GAME #7
Cleveland State @ Delaware State
Monday, December 2 | 5:00 p.m. | Dover, Del.
PDF CLEVELAND STATE GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return to the road to begin a four-game roadswing, beginning with a 5:00 p.m. contest at Delaware State on Monday, December 2. The Vikings enter the month of December with a 5-1 record on the year - and on a five-game winstreak - while Delaware State owns a 3-4 record so far this season.
A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings on a six-game winstreak…Mark the first win for Cleveland State against Delaware State in the all-time series…Improve the Vikings to 6-1 on the year.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DELAWARE STATE SERIES
Monday's contest will be the first meeting between the two teams.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Delaware State enters Monday's contest with a 3-4 record on the season, and is currently on a three-game losing skid…The Hornets are under the direction of second-year head coach David Caputo, and return just two letterwinners from last season, including Lanayjha Ashe as the lone returning starter…Earlier this season, Ashe was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team, while the Hornets were selected to finish ninth in the preseason poll…Monday's game against the Vikings will mark Delaware State's seventh of 17 home games during the 2019-20 season, with the 17 games marking a school record.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State picked up its fifth straight win, earning a 66-62 victory against Akron. The win kept the Vikings perfect in the Wolstein Center this season, while it also improved the Vikings to 5-1 overall this year. Mariah Miller and Mariah White once again led the Viking offense, combining for 44 of Cleveland State's 66 points, while Mariah Miller and Dana DeGraffenreid combined for 25 total rebounds on the game.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns eight letterwinners from last season's squad, including the duo of Mariah Miller and Savanna Crockett who earned #HLWBB Preseason honors earlier this season. This duo is joined by Mariah White and JaMiya Braxton who finished last year as part of the starting lineup for the Vikings, giving Cleveland State four returning starters for the upcoming 2019-20 campaign. This experienced group will be joined by four true freshmen along with redshirt sophomore Dana DeGraffenreid to give head coach Chris Kielsmeier a well-rounded roster for the season.
…HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of second-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2019-20 campaign, who owns a 15-21 record at Cleveland State and a 431-137 overall record in 20 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to last season, also had stops at Wayne Sate (NE) and Howard Payne, becoming the all-time winningest coach at both schools. During his time at Howard Payne, Kielsmeier led the program to a Division III National Title.
ROAD WARRIORS
During the 2019-20 season the Vikings will play eight of their first 11 games away from the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center - the only Horizon League team to play eight or more true road games during the non-league portion of their schedule. During this stretch the Vikings will travel to six different states and will cover over 5,200 miles throughout the first two months of the season. Cleveland State's eight road games during the non-league slate marks the highest total for the Vikings since the 2000-01 campaign.
VIKINGS STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF
Over the last two games, Cleveland State has had to overcome a halftime deficit and post a strong second half to earn wins against St. Bonaventure and Akron. Against the Bonnies, the Vikings were able to outscore St. Bonaventure 34-22 in the second half and overcome a nine-point halftime deficit to earn the 65-62 win, while the Vikings were able to overcome a six-point deficit against Akron and outscored the Zips 37-27 during the second half to claim the victory.
MILLER & WHITE LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
So far this season, the duo of Mariah Miller and Mariah White has led the Viking offense, as the pair has combined for 234 points - or 52-percent of the Cleveland State offense. Miller (22.8 ppg) and White (16.2 ppg) both rank in the top-five in scoring among Horizon League players, while Miller also ranks eighth nationally in the category. Both Miller and White have recorded double-digit points in all six games this season, including 28 points from Miller and 16 points from White last time out in the win over Akron.
…MILLER NOTCHES 20+ POINTS, AGAIN
Last time out, senior Mariah Miller recorded her fourth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 28 in the win against Akron. For the season, Miller is averaging 22.8 points per game, and enters Monday's contest at Delaware State coming off of back-to-back 20+ point games against St. Bonaventure (27) and Akron (28). Miller is one of just four Horizon League players to record a 30+ point game so far this season, while she is the only #HLWBB player with four 20+ point games through the first four weeks of the 2019-20 campaign.
CLEVELAND STATE FROM LONG RANGE
So far this season, Cleveland State has been one of the most efficient teams from behind-the-arc, ranking 12th nationally with a .410 three-point field goal percentage. The Vikings, who have gone 43-for-105 from behind-the-arc through the first six games, recorded a season-best eight three-pointers at Hofstra earlier this season. Individually, JaMiya Braxton and Mariah Miller have recorded a team-best 11 three-pointers on the season, while Isabelle Gradwell has posted seven.
VIKINGS WITH THE TAKEAWAY
After four weeks of the 2019-20 campaign, Cleveland State is averaging 12.0 steals per game, a mark that ranks the Vikings 24th nationally. Earlier this season, the Vikings grabbed 21 steals against Davis & Elkins, and followed that up with 18 steals at LIU, with both marks ranking at the top of the #HLWBB standings. Among Horizon League teams, Cleveland State is the only team to have 70+ steals already this season, entering Monday's game at Delaware State with 72 total takeaways.
…WHITE LEADING THE WAY INDIVIDUALLY
After the first six games of the year, junior Mariah White has a team and Horizon League-best 24 total steals on the season, ranking sixth nationally in the category. White set a career-high against Davis & Elkins earlier this season, grabbing nine steals against the Senators, while she recorded two steals against Akron last time out.
VIKINGS ECLIPSE CENTURY MARK
Cleveland State recorded the 12th 100-point game in program history earlier this month, finishing with 110 points against Davis & Elkins in the 2019-20 home opener. The 110 points marked the fourth highest single-game total, while it was also the second straight season that the Vikings have scored 100 or more points in their home opener (113 vs. Salem last year). Cleveland State is now 10-2 all-time when scoring 100+ points.
…AND SET PROGRAM RECORD
The Vikings posted a program record 31 assists against Davis & Elkins in the home opener earlier this month, breaking the 30-assist plateau for the sixth time in program history. Cleveland State's 31 assists came on 39 made field goals, and included eight from freshman Julia Hintz and seven from sophomore Savanna Crockett. Hintz and Crockett were two of eight Vikings to record at least one assist on the game.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will continue its current roadswing on Friday, December 6, traveling to Western Carolina for a 7:00 p.m. contest.