SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out its final regular season homestand on Saturday, February 18, hosting Wright State in a 2:00 p.m. contest. Entering Saturday's game, Cleveland State has won eight straight games and stands at 25-3 overall this season and 15-2 in Horizon League play, while Wright State is currently 5-22 overall and 4-13 in league action.

A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings nine straight wins...Keep Cleveland State perfect during the second half of #HLWBB play...Put the Vikings at 7-0 during the month of February...Improve Cleveland State to 14-1 when playing at home…Give Cleveland State the series sweep over the Raiders.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/WRIGHT STATE SERIES
Saturday's game will be the 84th meeting between the two teams, with Wright State owning a slight 43-40 edge in the all-time series. Earlier this year, the Vikings picked up a 103-72 victory, marking the first of two 100-point games for the Vikings so far this season. 

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters Saturday's game with a 5-22 overall record this season, including a 4-13 record in Horizon League play…The Raiders are currently on a two-game losing skid, with their most recent win coming in a 74-65 decision at Milwaukee (2/10/23)…Wright State currently sits 10th in the #HLWBB standings…Bryce Nixon currently ranks 11th among league players averaging 12.0 points per game, while ranking second averaging 2.4 three-pointers per contest…Emily Chapman ranks ninth averaging 2.8 assists per game, while Cara VanKempen is 12th with 0.7 blocks per game.

LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State was able to come away with a 57-56 victory over Northern Kentucky, playing a strong defensive possession to end the game with the one-point win. Destiny Leo led the Vikings with 17 points, while Brittni Moore tallied a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Viking defense combined for eight blocked shots on the night, including two each from Brittni Moore, Amele Ngwfang and Jordana Reisma.

VIKINGS IN SOLE POSSESSION OF FIRST PLACE IN #HLWBB STANDINGS
After picking up the 57-56 victory against Northern Kentucky last time out, the Vikings moved into sole possession of first place in the #HLWBB standings (as of 2/17/23), and currently own a 15-2 record in league play, marking the best start to Horizon League play for the Vikings.

HOME-SWEET-HOME
This weekend's game against Wright State will mark the final regular season game inside the Wolstein Center for the Vikings - a place where Cleveland State owns a 13-1 record this season. Over the last five years the Vikings have combined for a 49-18 record at home during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure.

VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State was ranked 11th in the lastest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Vikings are one of three Horizon League teams to be ranked in the top-25, as Green Bay (12) and Youngstown State (21) also continue to be ranked this week.

…AND RECEIVING VOTES IN AP TOP-25
Cleveland State also entered this weekend's games receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 Poll, marking the third time this season that the Vikings have appeared in one of the national top-25 polls. The Vikings are one of 13 teams to be receiving votes in this week's poll, while they are the lone Horizon League team to appear in the rankings. 

VIKINGS IMPROVE PROGRAM RECORD WITH 25TH WIN OF THE SEASON
Thursday's 57-56 victory over Northern Kentucky marked the 25th win of the 2022-23 season for the Vikings, improving the program record for wins in a single-season. Cleveland State set the program record with 24 wins earlier this week, as a 73-63 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne eclipsed the previous record of 23 wins which was set back during the 1982-83 campaign. Cleveland State is now one of just five Division I teams with 25+ wins on the year.

…AND EXTEND CURRENT WIN STREAK
The victory over Northern Kentucky also extended Cleveland State's current win streak to eight straight games, marking the second time this season that the Vikings have won eight consecutive games (set a program record with a 16-game win streak earlier this year). Cleveland State's eight-game win streak is currently a league-best (as of 2/17/23), with Green Bay right behind on a seven-game win streak. 

MOORE TALLIES SECOND STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Brittni Moore recorded her third double-double of the season - and second straight - against the Norse last time out, finishing with 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in the victory. Moore, who ranks second on the team in both scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg), tallied her 18th double-digit scoring game of the year and her third double-digit rebounding performance. Moore is one of three Vikings to have double-doubles on the season, joining Amele Ngwafang (6 double-doubles) and Barbara Zieniewska (1).

NGWAFANG ON THE BOARDS
Last time out, Amele Ngwafang grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Northern Kentucky, marking her second straight double-digit rebounding game and her fifth 10+ rebounding performance over the last seven outings. For the season, Ngwafang leads the team and ranks fifth in the #HLWBB standings averaging 8.0 rebounds per game, and has notched 10+ boards nine total times. 

LEO ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Through 28 games played so far this season, Destiny Leo continues to lead the team and the Horizon League averaging 18.5 points per game. Last time out, Leo notched 17 points against Northern Kentucky, including a pair of game-winning free throws with just four seconds left on the clock. So far this season, Leo leads all #HLWBB players with 12 20+ point performances and also has a league-best four 30+ outings. With her 17 points against NKU Leo moved into a tie for 12th place on the CSU Scoring List, entering Saturday's game with 1,323 career points. 

…LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Entering Saturday's game against Wright State, Destiny Leo continues to be the top free throw shooter in the Horizon League, owning a .919 clip (137-for-149) from the line on the season. Nationally, Leo ranks fourth among Division I players in free throw percentage (with 60+ more attempts than the three players ahead of her), while she also ranks in the top-15 for free throws made. So far this season, Leo has been perfect from the free throw line in 17 games, including a season-high 13-for-13 effort at RMU earlier this season.

REISMA NAMED #HLWBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
For the fourth time this season Jordana Reisma picked up Freshman of the Week honors from the Horizon League, earning the accolade after helping the Vikings a 2-0 week against Chicago State and IUPUI. Reisma averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the two games last week, while shooting 56-percent from the field. Reisma opened the week with seven points and five rebounds against Chicago State, while she tied her season-high with 14 points along with three rebounds and two blocked shots in the win at IUPUI. 

VIKINGS SET PROGRAM RECORD WITH 16-GAME WIN STREAK
Earlier this season, Cleveland State set a program record with a 16-game win streak, dating from November 12, 2022 through January 12, 2023. The Vikings, who set the previous record with 11 straight wins during the 2019-20 campaign, were one of just four Division I teams with a win streak of 16+ games at the time (South Carolina, Ohio State, LSU).

HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of fifth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2022-23 campaign, who owns a 91-52 record at Cleveland State and a 507-168 overall record in 23 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to the 2018-19 season, recorded his 500th career head coaching win in a 107-65 decision at Detroit Mercy last time out.

…500 CAREER HEAD COACHING WINS FOR CHRIS KIELSMEIER
With the 107-65 victory at Detroit Mercy earlier this season Chris Kielsmeier recorded the 500th head coaching win of his career, including 84 of which that he recorded during his time at Cleveland State. Prior to joining the Vikings, Kielsmeier earned 179 wins during eight seasons at Howard Payne University and 237 wins during 10 seasons at Wayne State College.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out regular season play with two games next week, traveling to Green Bay on Thursday (2/23) and Milwaukee on Saturday (2/25)