CSU Single-Season Record book.
JADE ELY | Ely earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team after averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Ely has played in 27 games this season - missing the first two due to injury - and has appeared in the starting lineup on 13 occasions. Ely, who picked up three Horizon League Freshman of the Week accolades, has marked career-highs with a 17-point effort against Bowling Green and a 15-rebound performance against Youngstown State.
ABSHAW REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
Earlier this season, redshirt sophomore Ashanti Abshaw recorded her 1,000th career point, becoming the first Viking all-time to achieve the feat as a sophomore/redshirt sophomore. Abshaw, who notched her 1,000th point against Northern Kentucky (2/18), needed just 62 games to reach the milestone, becoming the third fastest Viking to do so. The 11th Viking to record 1,000 points under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, Abshaw enters Horizon League Tournament play with 1,041 career points, and is just shy of earning a spot in the top-20 in the CSU Career Record book.
…AND SURPASSES 500 REBOUNDS
After grabbing a team-best six rebounds against Oakland in the regular season finale, Ashanti Abhsaw became the 18th Viking all-time to eclipse both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound milestones. Abshaw, who leads Cleveland State and ranks 10th among league players averaging 7.0 rebounds per game this season, enters tournament play with 504 career boards. With 19 more rebounds, Abshaw would earn a spot in the top-20 in the CSU Career Record book, and with 93 more points, Abshaw would become the 16th Viking to rank in the top-20 in both career categories.
SHOT BLOCKING MACHINES
The trio of Shadae Bosley, Lex Eckles, and Olivia Voskuhl are three of the best shot blockers in recent program history, entering the Horizon League Tournament with a combined 195 blocked shots. Bosley leads the group with 86 career blocks and ranks sixth in the CSU Career Record book, while Eckles is just shy of earning a spot in the top-10 with 59 career blocks, and Voskuhl joined the 50-block club last time out. This trio represents the fifth, sixth, and seventh Vikings, respectively, to record 50 career blocked shots under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, while they have helped Cleveland State to a third place ranking among league teams averaging 3.2 blocks per game this season.
LIVINGSTON CLOSING IN ON 1,000-POINT MARK
Entering Horizon League Tournament play Khayla Livingston is closing in on the 1,000-point mark for her career, finishing regular season play with 924 career points. Livingston, who ranks sixth among league players averaging 15.7 points per game this season, has notched eight 20-point games this year including four in the last eight games. For the season, Livingston has 440 total points, and has teamed with Ashanti Abshaw (522 points) to account for 50-percent of the Cleveland State offense this year.
…LIVINGSTON ON CAREER 3-POINT LIST
A majority of Khayla Livingston's points this season have come from behind-the-arc, as the junior has converted a team-high 59 shots from three-point range. Entering the Horizon League Tournament, Livingston ranks eighth in the CSU Career Record book with 143 career three-pointers, and is just seven three's shy of becoming the eighth Viking all-time to convert 150 three-pointers. Livingston also ranks in the top-10 in three-point efficiency, ranking third with a .369 clip from behind-the-arc for her career (143-for-387).
VIKING STARTING FIVE
Throughout the 2016-17 season the Vikings have used 10 different lineups, including six different variations of the starting five during Horizon League play. The only Viking to appear in the starting lineup during all 29 games this season has been redshirt sophomore Ashanti Abshaw, who marked her 58th consecutive start against Oakland in the regular season finale. 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 29 games this year. Abshaw's 58 career starts leads all current Vikings.
BUTLER HAVING STANDOUT SENIOR SEASON
After serving as a role player throughout her first three seasons in a Viking uniform, senior Chrishna Butler has moved into the starting lineup during her final campaign, and is having the best season of her career. Butler, who has been in the starting lineup during 11 games this season, has recorded career-highs in every statistical category including points (17), rebounds (4), assists (3), and minutes played (38). During games that she appears in the starting lineup, Butler is averaging 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, compared to the 1.2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.3 assists that she averages when coming off the bench.
HORIZON LEAGUE WEEKLY HONORS
Throughout the 2016-17 regular season the Vikings were honored by the Horizon League with four weekly accolades, with Ashanti Abshaw earning Player of the Week honors once (12/19) and Jade Ely earning Freshman of the Week honors three times (12/26, 1/2 & 2/27). Abshaw has now earned Horizon League weekly accolades seven times throughout her career, while Ely was one of four league players to earn Freshman of the Week honors three times throughout the year.
DAVIDSON APPOINTED TO CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Sophomore forward Sierra Davidson was appointed to serve as a student-member of the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees earlier this year, and will serve a two-year term in the position. Davidson, who was a three-year class president in high school, carries a 3.98 GPA while pursuing a degree in psychology. Davdison is also an active member of the CSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council, serving as the Social Event Vice Chair.
HEAD COACH KATE PETERSON ABIAD
Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson Abiad is in her 14th season at the helm of the Vikings, and enters the 2017 Horizon League Tournament with a 187-240 career mark at CSU. Peterson Abiad became the winningest coach in program history during the 2011-12 season, and eclipsed the 175-win mark earlier this year. During her tenure, Peterson Abiad has led the Vikings to five 19-win seasons, two Horizon League Tournament Championships, and four trips to the postseason (2015-WNIT, 2011-WBI, 2010-NCAA, 2008-NCAA).
