GAME #2
Kent State (0-0) at Cleveland State (0-1)
Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Doubleheader
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 | 7:00 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN3 | Listen: 1420 AM
PDF Game Notes
Kent State at Cleveland State
GAME PREVIEW:
• Cleveland State plays its 2018-19 home opener Saturday (Nov. 10) with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Kent State.
• The game is a part of the fourth annual Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader, but it marks the first time CSU has hosted.
• CSU's game will be broadcast live on AM 1420 with Al Pawlowski and Pat Vuyancih on the call.
• The game will also be shown live on ESPN3.
• Akron will play Youngstown State in the opening game at 4:30.
• Akron, CSU and YSU all opened the season this past Tuesday while Kent State will be playing its season opener in conjunction with the doubleheader.
THE KENT STATE SERIES:
• Saturday's game will be the 51st all-time meeting with Kent State holding a 30-20 lead in the series.
• The Golden Flashes have won the past three games in the series by a combined 19 points.
• This will be the second time that these teams have met in the Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader. The Vikings rallied from a 21-point deficit to force overtime but fell, 79-74, when the teams played in 2016 at Youngstown State.
GAME 1: DAVIDSON 83, CSU 63 (11/6/18):
• CSU opened the season with an 83-63 setback at defending Atlantic 10 champion Davidson.
• Cleveland State had advantages in overall field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage but was undone by Davidson's strong edge in rebounding margin (47-25).
• The Wildcats had a 19-point lead in second-chance points in their 20-point victory.
• The Vikings outscored the Wildcats, 31-14, off the bench.
FOR (HOME) OPENERS:
• Cleveland State has won 11 straight home openers, a stretch that began during the 2007-08 season.
• The Vikings knocked off Coppin State, 80-56, in last year's home opener in a game that doubled as Dennis Felton's first win at CSU.
• The Vikings never trailed in last year's home opener as they tied the single-game school record with 14 made 3-pointers.
• Eight of the 11 wins in this stretch were by 10+ points, with the most recent exception being a 67-64 win over Canisius in 2016.
FELTON BEGINS YEAR TWO:
• Tuesday's game saw head coach Dennis Felton begin his second season at the helm. Felton's first Viking squad featured six seniors he inherited that completed their eligibility last year.
• Felton was named the 15th head coach in program history on March 24, 2017.
• Felton is four wins shy of 200 for his career entering Saturday.
A MAGICAL RUN:
• Cleveland State made a magical run to the Horizon League championship game last year, reaching the contest for the first time since 2009.
• The Vikings knocked off ninth-seeded Youngstown State, 72-71, in their opening game of the League Tournament.
• CSU then shocked top-seed Northern Kentucky, 89-80, rallying from a 15-point deficit with 61 second-half points.
• The Vikings then held off fourth-seed Oakland, 44-43, in the semifinals, allowing season lows in points and field goal % (.250).
• CSU's 61 second-half points against NKU were its most in a half against a DI foe since 1990. The 43 points it allowed to Oakland were the fewest allowed to a DI team since 2012.
• Wright State topped CSU, 74-57, in the title contest, the fourth game in five days for the Vikings.
CIAO CSU:
• Cleveland State visited Italy in August, the program's first foreign trip since 2013.
• CSU spent eight whole days in Italy, visiting Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome among other cities.
• In addition to the cultural experiences and team bonding gained during the trip, CSU played three games against Italian teams.
CLOSE AND LATE:
• After going 2-5 in its first seven one-possession games last season, Cleveland State won its final six games of the season that were decided by one possession or went to overtime, including two in the Horizon League Tournament.
SIX MAKE DEBUT:
• Six players made their Cleveland State debut in the season opener at Davidson.
• That group included four true freshmen--Deante Johnson, Seth Millner, Dibaji Walker and Rashad Williams--along with junior Jaalam Hill and sophomore Algevon Eichelberger.
• Millner was the lone true freshman to start the contest.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
• Freshman Rashad Williams scored 15 points in his debut in just 19 minutes as he shot 5-of-7 from distance. Classmate Seth Millner had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.
FOR THREE:
• CSU enters Saturday's game with a school record streak of 633 straight games with a three-pointer.
• The Vikings have hit at least three three's in 182 straight games.
• The last time CSU failed to make a three-pointer was Feb. 21, 1998, when the Vikings were 0-for-8 in a 60-57 win over Detroit.
FOR THREE, PART TWO
• The Vikings set a single-season school record for three-pointers made (294) and threes attempted (863) in 2017-18, breaking the old records of 247 makes and 709 attempts.
• CSU tied the single-game school record of 14 three pointers made in four different games last year.
FOR THREE, PART THREE
• The Vikings went 10-for-20 from distance in the season opener at Davidson.
• Nine of the 10 triples were converted by true freshmen.
UP NEXT:
• CSU continues a four-game homestand by hosting Urbana Tuesday, Nov. 13.
