GAME #20
Cleveland State vs. Wright State
Thursday, January 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
CLEVELAND STATE vs. WRIGHT STATE GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the first half of Horizon League play Thursday evening (January, 25), hosting Wright State at 7:00 p.m. Entering Thursday's contest, the Vikings stand at 12-7 overall this season and own an even 4-4 record against league opponents. Wright State is currently 15-5 overall and 6-2 in league action.
A WIN THURSDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings back on the winning track…Give Cleveland State a 5-4 record to finish out the first half of Horizon League play…Improve the Vikings to 8-3 at home this season…Mark head coach Kate Peterson Abiad's 200th career victory.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/WRIGHT STATE SERIES
This will mark the 71st meeting between the two teams, with the overall series tied at 35-35. Wright State has been victorious in the last five meetings, with the Vikings' last victory coming as a 67-63 decision during the 2014-15 season.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters Thursday's game with a 15-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Horizon League play, currently tied for third place in the league standings…The Raiders have won six of their last seven games, snapping a six-game winstreak last time out when they fell to IUPUI, 64-61…Wright State has the highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 75.9 points per game, while Chelsea Welch is tops individually with 21.5 points per game…Wright State is also the league's top rebounding team with 41.7 boards per game…Earlier this season, the Raiders were picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.
LAST TIME OUT...
The shorthanded Vikings dropped a 66-52 contest against Youngstown State, marking just their third loss at home this season. Cleveland State was paced by Khayla Livingston with 13 points, while Olivia Voskuhl added nine points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Vikings posted 39 total rebounds - including 15 offensive boards - turning those into 17 second chance points.
MILLER GETS FIRST START OF 2017-18 SEASON
Last time out, sophomore Mariah Miller picked up her first start of the 2017-18 season, joining the lineup in place of injured Ashanti Abshaw. Miller, who had been Cleveland State's first sub off the bench throughout the first 18 games of the year, is averaging 4.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. For her career, Miller now has six starts to her name after appearing in the starting lineup during five games as a freshman.
LIVINGSTON CLOSING IN ON CSU THREE-POINT RECORD
As one of the best three-point shooters in the Horizon League this season, redshirt senior Khayla Livingston is closing in on the CSU three-point record, entering Thursday's game against Wright State with 195 career three-pointers. Livingston, who is 23 three-pointers shy of setting the Cleveland State record, is averaging a league-best 2.7 three-pointers per game and has 52 total conversions from behind-the-arc on the year. Livingston also ranks second in the CSU Career Record Book with a .376 three-point field goal percentage on her career.
WHITE TALLIES SEASON-BEST GAME
Freshman Mariah White had one of her best performances of the season last time out against Youngstown State, as the rookie finished with four points, eight rebounds and five steals in 20 minutes of action. White, who recorded season-highs in all three categories, also finished the game with zero turnovers, while her five offensive boards led to six points for the Vikings. For the season, White has played in 17 of 19 games, and is averaging 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest.
HEAD COACH KATE PETERSON ABIAD
Entering Thursday's contest against Wright State, Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson Abiad is closing in on her 200th career victory, needing just one more win to reach the milestone. Peterson Abiad, who is in her 15th season at the helm of the Vikings, would become the fourth active Horizon League coach to record 200 career wins, and just the second to eclipse the milestone at their current school (Kevin Borseth, Green Bay).
VOSKUHL CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS
After averaging a career-best 12.4 points per game so far this season, redshirt senior Olivia Voskuhl is closing in on joining the 1,000-point club, entering Thursday's contest with 924 career points. Voskuhl, who has tallied double-digit points in all but four games this season, would become the 29th Viking all-time and the third current Viking to join the exclusive club (Ashanti Abshaw & Khayla Livingston). In league games only, Voskuhl is averaging 12.3 ppg, and set a career-high with 21 points against Detroit Mercy earlier this year.
BOSLEY WITH THE BLOCK
Entering Thursday's game against the Raiders, senior Shadae Bosley ranks second in the league in blocked shots, currently averaging 1.9 blocked shots per game. Bosley has recorded 37 total blocks so far this season, and is just four blocked shots shy of cracking the top-10 single-season list with at least 11 games left to play during 2017-18. Bosley also ranks fourth in the CSU Career Record Book with 124 career blocked shots.
ABSHAW SURPASSES 1,400-POINT MARK
Following her 11th 20-point game of the season at Northern Kentucky last Monday, Ashanti Abshaw eclipsed the 1,400-point mark for her career, entering Thursday's contest with 1,402 career points. Abshaw, who ranks second among league players averaging 19.5 points per game this season, is just the second Viking all-time to reach 1,400 points during their junior season (Kailey Klein 2006-10). Abshaw enters Thursday's game ranked ninth on the CSU Scoring Chart with her 1,402 points, and needs 56 more points to move into eighth place.
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 close out its current three-game homestand on Saturday, January 27, hosting Northern Kentucky at 1:00 p.m.
