CLEVELAND -- Following its longest road trip of the season, Cleveland State returns to the Wolstein Center on Thursday (Jan. 17) as it hosts Northern Kentucky in a Horizon League contest at 7 p.m.
The Vikings, who are 5-14 overall and 0-6 in the Horizon League, completed a four-game road trip with games at IUPUI and UIC last weekend.
Cleveland State, which is 5-5 at home this season, will be seeking its first conference win of the season on Thursday against the Norse. Northern Kentucky swept the season series last year, but the Vikings defeated NKU in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament on their way to a championship game appearance.
Tyree Appleby, who has reached double figures in scoring in 15 games this season, leads the Vikings averaging 17.8 points per game. The sophomore also tops the team averaging 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game and ranks third in the Horizon League in assists per game. In conference play, Appleby is averaging a team-leading 20.2 points per game while he also tops the team averaging 4.5 assists per conference game.
Stefan Kenic ranks second on the Vikings averaging 11.1 points per game and is also is second on the team averaging 4.4 rebounds per contest. He has posted 13 double-figure scoring games on the season and is averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the last two games. He had 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds at IUPUI and followed that with 10 points and seven rebounds at UIC.
Jaalam Hill and Rashad Williams are each averaging over 9.0 points per game on the season. Hill is third on the squad scoring 9.4 points per game, while Williams is fourth on the team averaging 9.2 points per contest. Hill scored a career-high 18 points at IUPUI and leads the team averaging 6.3 rebounds per outing.
Seth Millner is the Vikings top rebounder in conference play as he is grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game. He has at least six rebounds in four of the six conference games played with a high of eight rebounds against both Green Bay and UIC.
Kasheem Thomas has started 13 games this year for the Vikings and is averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Northern Kentucky is currently 14-4 on the season and 4-1 in the Horizon League. The Norse have won two straight and six of their last seven games on the season and are currently second in the league standings. Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year Drew McDonald leads the Norse averaging 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
