GAME #14
Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Friday, February 12 | 1:00 pm | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
GAME #15
Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Satuday, February 13 | 1:00 pm | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video
PDF CLEVELAND STATE GAME NOTES
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will host its final homestand of the regular season this weekend, as the Vikings welcome Purdue Fort Wayne for a two-game series on Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13. Entering the weekend, the Vikings stand at 6-7 overall this year and 5-7 in league play, while Purdue Fort Wayne is currently 0-18 on the season and 0-16 in #HLWBB action.
ENTERING THE WEEKEND…
Cleveland State will be looking to extend its current four-game winstreak…The Vikings will be trying to stay perfect against the Mastodons this season…Cleveland State will be looking to stay unbeaten during the month of February.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PURDUE FORT WAYNE SERIES
This weekend's games will be the ninth and 10th meeting between the two teams in program history, with Cleveland State owning a 7-1 edge in the overall series. When playing as Horizon League opponents, the Vikings own a perfect 2-0 record against the Mastodons.
…THE FIRST TIME AROUND
This will be the second weekend series of the 2020-21 season between Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne, as the Vikings picked up a pair of wins in Fort Wayne to begin the New Year. The Vikings earned an 85-51 victory in the first matchup, and then followed that up with a 72-52 victory in the weekend finale.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the weekend searching for its first win of the 2020-21 campaign, as the Mastodons are currently 0-18 overall and 0-16 in league play…This weekend's games will be the third and fourth of a four-game roadswing for the Mastodons…Purdue Fort Wayne's Shayla Sellers ranks third among league players averaging 1.1 blocked shots per game…Sierra Bell (10.3 ppg) and Riley Ott (10.2 ppg) have been leading the Mastodon offense this season, as they both rank in the top-25 among league players in scoring.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns eight letterwinners from last season's squad, including the duo of Mariah White and Nadia Dumas who appeared in the starting lineup in all but one game for the Vikings last year. This duo is joined by Isabelle Gradwell and Taylah Levy who played significant time for the Vikings last year, along with Isabella Geraci, Aminata Ly and Julia Hintz. This experienced group will be joined by five true freshmen and two junior transfers 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 third-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2020-21 campaign. Earlier this season, Kielsmeier notched the 450th win of his head coaching career, becoming just the second active #HLWBB coach with 450 career victories. Kielsmeier's 450th win came in a 60-48 decision against Green Bay, marking just the seventh victory over the Phoenix is program history and the first during his tenure.
WHITE NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Earlier this week, senior Mariah White was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award for her accomplishments in the four C's of Community, Classroom, Character, and Competition. White is one of 16 mid-major players to be named a top-30 candidate, while she is the only representative form the Horizon League.
…WHITE SET TO PLAY IN 100th CAREER GAME
Friday's game against Purdue Fort Wayne will mark the 100th career game for senior Mariah White in a Cleveland State uniform. White, who leads the league averaging 19.5 points per game, has appeared in the starting lineup during 71 contests throughout her time as a Viking. Entering this weekend's series against the Mastodons, White is just 27 points shy of earning a spot on the CSU All-Time Scoring List, while she is just three steals shy of cracking the top-10 list in the CSU Career Record Book.
GRADWELL NOTCHES FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Last time out, junior Isabelle Gradwell recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Mercyhurst. Gradwell, who has combined for 25 total boards over the last two games, is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game this season. Since reappearing in the starting lineup for the Vikings against Green Bay last month, Gradwell is averaging 9.0 boards over the five-game stretch.
LEO NOTCHES 20-POINT GAME AGAINST MERCYHURST
Last time out, freshman Destiny Leo notched her second 20-point game of the season, finishing right on the number to lead the Viking offense against Mercyhurst. Leo is now averaging 11.4 points per game this season, and has posted 14+ points in the last five games, including a season-high 23 points against Oakland.
…LEO FROM BEHIND-THE-ARC
Entering the week, Destiny Leo leads all #HLWBB freshmen averaging 2.3 three-pointers per game, and owns a team-high 30 three-pointers on the year. Leo has converted three or more shots from behind-the-arc in each of the last five games, and is shooting 42-percent from three-point range on the season (30-for-70).
DUMAS ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Offensively, Nadia Dumas has been Cleveland State's second leading scorer so far this season, averaging 11.9 points per game. Dumas, who averaged just 3.8 points per game last year, has finished with 10+ points in all but three games this year, including a career-high 19-point performance against Oakland in the last #HLWBB matchup. Through 11 games so far this season, Dumas is shooting a team-best 59-percent from the floor (53-for-89).
VIKINGS ON THE GLASS
Cleveland State continued its improvement on the glass last time out, outrebounding Mercyhurst 47-38. After averaging just 29.6 rebounds per game and outrebounding their opponent just once through the first eight games, the Vikings have been averaging 44.6 boards over the last five games - outrebounding their opponent in all five contests. So far this season, Nadia Dumas leads the team averaging 6.5 boards per game, while Isabelle Gradwell is averaging 5.8 and Barbara Zieniewska is averaging 4.6 rebounds.
STARTING LINEUP
Through the first 13 games of the 2020-21 campaign the Vikings have used five different starting lineups with nine different players appearing in the starting five at least once. So far this season, Levy is the only Viking to appear in all 13 starting lineups, while Mariah White (12) and Nadia Dumas (11) have started every game they have played in so far this season.
VIKINGS ON THE DEAN'S LIST
With the 2020 Fall Semester in the books, the Vikings posted one of their best semesters in program history, finishing with a 3.50 Team GPA for the term. In addition, 10 Vikings earned a spot on the Cleveland State University Dean's List (Dana DeGraffenreid, Nadia Dumas, Isabella Geraci, Isabelle Gradwell, Meghan Kenefick, Destiny Leo, Elie Smith, Julia Hintz, Mariah White, Barbara Zieniewska), while Taylah Levy was named to the Cleveland State University President's List.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the regular season on the road next weekend, traveling to Youngstown State on Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20.
