GAME #8
Cleveland State vs. Ohio
Wednesday, December 6 | 11:00 a.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
CLEVELAND STATE vs. OHIO GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State's women's basketball team will return home for its final non-league game in the Wolstein Center this week, hosting Ohio in an 11:00 a.m. contest on Wednesday, December 6. Entering Wednesday's contest, the Vikings stand at 5-2 on the season, while Ohio currently owns a 4-2 record.
A WIN WEDNESDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings on a four-game winstreak…Give the Vikings a 4-1 record at home this season…Improve Cleveland State to 6-2 during the 2017-18 campaign…Keep the Vikings undefeated during the month of December…Bring head coach Kate Peterson Abiad within seven wins of her 200th career victory.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/OHIO SERIES
This will mark the 25th meeting the two teams, with Ohio owning a 16-8 advantage in the overall series. The two teams have traded victories over the last six matchups, with both teams capturing wins on their home courts. Cleveland State's last victory over the Bobcats came as a 76-64 victory during the 2013-14 season.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio enters Wednesday's game with a 4-2 overall record this season, opening the season with three straight victories before dropping two of its last three…The Vikings will be the second straight Horizon League opponent for Ohio, as the Bobcats dropped a 76-52 contest against IUPUI last time out…Three Bobcats enter the week averaging double-digit points, led by Cierra Hooks (11.8 ppg), who also leads the team averaging 4.8 rebounds per game…Wednesday's game is the first of a two-game roadswing for the Bobcats, as they will also travel to Purdue on Sunday, December 10…Under the direction of fourth year head coach Bob Boldon, Ohio returns just one starter from last season, while welcoming six newcomers for the upcoming campaign.
LAST TIME OUT...
The Vikings picked up their third straight win with a 70-61 decision at Niagara. The Vikings, who held a 42-27 advantage at the half, used a 30-point performance from Ashanti Abshaw and a pair of 13-point efforts from Olivia Voskuhl and Khayla Livingston to pick up the victory. The Vikings shot 45-percent from the floor, and recorded 15 assists on 25 made field goals.
VIKINGS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2010-11
Cleveland State is off to one of its best starts in recent history, owning a 5-2 record after the first seven games of the season. This marks the best start for the Vikings since the 2010-11 season, and just the second time that Cleveland State has picked up five wins over the first seven games under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad.
WEDNESDAY MARKS ANNUAL KIDS DAY GAME
Wednesday's contest against Ohio will serve as Cleveland State's annual Kids Day Game, with over 2,000 Cleveland area grade school kids in attendance. Prior to tipoff, the Cleveland State Athletic Department will provide multiple stations and activities for all kids in attendance to participate in which focus on promoting healthy living through sport and exercise.
VOSKUHL SET TO PLAY IN 100TH CAREER GAME
Wednesday's game will mark the 100th career game for redshirt senior Olivia Voskuhl - a mark that leads all current Vikings. Through her four complete seasons on the floor (played in 4 games during 2014-15 before redshirting season), Voskuhl has played in all but one game, averaging 25.9 minutes per game. Voskuhl has also earned a spot in the starting lineup throughout her career, appearing in the starting five during 60 games, including all seven contests this year.
…VOSKUHL CLOSING IN ON 500 CAREER REBOUNDS
Entering Wednesday's game Olivia Voskuhl is closing in on notching 500 career rebounds, currently standing at 496 boards. Voskuhl, who leads the Vikings and ranks ninth in the Horizon League averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, has been Cleveland State's leading rebounder in four contests this year. With four more boards, Voskuhl would become the second current Viking with 500 career rebounds (Ashanti Abshaw).
ABSHAW NOTCHES 30-POINT GAME AT NIAGARA
Last time out, redshirt junior Ashanti Abshaw recorded Cleveland State's first 30-point game of the season, notching 30 points exactly in the victory at Niagara. Abshaw, who has now tallied three 30-point games on her career, enters the week at the top of the league standings averaging 22.7 points per game this year. Abshaw has tallied 20+ points in five of the seven games, recording 159 total points through the first four weeks of play.
…AND MOVES UP CSU CAREER RECORD BOOK
Following her 30-point game at Niagara, Ashanti Abshaw moved into 15th place in the CSU Career Record Book, entering Wednesday's game with 1,210 career points. Abshaw, who is one of just 15 Vikings all-time with at least 1,200 points, needs just seven more points to move into 14th place and nine more points to move into 15th place on the list.
BOSLEY ON CSU CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS LIST
Through the first seven games, Shadae Bosley has 15 total blocked shots, and enters Wednesday's contest at the top of the Horizon League standings averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Bosley, who has tallied at least one blocked shot in all but one game this season, ranks fifth in the CSU Career Record Book with 102 total blocks. After posting four blocked shots at Niagara last time out, Bosley became just the fifth Viking all-time to eclipse 100 blocks on their career.
LIVINGSTON NOTCHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Redshirt senior Khayla Livingston became the 28th Viking all-time to record 1,000 career points earlier this season, as she achieved the feat with an 18-point performance against Saint Louis at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout. Livingston, who enters the game with 1,046 career points, is averaging 14.4 points per game this season - a mark that ranks sixth among Horizon League players.
ABSHAW IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Redshirt junior Ashanti Abshaw continued her streak of consecutive games started last time out, picking up her 66th consecutive start. Abshaw, who played just six games as a freshman before tearing her ACL, returned to start all 29 games as a redshirt freshman and all 30 games as a redshirt sophomore. Abshaw's 66 career starts leads all current Vikings.
DOUBLE THE FUN
During the 2016-17 season the Cleveland State men's and women's basketball teams will play three doubleheaders, with all of them coming during Horizon League play. The women's opponents on doubleheader dates will be; IUPUI (Jan. 4), UIC (Jan. 6) and Youngstown State (Jan. 20).
DAVIDSON APPOINTED TO CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Junior forward Sierra Davidson is currently serving a two-year term as a student member of the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees after being appointed to the position at the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year. Davidson, who was a three-year class president in high school, carries a 3.96 GPA while pursuing a degree in psychology and is on track to graduate in three years. Davidson is also an active member of the CSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council, serving as the Community Service chair.
HEAD COACH KATE PETERSON ABIAD
Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson Abiad is in her 15th season at the helm of the Vikings, and owns a 192-243 career mark at CSU. Peterson Abiad became the winningest coach in program history during the 2011-12 season, and is just shy of reaching the 200-win milestone. 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).
2018 HORIZON LEAGUE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
For the second straight season, the Horizon League men's and women's championships will run concurrently, with 'Motor City Madness' running from March 2 through March 6 at the brand new Little Caesers Arena in downtown Detroit, Mich. The five-day tournament will again 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.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the non-league portion of its schedule on the road, traveling to Toledo (Saturday, December 9), Illinois State (Sunday, December 17) and Bradley (Tuesday, December 19) over the next two weeks.
