Cleveland State Prepares For Showdown With IUPUI Thursday Night

Game Preview brought to you by Cleveland State.

GAME #20
IUPUI (7-11, 4-3 HL) at Cleveland State (4-15, 1-5 HL)

Thursday, January 18, 2018 | 7:00 pm
Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420

PDF GAME NOTES
IUPUI at Cleveland State

GAME PREVIEW:
•     Cleveland State returns home to host IUPUI on Thursday (Jan. 18) night at 7:00 pm in the Wolstein Center.
•    The Vikings are 4-15 overall and 1-5 in the Horizon League after a 70-55 setback at Northern Kentucky on Monday night.
•    IUPUI is 7-11 overall (4-3 HL). The Jaguars have won three straight, including an 81-66 win over Detroit Mercy on Tuesday.
•    Thursday’s game will be broadcast on AM 1420 and AM 1440, as well as ESPN3 with Al Pawlowski and Pat Vuyancih will providing the call.
•    Thursday is 216HoopyHour with $2 sloppy joes and chips, $1 drafts, and $6 game tickets. The first 216 fans to HoopyHour will receive a Viking koozie.
•    Tickets are available by phone or text at 216-687-4848, in-person at the Wolstein Center Box Office or online at www.csuvikings.com.

THE IUPUI SERIES:
•     Thursday’s game will be just the third all-time meeting between the two teams.
•    IUPUI has won both of the previous meetings, which came in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
   
GAME 19: @NORTHERN KENTUCKY 70, CSU 55 (1/18/18):
•     CSU concluded its three game roadswing with a 70-55 setback at Northern Kentucky on Monday night at BB&T Arena.
•    Kasheem Thomas led the Vikings with 10 points and six assists, while Bobby Word scored nine points with three rebounds.
•    Kenny Carpenter finished with seven points and 10 rebounds and Evan Clayborne added eight points and four boards.

IMPROVING AT THE LINE:
•    The Vikings have shown continued improvement at the free throw line since going 13-of-37 (.351) over the first two games.
•    CSU is shooting 174-of-239 (.728) at the charity stripe since then.
•    In Horizon League play, the Vikings have hit 67-of-84 (.798) from the free throw line
•    CSU is shooting .678 (187-276) at the line this year.

CARDIAC VIKINGS:
•    The Vikings have played in seven one possession games this year, posting a 2-5 mark in those games.
•    Three of CSU’s Horizon League games have come down to the final possession as the Vikings fell to Youngstown State (80-77), defeated Green Bay (80-79) and lost at Detroit Mercy (85-84).
•    CSU played in three straight one poessession 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 poessession 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).
•    The Vikings also had a one possession games at Niagara (L, 79-77 on Dec. 19).

WORD HITS 1,000 CAREER POINTS WITH DOUBLE DOUBLE:
•    With his 11 point effort vs. Green Bay on Jan. 4, Bobby Word reached 1,000 career points.
•     Word scored 487 points during his two seasons at Oral Roberts and has 563 points during his CSU career for 1,050 career points.
•    Word also notched his first career double-double vs. Green Bay.
•     He scored 14 points and added a career-high 10 rebounds. His old career-high was seven rebounds.

WORD UP!:
•     Senior Bobby Word has started all 50 games of his CSU career.
•    He is 20th in the League in scoring this year (11.6), while ranking third in the League in three pointers (2.6).
•    Word is averaging 15.2 points in League play, while shooting .475 (19-40) from three-point.
•    Word scored a career-high 26 points – hitting a career-best seven threes – at Michigan State (Dec. 29).
•    He followed that up with a 24 point effort vs. Youngstown State (Jan. 1), which included nine points in the final 49 seconds. His three-pointer with nine seconds left tied the game at 77-77 before the Penguins won it with a buzzer beater.
•    Word is the top returning scorer from last year’s team (11.1).

HAIRSTON EARNS FIRST CAREER START:
•     Jamarcus Hariston earned his first career start at CSU in vs. Green Bay (Jan. 4). He totaled two points, four rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes.
•    In five League games (six starts), Hairston is averaging 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. He is also shooting .483 (14-29) from the floor.
•    He had 14 points (5-6 FG) with six boards at Detroit (Jan. 10).
•    Hairston tallied seven points and set career-highs in rebounds (6) and assists (3) against Youngstown State (Jan. 1).
•    He scored a career-high 17 points at Niagara (Dec. 19), hitting 7-of-9 from the field, adding five boards and two assists in a career-high 31 minutes.
   
KENIC SCORES CAREER-HIGH:
•    Stefan Kenic scored a career-high 15 points at Detroit Mercy (Jan. 10).
•    He hit 6-of-10 from the floor and his three-pointer from the top of the arc with 3.9 seconds left gave the Vikings an 84-83 lead before UDM won the game at the buzzer.
•    Kenic is averaging 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds this year, playing in all 19 games with 16 starts.

CARPENTER GOING TO WORK:
•     Senior Kenny Carpenter is enjoying his best season to date.
•    He ranks 18th in the Horizon League in scoring (12.6) and 14th in rebounding (5.4), while adding 2.4 assists.
•    Carpenter is also 11th in field goal percentage (.472).
•    He has two, 20-point games this year and has scored in double figures 13 times.
•    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 and finished the game 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 threes since Charlie Lee hit six at Oakland on Feb. 6, 2014.
•    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).

APPLEBY APPEALING:
•     Tyree Appleby is averaging 11.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals in his first season of college basketball.
•    He ranks third in the League in steals, sixth in assists and is 22nd in scoring – the second highest scoring freshman in the League.
•    He is a three-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week, earning the award in back-to-back weeks (Dec. 4, Dec. 10) and again on Jan. 15.
•    Appleby 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.
•    He won his third award after averaging 16.5 points, 7.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in games at Detroit Mercy and Oakland last week.
•    Appleby has dished out a career-best seven assists in four games this season.
•    Appleby scored a career-high 24 points at Western Michigan (Dec. 6), hitting 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.

VIKINGS TIE THREE POINT MARK WITH 14 MAKES:
•     The Vikings have tied the single game school record with 14 made three-pointers three 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 were 14-of-31 from three at Detroit Mercy (Jan. 10).
•    CSU has hit 14 three’s in a game seven times in school history.

FOR THREE:
•    CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school record 616 straight games.
•    The Vikings have hit at least three three’s in 165 straight contests, extending the streak with eight threes at Northern Kentucky on Monday.
•    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.

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 7.6 points and ranks 10th in the League with 5.8 rebounds.
•    Wright is shooting .806 (25-31) at free throw line and has made his last 11 free throws.
•    After coming off the bench in the first two games, Wright has drawn a starting assignment in the last 14 contests.

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 188 victories, won seven conference championships and led six of his teams to the postseason, including four NCAA berths.

KASH IS MONEY:
•     Kasheem Thomas has had a strong start to Horizon League play, averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 assists, while shooting .457 (16-35) from the field.
•    Thomas scored a season-high 11 points with six assists against Youngstown State (Jan. 1).
•    He had eight points with six assists at Detroit Mercy (Jan. 10).
•    Thomas started 39 consecutive games to open his career, including all 31 last year, the most by a freshman in program history.
•    Thomas has a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9 (146 assists to 77 turnovers).

UP NEXT:
•    The Vikings host UIC on Saturday (Jan. 20) at 3:30 pm.
•    It will be a doubleheader with the CSU women’s team hosting Youngstown State at 1:00 pm.