GAME #21
Cleveland State vs. Northern Kentucky
Saturday, January 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
CLEVELAND STATE vs. NORTHERN KENTUCKY GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out its current three-game homestand on Saturday, January 27, hosting Northern Kentucky at 1:00 p.m. to begin the second half of Horizon League play. Entering Saturday's contest, the Vikings stand at 13-7 overall this year and own a 5-4 record in league play, while the Norse are 5-15 overall this season and 3-6 against league opponents.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins for the fourth time this season…Mark a season sweep for Cleveland State against the Norse…Put Cleveland State at 4-4 during the month of January…Give the Vikings a 9-3 record when playing at the Wolstein Center this season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/NORTHERN KENTUCKY SERIES
This will mark just the eighth meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 4-3 advantage in the overall series. The Vikings have won three straight against the Norse, while the teams have split the previous two matchups in the Wolstein Center.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky enters the second half of Horizon League play with a 5-15 overall record and a 3-6 mark against league opponents…The Norse have won just one game out of their last six contests - picking up a 61-53 overtime win against UIC on January 21…NKU is in the midst of a four-game roadswing, and currently stands at 2-6 when playing away from home this season…In the first meeting between CSU and NKU, Molly Glick and Grace White both posted a team-high 18 points, while Kailey Coffey recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds…The Norse also outrebounded CSU 44-28 in the first matchup of the season.
…THE FIRST TIME AROUND
These two teams met for the first time this season just 12 days ago, with Cleveland State picking up a 70-65 victory at NKU. Khayla Livingston (25 pts) and Ashanti Abshaw (23) combined for 48 of CSU's 70 points, while the Vikings shot 47-percent from the field. As a team, Cleveland State recorded 17 assists on the game, and forced NKU into 19 turnovers on 10 steals.
LAST TIME OUT...
Cleveland State got back on the winning track with 71-70 overtime victory against Wright State to finish the first half of the Horizon League slate. The Vikings, who trailed by as many as 20 points during the first half, used a strong second half performance - both offensive and defensive - to force the game into overtime and pick up the slim one-point victory. The trio of Khayla Livingston (25 pts), Ashanti Abshaw (22) and Olivia Voskuhl (12) recorded 59 of Cleveland State's 71 points, while the Vikings posted a .426 clip from the floor.
HEAD COACH KATE PETERSON ABIAD
Thursday's victory against Wright State marked win number 200 for head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, as she eclipsed the coaching milestone on her birthday. Peterson Abiad, who is in her 15th season at the helm of the Vikings, became 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).
ABSHAW MAKES THE MOST OF HER RETURN TO THE LINEUP
After sitting out last Saturday's game against Youngstown State due to injury, redshirt junior Ashanti Abshaw made the most of her return to the lineup against Wright State, finishing with 22 points, including the game-winning jumper as time expired in overtime. Abshaw, who notched her 12th 20-point game of the season, scored 19 of her points during the second half, including five of Cleveland State's nine points during the overtime period.
…CHASING DOWN THE 1,500-POINT MARK
Following her 22-point effort against Wright State, Ashanti Abshaw currently sits in ninth place on the CSU Scoring Chart with 1,424 career points, closing in on becoming just the ninth Viking all-time with 1,500 points. Abshaw, who ranks second among league players averaging 19.6 points per game this season, would become the first current Horizon League player to reach the milestone, and just the second Viking all-time to eclipse the 1,500-point mark as a junior (Kailey Klein 2006-10).
CLEVELAND STATE IN OVERTIME GAMES
Thursday's win over Wright State marked the first overtime game of the season for the Vikings, and the first since the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, the Vikings are now 11-6 in overtime games, and have won six of the last eight contests that have gone extra.
VOSKUHL TALLIES DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN WSU VICTORY
Olivia Voskuhl recorded her third double-double of the season in Thursday's victory, finishing with 12 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds. Voskuhl, who ranks in the top-15 in scoring and rebounding among league players, is averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds this season and ranks third on the team with 12.4 points per game. With her 13 total boards against the Raiders, Voskuhl moved into 16th place in the CSU Career Record Book with 591 total boards, while she also moved into fifth place with 456 total defensive rebounds.
…AND 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 Saturday's contest with 936 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 12.2 ppg, and set a career-high with 21 points against Detroit Mercy earlier this year.
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 Saturday's game against Northern Kentucky with 197 career three-pointers. Livingston, who is 21 three-pointers shy of setting the Cleveland State record, is averaging a league-best 2.7 three-pointers per game and has 54 total conversions from behind-the-arc on the year. Livingston also ranks second in the CSU Career Record Book with a .375 three-point field goal percentage on her career.
BOSLEY WITH THE BLOCK
Following her five blocked shots against Wright State last time out, senior Shadae Bosley moved into third place in the CSU Career Record Book with 129 total blocks. Bosley, who ranks second among league players averaging 2.1 blocks per game, now has 42 total blocked shots on the year, a mark that ranks 10th in the CSU Single Season Record Book. With just one more block, Bosley would become just the third Viking all-time with 130+ blocked shots on their career.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will return to the road next week, beginning a four-game roadswing at Detroit Mercy on Thursday, February 1.
