CSU Looks For Two In A Row Saturday Against UIC

GAME #21
UIC (9-11, 4-3 HL) at Cleveland State (5-15, 2-5 HL)

Saturday, January 20, 2018 | 3:30 pm
Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | ESPN3 | AM 1420

PDF GAME NOTES
UIC at Cleveland State

GAME PREVIEW Supplied by Cleveland State Communications ****

    • Cleveland State concludes a  two-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 20) when the Vikings host UIC at 3:30 pm. It is a doubleheader with the CSU women hosting Youngstown State at 1:00 pm.

    • The Vikings are 5-15 overall and 2-5 in the Horizon League after a 70-67 victory over IUPUI on Thursday night. UIC is 9-11 overall (4-3 HL) and won at Youngstown State on Thursday night, 92-78.

    • Saturday’s game will be broadcast on AM 1220, AM 1420 and AM 1440, as well as ESPN3 with Al Pawlowski and Pat Vuyancih will providing the call.

    • Saturday is a Family Value Weekend with $1 hot dogs, and a FREE KidZone. The first 1,000 fans will recieve a CSU t-shirt.

    •    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 UIC SERIES: 

• CSU leads the all-time series with UIC, 47-35. The 82 games are the second most against any opponent in school history (YSU: 87).

• Since the 2005-06 season, CSU has won 21 of the last 27 meetings against UIC. The teams split two meetings last year with each winning on the others home court.

    

GAME 20: @CSU 70, IUPUI 67 (1/18/18):

• Kenny Carpenter scored 23 points as CSU topped IUPUI in the Vikings eighth one possession game of the season.

• Stefan Kenic had 14 points and Evan Clayborne added a career-high 10 points and seven rebounds.

• Jamarcus Hairston had six points and career-highs in rebounds (8) and steals (4).

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 189-of-257 (.735) at the charity stripe since then.

• In Horizon League play, the Vikings have hit 82-of-102 (.804) from the free throw line

• CSU is shooting .687 (202-294) at the line this year.

 

CARDIAC VIKINGS:

• The Vikings have played in eight one possession games this year, posting a 3-5 mark in those games.

• Four 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), lost at Detroit Mercy (85-84) and defeated IUPUI (70-67).

• CSU played in three straight one poessession games from Nov. 20 through Nov. 29, falling at ECU, 72-69 (Nov. 20), losing to Central Conn., 74-73, (Nov. 24), and toping 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 played a one possession games at Niagara (L, 79-77 on Dec. 19).

 

CLAYBORNE’S BIG NIGHT:

• Evan Clayborne scored a career-high 10 points and tied his career-high with seven rebounds in Thursday’s win over IUPUI.

• He added two steals and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.

• Clayborne has slowly worked his way back from a knee injury suffered at Kent State (Dec. 2), which forced him to miss seven games.

 

HAIRSTON EARNS FIRST CAREER START: 

• Jamarcus Hariston earned his first career start at CSU vs. Green Bay (Jan. 4). He totaled two points, four rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes.

• In seven League games (six starts), Hairston is averaging 6.4 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting .500 (17-34) from the floor.

• Hairston posted six points and set career-highs in rebounds (8) and steals (4) in a win at IUPUI, playing a career-high 32 minutes. His tip-in with 22 seconds left gave CSU the lead for good (68-67).

• 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.

 

WORD UP!: 

• Senior Bobby Word has started all 52 games during his CSU career.

• He is 20th in the League in scoring this year (11.3), while ranking third in the League in three pointers (2.5).

• 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).

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 570 points during his CSU career for 1,057 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.

 

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 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds this year, playing in all 20 games with 17 starts.

 

CARPENTER GOING TO WORK: 

• Senior Kenny Carpenter is enjoying his best season to date.

• He ranks 17th in the Horizon League in scoring (13.2) and 15th in rebounding (5.3), while adding 2.3 assists.

• Carpenter is also 11th in field goal percentage (.483).

• He has three, 20-point games this year and has scored in double figures 14 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 10.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 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 24th in scoring.

• 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 617straight games.

• The Vikings have hit at least three three’s in 166 straight contests, extending the streak with five threes against IUPUI on Thursday night.

• 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 started 14 straight games. He has missed the last two games with injury.

 

KASH IS MONEY: 

• Kasheem Thomas has had a strong start to Horizon League play, averaging 7.1 points and 3.7 assists, while shooting .436 (17-39) 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 the road for two games in Wisconsin next week. 

• CSU plays at Green Bay on Thursday (Jan. 25) at 8:00 pm ET and at Milwaukee on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 2:00 pm ET.