Cleveland State Travels to Detroit Mercy for First League Road Game

***Preview Provided VIA Cleveland State***

GAME #17
Cleveland State (4-12, 1-2 HL) at Detroit Mercy (4-13, 0-4 HL)

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 | 7:00 pm
Detroit, Mich. | Calihan Hall
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420

PDF GAME NOTES
Cleveland State at Detroit Mercy

GAME PREVIEW:
•    Cleveland State hits the road for the first time in Horizon League play when the Vikings travel to Detroit Mercy for a 7:00 pm game on Wednesday (Jan. 10) in Calihan Hall.
•    The Vikings are 4-12 this year and 1-2 in the Horizon League after a 64-60 setback to Milwaukee on Saturday.
•    The Titans are 4-13 (0-4 HL) this year and have dropped 11 in a row, including a 56-54 setback to League leading Northern Kentucky on Sunday at home.
•    Wednesday’s game will be available live on ESPN3, while Al Pawlowski will provide the call of the game on AM 1420 and AM 1440.
   
THE DETROIT MERCY SERIES:
•     Detroit Mercy leads the all-time series with CSU, 41-23.
•    The Titans have won three of the last four meetings with the teams splitting last year’s two games as each team won on its own home court.
•    The Vikings are 4-26 all-time in Detroit, last winning in the 2014-15 season.

GAME 16: MILWAUKEE 64, @CSU 60 (1/6/18):
• The Vikings fell to Milwaukee, 64-60, on Saturday afternoon in the Wolstein Center.
•    CSU trailed by 10 points with 2:36 to play, but rallied to make it a one possession game (66-63) on Bobby Word‘s three-pointer with 11 seconds to play. However, UWM used a free throw to push the lead back to four points with eight seconds left.
•    Kenny Carpenter scored 17 points with four rebounds and four assists to lead CSU, while Bobby Word scored 11 points.

CARDIAC VIKINGS:
•    The Vikings have played in six one possession games this year, posting a 2-4 mark in those games.
•    Two of CSU’s three League games have come down to the final possession as the Vikings fell to Youngstown State (80-77) and defeated Green Bay (80-79).
•    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 REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS:
•    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 527 points during his CSU career for 1,014 career points.
•     He is averaging 16.3 points over the last three games.

… AND NOTCHES FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE:
•    Bobby Word notched his first career double-double in a win over Green Bay (Jan. 4).
• Word 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 48 games of his CSU career.
•    He is 20th in the League in scoring this year (11.4), while ranking fifth in the League in three pointers (2.4).
•    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 scored a team-high 19 points in a win over Notre Dame College (Dec. 10). He also 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 (11.1).

CARPENTER GOING TO WORK:
•     Senior Kenny Carpenter is enjoying his best season to date.
•    He ranks 14th in the Horizon League in scoring (13.5) and 15th in rebounding (5.4), while adding 2.5 assists.
•    Carpenter is also ninth in field goal percentage (.497).
•    He has two, 20-point games this year and has scored in double figures 12 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.

… 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).
•    Carpenter is one of eight players in the Horizon League who has multiple double-doubles this year.

CLAYBORNE RETURNS TO LINEUP:
•     After missing seven games with a knee injury, Evan Clayborne returned to the lineup on Thursday night vs. Green Bay (Jan. 4).
•     Clayborne came off the bench and played 10 minutes, finishing with four points, one rebound and three blocked shots.

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.
•    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.
•    Hairston’s old career-high was 13 points set in the season opener against Kent State last year.

APPLEBY APPEALING:
•     Tyree Appleby is averaging 10.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in his first season of college basketball.
•    He ranks sixth in the League in steals, seventh in assists and is 22nd in scoring – the second highest scoring freshman in the League.
•    He is a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week, earning the award in back-to-back weeks (Dec. 4 & Dec. 10).
•    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.
•    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.

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 7.9 points and ranks 10th in the League with 5.9 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 9.3 points and 3.7 assists, while shooting .533 (8-15) from the field and .600 (3-5) from three-point.
•    Thomas scored a season-high 11 points with six assists against Youngstown State (Jan. 1).
•    He 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 (133 assists to 70 turnovers).

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.

FOR THREE:
•    CSU has hit a three-pointer in a school record 613 consecutive games.
•    The Vikings have hit at least three three’s in 162 straight contests, extending the streak with eight threes vs. Milwaukee on Saturday.
•    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 a two-game swing in Michigan with a 7:00 pm game at Oakland on Friday (Jan. 12).
•    CSU then heads to Northern Kentucky on Monday (Jan. 15) for a 7:30 pm game.