Posted: Dec 29, 2017
GAME #13
Cleveland State vs. Detroit Mercy
Saturday, December 30 | 1:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
CLEVELAND STATE vs. DETROIT MERCY GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will continue its current four-game homestand on Saturday, December 30, hosting Detroit Mercy at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's game will be the second Horizon League contest for both teams, with the Vikings entering the matchup standing at 9-3 overall this season and 1-0 in league play, while Detroit Mercy is currently 0-12 on the year.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings on a four-game winstreak, tying their longest winstreak of the season…Mark the eighth win out of the last nine games for Cleveland State…Give the Vikings a 2-0 start to #HLWBB play…Bring head coach Kate Peterson Abiad within three wins of her 200th career victory.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DETROIT MERCY SERIES
This will mark the 59th meeting between the two teams, with Detroit Mercy owning a 40-18 advantage in the overall series. Cleveland State's last win against the Titans came last season, when the Vikings picked up a 75-50 victory in the second of three meetings during the season.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy enters Saturday's game still trying for its first win of the 2017-18 season, currently standing at 0-12 this year…Last time out, the Titans dropped a 76-59 contest at Youngstown State in their league-opener…As a team, Detroit Mercy ranks second in the league standings averaging 3.9 blocked shots per game…Offensively, the Titans have been led by Brianne Cohen, who ranks third among league players averaging 17.1 points per game…Cohen is also averaging a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game, while Gracie Roberts has tallied a team-best 26 assists.
LAST TIME OUT...
Cleveland State picked up a 70-62 victory over Oakland in its #HLWBB opener, marking the fifth time out of the last six seasons that the Vikings were victorious in their league-opener. Ashanti Abshaw led the Vikings with 26 points, while Olivia Voskuhl was just shy of a double-double with 19 points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Vikings shot 48-percent from the floor, including a .545 clip during the fourth quarter.
VIKINGS IN THE WOLSTEIN CENTER
So far this season Cleveland State has enjoyed playing in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center, owning a 5-1 record when playing at home. Cleveland State's lone loss at home this season came to Ball State in the home-opener - a team that is receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 poll - but since then the Vikings have rattled off five straight wins in the Wolstein Center.
VOSKUHL ON THE BOARDS
Entering Saturday's game against Detroit Mercy, redshirt senior Olivia Voskuhl is just shy of earning a spot on the CSU Career Rebounding chart, currently owning 540 boards, needing just three more rebounds to move into the top-20. Voskuhl, who already ranks ninth with 418 defensive rebounds, is averaging a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game this season - ranking third among league players.
ABSHAW CONTINUES CLIMB UP CSU CAREER RECORD BOOK
Following her 26-point, six-rebound effort against Oakland last time out, redshirt junior Ashanti Abshaw became the ninth Viking all-time to eclipse 1,250 points and 550 rebounds on their career. Abshaw, who enters Saturday's conest with 1,295 points and 553 rebounds, ranks 11th in scoring in the CSU Career Record Book and 17th in rebounding.
…ABSHAW AMONG LEAGUE PLAYERS
Entering the second #HLWBB game of the season, Ashanti Abshaw is one of just two league players to average 20.0+ points per game, entering Saturday's contest ranked second in the league standings averaging 20.3 points per game. Abshaw also leads the league averaging 2.3 three-pointers per contest, and has 28 total field goals from behind-the-arc this season.
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB ACTION
Last time out, the Vikings improved to 8-7 in #HLWBB openers under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, and notched their fifth win out of the last six league-openers. On Saturday, the Vikings will be trying to improve to 2-0 in league action for the fifth time under Peterson Abiad.
LIVINGSTON WITH THE ASSIST
Entering Saturday's game against the Titans, Khayla Livingston ranks ninth in the CSU Career Record Book with 330 total assists - one of just nine Vikings all-time to reach the 330-assist plateau. This season, Livingston ranks third among league players averaging 4.7 assists per game, and has 56 total helpers. With just six more assists, Livingston would move into eighth place on the list, while seven more assists would put her seventh all-time.
BOSLEY WITH THE BLOCK
Last time out, Shadae Bosley recorded a season-high five blocked shots against Oakland, putting her at 30 total blocks for the season. Entering Saturday's game against Detroit Mercy, Bosley leads the Horizon League averaging 2.5 blocks per game, and has tallied at least one blocked shot in all but one game this season. For her career, Bosley has 117 total blocks, and is just one block shy of moving into fourth place in the CSU Career Record Book.
VIKING STARTING FIVE
So far this season, Cleveland State has used the same starting lineup throughout the entire non-league slate and first #HLWBB contest, with Ashanti Abshaw, Khayla Livingston, Olivia Voskuhl, Jade Ely, and Shadae Bosley all earning a spot in the starting five. Abshaw leads this group with 71 career starts, while Livingston (68) and Voskuhl (65) are right behind her.
CLEVELAND STATE RECORDS PROGRAM-BEST NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Over the first seven weeks of the 2017-18 season, Cleveland State posted its best non-league record ever under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, finishing the first 11 games with an 8-3 mark. This marked just the third time under Peterson Abiad that the Vikings have recorded eight wins during non-league action, while the .727 winning percentage marks a program best over the last 15 seasons.
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 3.93 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.
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 continue its four-game homestand next week, hosting IUPUI on Thursday, January 4 and UIC on Saturday, January 6.
