CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team and 15-year head coach Kate Peterson Abiad announced its non-league slate for the upcoming 2017-18 season Wednesday, with an 11-game schedule highlighted by five home contests and a four-team tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"This year's non-league schedule will provide us with challenges that we will need to face again later in the season when we get to Horizon League play. We will open up with the majority of our games at home during November and then spend the majority of December on the road – which mirrors our league schedule and will hopefully prepare us for our rigorous Horizon League schedule," Peterson Abiad said.
Cleveland State's non-league opponents for the 2017-18 season include four teams that reached the postseason, one conference champion, and one first time opponent.
2017-18 CLEVELAND STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Prior to officially kicking off the 2017-18 season, the Vikings will host their lone exhibition of the year on Wednesday, November 1, hosting Muskingum University in the Wolstein Center.
Cleveland State's season-opener and home-opener will come on Saturday, November 11, when the Vikings welcome Ball State to the Wolstein Center. This will begin a three-game homestand for the Vikings, as they will also host Eastern Michigan (Thursday, November 16) and Marshall (Sunday, November 19) during this stretch.
The Vikings will hit the road for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend, traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to take part in the 2017 South Point Shootout. During the two-day tournament the Vikings will face Saint Louis (Friday, November 24) and Louisiana Lafayette (Sunday, November 26).
"We are excited about playing some teams we haven't played in recent years, like Ball State, Marshall, Illinois State, and Bradley. It is always a good experience to play new opponents and face game situations that you might not see otherwise," Peterson Abiad said. "Perhaps the highlight of our non-league schedule is our trip to Las Vegas where we will face some very strong competition, which will provide an early test to see what our team is capable of on the court."
Following their first roadtrip of the 2017-18 campaign, the Vikings will return home to host Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, November 28, before hitting the road once again to take on Niagara on Friday, December 1.
The following week Cleveland State will return to the Wolstein Center for its final home game of its non-league slate, hosting Ohio on Wednesday, December 6 in the third annual Kids Day Game. Tipoff for the Ohio contest will be at 11:00 a.m., with special 'Kids Day' activities planned throughout the day.
The Vikings will then close out their non-league schedule with a three-game roadswing, traveling to Toledo (Saturday, December 9), Illinois State (Sunday, December 17) and Bradley (Tuesday, December 19) before beginning a challenging 18-game Horizon League schedule.
"Our December 6 game at home against Ohio will mark the third time that we will host a Kids Day Game, which is one of my favorite events of the year, as the atmosphere and excitement brought in by everyone in attendance is such a pleasure to play in front of," Peterson Abiad said. "I am so excited for the season to get started, and I'm looking forward to seeing how our veteran team handles the rigors of our non-league schedule and how quickly our newcomers can adjust to the collegiate game and make an impact for us."
During the 2017-18 season Cleveland State will once again be offering FREE ADMISSION to all women's basketball stand alone games. For more information call the Cleveland State Ticket Office at 216-687-5440.
