GAME #25
Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee
Thursday, February 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out regular season play this weekend, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. contest against Milwaukee on Thursday, February 24. Entering the game, Cleveland State currently stands at 18-6 overall this season and 13-5 against league opponents, while Milwaukee stands at 13-14 overall and 12-8 in league play.
A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's win streak to four straight games…Give Cleveland State the season sweep over the Panthers…Improve the Vikings to 11-3 when playing at the Wolstein Center this season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the 62nd meeting between the two teams, with Milwaukee owning a 36-25 edge in the all-time series. Despite Milwaukee winning 12 out of the last 14 matchups, the Vikings were able to pick up a 66-57 victory earlier this year in the first matchup.
…THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Cleveland State earned a 66-57 victory at Milwaukee, marking the first win for the Vikings when playing in Milwaukee since the 2011-12 season. Gabriella Smith led the Viking offense with 15 points, while Brittni Moore had a team-high nine rebounds. As a team, Cleveland State recorded nine steals and five blocked shots on the game, and held the Panthers to a .349 clip from the field.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters Thursday's game standing at 13-14 overall this season and 12-8 in Horizon League play…The Panthers have won two straight games, including a 50-48 victory over Green Bay last time out…When playing on the road this season, Milwaukee owns a 5-8 record…With just two games left in regular season play, the Panthers currently rank sixth in the #HLWBB standings…Milwaukee enters the game as one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league, with a .802 clip from the line, while Megan Walstad ranks third individually (.888).
LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings posted a 3-0 road swing at Oakland and Detroit Mercy, improving to 18-6 overall this season. Cleveland State opened the weekend with an 85-65 win at Oakland, before picking up back-to-back wins against Detroit Mercy on Saturday (74-70) and Monday (80-60).
VIKINGS IN THE #HLWBB STANDINGS
Following the 3-0 road swing last time out, the Vikings moved into fourth place in the #HLWBB standings, and are one of four teams to notch 13+ league wins so far this season. Over the final weekend of regular season play, the Vikings will face Milwaukee - who is currently sixth in the standings - and Green Bay - who is currently third.
HOME-SWEET-HOME
This weekend's games against Milwaukee and Green Bay will close out a 14-game home slate for the Vikings during regular season play, while also marking their fifth and sixth home games during the month of February. So far this year, the Vikings own a 10-3 record when playing at home, including a 4-2 mark against Horizon League opponents.
LEO NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, sophomore Destiny Leo picked up her second weekly honor of the season, as she was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Leo posted back-to-back 20-point performances against Oakland (24 points) and Detroit Mercy (22), while shooting 50-percent from the floor. Leo was also named the Player of the Week back in December following her career-high night at Northern Kentucky (12/3).
…LEO LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
Entering the final week of regular season play, Destiny Leo continues to lead the league averaging 18.7 points per game, while she ranks among the top-50 players nationally in the category. Leo has notched 20 or more points nine times so far this season, including a pair of 30-point performances. In addition, Leo is one of Cleveland State's most efficient shooters, as she owns a .445 clip from the field, including a .388 clip from behind-the-arc so far this season.
NGWAFANG ON THE BOARDS
Entering Thursday's contest against Milwaukee, Amele Ngwafang has been Cleveland State's top rebounder over the last few games, as she currently leads the team averaging 7.6 boards per game. Ngwafang has grabbed 10+ rebounds six times over the last seven games, including a season-high 14 rebounds at Oakland last weekend. Over the last seven games, Ngwafang is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game, while she ranks sixth among #HLWBB players averaging 7.6 boards on the season.
…VIKINGS ON THE GLASS
With just two games left during regular season play, Cleveland State is averaging a league-best 41.3 rebounds per game, and owns a 4.7 rebounding margin which ranks fourth among league teams. The Vikings have outrebounded their opponent in 15 games so far this year, including a season-high 63 boards against Wright State earlier this month. Entering this weekend, two Vikings rank in the top-10 among league players in the category (Ngwafang, 6th-7.6, Dumas, 10th-6.4), making Cleveland State one of just two schools to have two players ranked in the top-10 in the league statistics.
DUMAS NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE & 20-POINT GAME AT OAKLAND
Last week, Nadia Dumas posted her second double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds at Oakland. The 20-point performance was just shy of a career-high, while it marked just the second 20-point game of her CSU career. Dumas went 7-for-12 from the field against the Grizzlies, while she was 6-for-9 from the free throw line. So far this season, Dumas has tallied 10+ points during 16 games, ranking 14th among #HLWBB players averaging 11.7 points per game.
…DUMAS ON THE CSU BLOCKED SHOTS TOP-10 LIST
Entering Thursday's game against Milwaukee, Nadia Dumas is tied for eighth in the CSU Career Record Book with 81 total blocked shots. For the season, Dumas has 29 blocks, ranking fifth among league players averaging 1.3 blocks per game. After recording two blocks at Detroit Mercy last time out, Dumas became just the ninth Viking all-time to reach 80 career blocks, while she needs just two more blocked shots to move into seventh place on the top-10 list.
GERACI NOTCHES 100th GAME PLAYED AT CSU
Last time out, senior Isabella Geraci played in her 100th game at Cleveland State, becoming the third active Viking to play in 100 career games. Geraci joins Nadia Dumas and Isabelle Gradwell in the 100-games played club, as Dumas and Gradwell both made their 100th appearance earlier this year.
VIKINGS POST 7-0 START TO THE 2021-22 CAMPAIGN
For just the second time in program history the Vikings went 7-0 to start the season (excluding the forfeit wins over IUPUI & Wright State), picking up wins against ETSU, St. Bonaventure, Quincy, UIC, LIU, Northern Kentucky, and Ohio Christian. Cleveland State's 7-0 start tied the program record for the best start to a season, which was first set during the 1974-75 campaign.
HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of fourth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2021-22 campaign, who owns a 61-46 record at Cleveland State and a 477-162 overall record in 21 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to the 2018-19 season, notched his 450th career win last year in a 60-48 victory over Green Bay, becoming just the second active #HLWBB coach to reach the milestone.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will host Green Bay on Saturday, February 26 in the regular season finale.
