GAME #15
Cleveland State vs. UIC
Saturday, January 6 | 1:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video

CLEVELAND STATE vs. UIC GAME NOTES

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out its current four-game homestand Saturday, hosting UIC in a Horizon League matchup. Saturday's game will be the first contest in a doubleheader with the Cleveland State men's team, with the Vikings trying to get back on the winning track after dropping their first #HLWBB contest last time out. The Vikings enter Saturday's contest with a 10-4 overall record and stand at 2-1 in league play, while UIC is currently 7-6 overall and 0-2 in league action.

A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings back on the winning track…improve Cleveland State to 3-1 in Horizon League play…Mark the fifth win out of the last six games for the Vikings…Bring head coach Kate Peterson Abiad within two wins of her 200th career victory.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/UIC SERIES
This will mark the 73rd meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 39-33 advantage in the overall series. Entering Saturday's game, the Vikings have won three straight against UIC and six of the last seven. When playing in the Wolstein Center, Cleveland State has won 19 of the 26 matchups.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC enters Saturday's contest with a 7-6 overall record and an 0-2 mark in league play…UIC's first two #HLWBB games came against IUPUI and Youngstown State…Earlier this season, the Flames were picked to finish 10th in the Horizon League Preseason poll…Two UIC players are averaging double-digit points on the season - Brittany Byrd (14.8 ppg) and Taylor Toney (14.4 ppg)…Gabryelle Johnson is averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game, while Toney has recorded a team-high 33 steals and ranks third among league players averaging 2.5 takeaways per game…The Flames are under the direction of seventh year head coach Regina Miller and are playing with nine returning letterwinners from last season.

LAST TIME OUT...
Cleveland State dropped its first #HLWBB game of the season, falling to IUPUI, 77-64. Ashanti Abshaw led the way with 21 points, while the trio of Olivia Voskuhl, Khayla Livingston and Jade Ely all posted 12 points. The Vikings recorded 12 steals on the game, and forced IUPUI into 20 turnovers. As a team, Cleveland State shot .407 from the field - the ninth game of the season with a .400 clip or better.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Saturday will mark the second of three home doubleheaders for the Cleveland State  men's and women's basketball teams this season, as the men will take on Milwaukee following the women's game against UIC. The final Wolstein Center twinbill of the 2017-18 season will come on Saturday, January 20, when the women host Youngstown State and the men host UIC.

OFFENSIVE POWER
Entering Saturday's game against UIC, Cleveland State has three individuals ranked in the top-10 in scoring in the league standings - the only team to put three players in the top-10. Ashanti Abshaw currently ranks second with 19.4 points per game, while Khayla Livingston (8th - 14.6) and Olivia Voskuhl (10th - 13.5) are also two of the top offensive threats in the league. So far this season, this trio has accounted for 70-percent of Cleveland State's offense, and has combined for 14 20-point games.

BOSLEY WITH THE BLOCK
After the first three games of Horizon League action, senior Shadae Bosley continues to lead the league in blocked shots, currently sitting at the top of the standings averaging 2.5 blocks per game. Last time out, Bosley recorded four blocks against IUPUI, and took sole possession of fourth place in the CSU Career Record Book with 122 career blocks. Bosley enters Saturday's game just three blocked shots shy of becoming the fourth Viking all-time to reach 125 blocks, and five blocks shy of moving into third place in the CSU Career Record Book.

VIKINGS WITH THE STEAL
During Horizon League games only, Cleveland State leads the league averaging 11.0 steals per game, recording 33 total takeaways during the first three games. Last time out, the Vikings posted 12 steals against IUPUI, while Cleveland State had 15 steals against Detroit Mercy - the highest single-game total since the 2014-15 season. Individually, Ashanti Abshaw is tied for first with 3.0 steals per game, while Shadae Bosley (3rd) and Olivia Voskuhl (6th) also rank in the top-10.

ABSHAW CRACKS TOP-10 ON CSU SCORING LIST
Following her ninth 20-point game of the season against IUPUI last time out, Ashanti Abshaw cracked the top-10 in scoring in the CSU Career Record Book, and is currently tied for 10th with 1,323 career points. For the season, Abshaw is averaging 19.4 points per game, and has averaged 16.0+ ppg during every season of her collegiate career. Abshaw is the first Viking to crack the top-10 since Cori Coleman (2011-15) and Imani Gordon (2011-15). 

VOSKUHL NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt senior Olivia Voskuhl picked up Cleveland State's first weekly honor of the season on Monday, earning Horizon League Player of the Week accolades after averaging 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in last week's two #HLWBB victories. Voskuhl posted 19 points against Oakland in the league-opener, and then followed that up with a career-high 21 points against Detroit Mercy. For the week, Voskuhl shot 69-percent from the floor, including a 10-for-13 performance against the Titans (.769).

…AND CONTINUES CLIMB UP CAREER REBOUNDING CHART
After averaging 6.7 rebounds through the first three Horizon League games, Olivia Voskuhl has worked her way up to 18th place in the CSU Career Record Book with 552 career boards. In Thursday's game against IUPUI, Voskuhl became the 19th Viking all-time to eclipse 550 career rebounds, and is well on her way to becoming the 16th Viking to surpass 600 total boards. Overall this season, Voskuhl is averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game, a mark that ranks sixth among league players.

VIKINGS OFF TO BEST START UNDER KPA
After the first part of the 2017-18 season, Cleveland State is off to its best start under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, owning a 10-4 record heading into the 15th game of the season. For the first time over the last 15 years - and just the second time in program history - the Vikings entered the month of January with 10 wins. During non-league action, the Vikings posted an 8-3 record, tying the most non-league wins under Peterson Abiad and setting a record with the .727 winning percentage.

VIKING STARTING FIVE
So far this season, Cleveland State has used the same starting lineup throughout the entire non-league slate and first three #HLWBB contests, 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 73 career starts, while Livingston (70) and Voskuhl (67) are right behind her.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will hit the road for its toughest roadswing of the season, playing three games over five days at Milwaukee (Thursday, January 11), Green Bay (Saturday, January 13) and Northern Kentucky (Monday, January 15).