Cleveland State Concludes Non-League Home Slate on Saturday

*** Cleveland State University Press Release***

GAME #12
Toledo (6-5) at Cleveland State (3-8)

Saturday, December 23, 2017 | 2:00 pm
Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420

PDF GAME NOTES
Toledo at Cleveland State

GAME PREVIEW:
•    Cleveland State concludes a stretch of three games in five days when the Vikings host Toledo at 2:00 pm on Saturday (Dec. 23).
•    CSU is 3-8 overall and is coming off an 81-62 setback at No. 20 Cincinnati on Thursday night.
•    Toledo enters the game with a 6-5 record and defeated Jackson State, 83-59, on Wednesday night.
•    Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on AM 1220, AM 1420 and AM 1440, as well as ESPN3.
•    Al Pawlowski and Pat Vuyancih will have the call on the radio and ESPN3 broadcast.

THE TOLEDO SERIES:
•    Saturday’s game will be the 15th all-time meeting between CSU and Toledo with the Rockets holding a 9-5 lead in the series.
•    Toledo has won three straight vs. CSU, including a 76-65 win in Toledo in the last meeting on Dec. 2, 2015.
•    The Vikings are 3-2 all-time vs. Toledo at home.

GAME 11: @#20 CINCINNATI 81, CSU 62 (12/21/17):
•    The Vikings shot 50-percent against one of the top defensive teams in the country but fell to 20th-ranked Cincinnati.
•    CSU was within six points (60-54) with nine minutes to play, but UC used a strong finish down the stretch to claim the win.
•    Tyree Appleby led CSU with 16 points and four assists, while Kenny Carpenter scored 11 points.
•    Stefan Kenic added eight points and five rebounds and Bobby Word tallied eight points.
•    The Vikings shot 2 3-of-46 from the floor and hit 10-of-21 from three-point.
•    It was CSU’s 50th all-time game against a nationally-ranked opponent.

HAIRSTON NETS CAREER HIGH:
•    Jamarcus Hairston scored a career-high 17 points in Tuesday’s game at Niagara.
•    He hit 7-of-9 from the floor, adding five boards and two assists in a career-high 31 minutes.
•    Hairston’s old career-high was 13 points set in the season opener against Kent State last year.

CARDIAC VIKINGS:
•    CSU has played in four one-possession games this year, including Tuesday’s 79-77 setback at Niagara.
•    The Vikings played in three straight one possession games from Nov. 20 through Nov. 29.
•    CSU fell at ECU, 72-69 (Nov. 20), lost at home to Central Conn., 74-73, (Nov. 24), and topped Arkansas State, 75-72 (Nov. 29).
•    It was the first time CSU played three straight one possession games since the 1999-2000 season when CSU fell at St. Bonaventure, 71-69, (12/30/99), and won at Loyola, 70-68 (1/6/00) and at UIC, 91-89 (1/8/00).

APPLEBY NAMED HL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (AGAIN):
•     Tyree Appleby was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week for two straight weeks (Dec. 4 & Dec. 10).
•    He earned the first award after averaging 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals vs. Arkansas State and at Kent State, shooting .562 (9-16) from the floor.
•    Appleby picked up his second straight honor after averaging 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals, while shooting .800 (12-15) from the field, including 5-of-6 (.833) from three-point at Western Michigan and vs. Notre Dame College.

… AND POURS IN CAREER HIGH:
•     Tyree Appleby scored a career-high 24 points at Western Michigan (Dec. 6).
•    Appleby hit 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point and all four free throws, while adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
•    It was the most points by a CSU freshman since Rob Edwards scored 26 points at Detroit Mercy on Jan. 4, 2016.

A LOOK AT THE FRESHMAN:
•     Tyree Appleby is averaging 11.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in his first season of college basketball.
•    He ranks fifth in the League in steals, eighth in assists and is 18th in scoring.
•    Appleby is the highest scoring freshman in the League.
•    Appleby is shooting .511 (47-92) from the field, including .370 (10-27) from three-point.

CARPENTER GOING TO WORK:
•     Senior Kenny Carpenter is enjoying his best season to date.
•    He ranks 10th in the Horizon League in scoring (14.2), 11th in rebounding (6.2) and 13th in assists (2.9).
•    Carpenter is also fourth in field goal percentage (.500).
•    Carpenter scored a career-high 26 points against Coppin State (Nov. 17), bettering his old career-high of 24 points set at UIC as a sophomore.
•    He scored 24 points in the first half vs. Coppin State – hitting 10-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point.
•    The six three-pointers are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history and the 17th time a CSU player made six three’s.
•    He became the first CSU player to make six three’s since Charlie Lee hit six at Oakland on Feb. 6, 2014.

… AND DOUBLES UP TWICE:
•     Kenny Carpenter has posted two double-doubles this year, the first two of his career.
•    Carpenter recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 boards in the season opener at Akron (Nov. 11).
•    He posted a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds against Coppin State (Nov. 17).

THE WRIGHT STUFF:
•     Anthony Wright recorded his first career double-double on Dec. 2 at Kent State.
•    Wright scored a career-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-11 from the field, including a career-best four three’s (in six attempts). He also had a career-high tying 11 rebounds.
•    Wright is averaging 8.4 points and ranks 10th in the League with 6.3 rebounds.
•    After coming off the bench in the first two games, Wright has drawn a starting assignment the last nine contests.

WORD UP!:
•     Senior Bobby Word has started all 42 games of his CSU career.
•    He is averaging 9.5 points this year while ranking 16th in the League in three’s (1.7).
•    Word scored a team-high 19 points in a win over Notre Dame College (Dec. 10).
•    He made 5-of-6 from three-point for 15 points vs. Central Connecticut (Nov. 24).
•    Word is the top returning scorer from last year’s team at 11.1 ppg.

THE FELTON FILE:
•     First-year head coach Dennis Felton earned his first victory at CSU with an 80-56 win over Coppin State (Nov. 17).
•     Felton, who made his CSU regular-season debut on Nov. 11 at Akron, was named the 15th head coach in CSU history on March 24.
•    Felton, a coaching veteran with more than 30 years of experience, is in his 12th season as a head coach, having spent five years at Western Kentucky (1998-03) and five-plus seasons at Georgia (2003-09).
•    During his time on the sidelines, Felton has amassed 187 victories, won seven conference championships and led six of his teams to the postseason, including four NCAA berths.

VIKINGS TIE THREE-POINT MARK WITH 14 MAKES:
•     The Vikings have tied the single-game school record with 14 made three-pointers two times this year.
•    CSU was 14-of-32 from three-point against Coppin State (Nov. 17) and went 14-of-39 from long distance against Notre Dame College (Dec. 10).
•    The Vikings have hit 14 three’s in a game six times in school history.
•    CSU hit 13 three’s vs. Central Connecticut (Nov. 24), tied for the second most in a game in program history.
   
FOR THREE:
•    CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school record 608 consecutive games.
•    The Vikings have hit at least three three’s in 157 straight contests, extending the streak with 10 trifectas at Cincinnati on Thursday.
•    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.

UP NEXT:
•    The Vikings conclude the non-conference season with a 6:00 pm game at No. 2 Michigan State on Dec. 29. The game will be broadcast live on the B1G Network and AM 1420.