Cleveland State Women's Basketball Set To Host Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational Athletics

Posted: Nov 21, 2023

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will host its second annual MTE this week, welcoming Austin Peay, Chicago State and UMKC for the Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational. This week's MTE will be a round-robin format, with all games taking place in Woodling Gymnasium.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 22
1:00 p.m. - UMKC vs. Chicago State
4:00 p.m. - Cleveland State vs. Austin Peay

Friday, November 24
1:00 p.m. - Cleveland State vs. Chicago State
4:00 p.m. - Austin Peay vs. UMKC

Saturday, November 25
12:30 p.m. - Austin Peay vs. Chicago State
4:00 p.m. - Cleveland State vs. UMKC

THE CLEVELAND STATE/AUSTIN PEAY SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the third meeting between the two teams and the first since the 1993-94 campaign. Cleveland State owns a 2-0 record in the all-time series.

SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
The Governors enter the week with a 1-3 overall record, with their first win of the 2023-24 campaign coming last time out when they earned a 68-63 victory at Kentucky…Last month, Austin Peay was selected fourth in the ASUN Preseason Poll, while Shamarre Hale was named to the All-ASUN team…Through four games, Hale is averaging a team-best 10.8 points per game, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds per contest…Sandra Lin has a team-best 16 assists, while Anala Nelson leads the team with eight steals.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/CHICAGO STATE SERIES
Friday's game will mark the 10th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State holding a 7-2 lead in the all-time series. Last season, the Vikings earned an 88-49 victory over the Cougars.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE
The Cougars enter the week with an 0-5 overall record, and will be playing five games over a six-day span - three games at the Viking Invitational, at Notre Dame (Nov. 21) and home against Evansville (Nov. 26)…Cleveland State will be the second Horizon League opponent for Chicago State this year, as the Cougars dropped an 83-48 contest at Detroit Mercy earlier this month…Tae'lor Willard is averaging a team-best 10.6 points per game, while Josie Hill leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/UMKC SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams.

SCOUTING UMKC
The Roos enter the week with a 1-3 overall record, with their lone win of the season coming in a 73-66 decision over Bradley…Last month, UMKC was selected ninth in the Summit League Preseason Poll…Through four games, Nariyah Simmons (16.8 ppg) and Alayna Contreras (11.7 ppg) are both averaging double-digit points, while Ifunanya Nwachukwu is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game…Lisa Thomas has a team-best 11 assists on the year, while Nwachukwu has combined for five steals to lead the Roos.

VIKING BASKETBALL BACK IN WOODLING
Woodling Gymnasium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2023, was the home to Cleveland State basketball from 1973-1991. During this 18-year stretch, the men's and women's basketball teams combined for a 214-94 record at home, while the teams featured 16 future CSU Hall of Famers. After the men's and women's basketball teams moved to the Wolstein Center for the 1991-92 campaign, Woodling Gymnasium remained the home to Cleveland State volleyball, wrestling and fencing.

…HOME-SWEET-HOME
During the 2023-24 season the Vikings will play 16 of their 31 regular season games at home, with this week's trio of games marking the second, third and fourth of six non-league games in Cleveland. Under Chris Kielsmeier, the Vikings have combined for a 51-18 record when playing at home, including a 17-3 mark against non-league opponents.

LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through the first three games of the year, Destiny Leo has been a perfect 25-for-25 from the free throw line, including an 18-for-18 performance at Loyola earlier this year which set the CSU Single Game Record for made free throws. Among Division I players, Leo is at the top of the standings with her perfect 25-for-25 effort on the season. For her career, Leo is at the top of the CSU Career Record Book with a .909 free throw percentage (352-387), while she ranks sixth with her 352 career free throws.

MAPLES HELPING THE VIKING OFFENSE
In her first three games as a Viking, Colbi Maples has tallied a trio of double-digit scoring performances, opening the season with 27 points at Bowling Green and following that up with 10 points at Loyola and 14 against Central Michigan. Through the first three games, Maples is averaging 17.0 points per game, while shooting 50-percent from the floor. Among Horizon League players, Maples is tied for fourth with her 17.0 points per game after the two weeks of play.

CSU ON THE BOARDS
After the first three games of the 2023-24 season, the Vikings are outrebounding their opponents 126-97. Among Horizon League teams, Cleveland State is averaging a league-best 42.0 boards per game, and has outrebounded its opponents in each of the first three games. Last time out, the Vikings grabbed 52 boards against Central Michigan, including a career-best 12 rebounds from Sara Guerreiro marking her first double-digit rebounding effort.

GOULA MAKES CSU DEBUT
Senior Filippa Goula made her Cleveland State debut last time out, playing six minutes off the bench in the win over Central Michigan. Goula finished with two points and one rebound, and was one of 12 Vikings to get in the scoring column against the Chippewas. After the first two weeks of the 2023-24 campaign, all 13 Vikings have now seen game action.

CLEVELAND STATE TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
Last month, Cleveland State was selected to finish second in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, picking up 107 points. This marks the third time in program history that the Vikings were selected to finish second in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, with the Vikings also tabbed in the top-two prior to the 2011-12 and 2009-10 seasons.

LEO REPEATS AS #HLWBB PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cleveland State senior Destiny Leo was honored by the Horizon League last month, earning her second straight nod as the #HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year. Leo, who is the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, is the only Viking in program history to earn the recognition more than once. Leo returns as Cleveland State's leading scorer from a season ago, as she averaged 17.9 points per game to lead all league players, while also leading the league and ranking seventh nationally with a .911 free throw percentage (164-180).

…AND NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Destiny Leo was also named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List earlier this season – one of 25 student-athletes named to the national preseason watch list. Leo, who is the first Cleveland State player to earn a spot on the list, enters her senior campaign at the top of the CSU Career Record Book in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (.389) and Free Throw Percentage (.903), while ranking third with 214 Three-Point Field Goals and 11th with 1,433 Total Points.

HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who owns a career head coaching record of 514-171. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 98-55 overall record, including a trio of 20-win seasons. Last year, Kielsmeier guided the Vikings to their third #HLWBB Tournament Championship, while he led the Vikings to their first-ever postseason title in 2021 when Cleveland State captured the WBI championship.

…KIELSMEIER NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Chris Kielsmeier was named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Preseason Watch List last week - one of 20 coaches named to the inaugural watch list. Under Kielsmeier, the Vikings have advanced to the postseason in three straight years, and have tallied 20-win campaigns three times over the last four seasons.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will play its first two Horizon League games next week, hosting Robert Morris on Wednesday, November 29 before traveling to Northern Kentucky on Saturday, December 2.