GAME #11
Cleveland State vs. No. 4 Iowa
Saturday, December 16 | 7:00 p.m. EST | Des Moines, Iowa
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SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open a five-game roadswing this week, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. EST contest against nationally-ranked Iowa on Saturday, December 16 in Des Moines, Iowa. Entering Saturday's matchup, the Vikings are 9-1 on the season, while the Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 4 with a 10-1 overall record.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's current win streak to 10 straight games…Keep Cleveland State perfect during the month of December…Give the Vikings their first win over a nationally ranked team since the 2017-18 season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/IOWA SERIES
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa enters Saturday's game with a 10-1 record on the season and ranked No. 4 in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 Poll…The Hawkeyes are currently on a seven-game win streak, with their lone loss of the year coming against Kansas State…Prior to the 2023-24 campaign, Iowa was picked as the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, while Caitlin Clark was named Preseason All-Big Ten and All-American…After the first 11 games of the year, Iowa ranks sixth among Division I teams with a .508 field goal percentage, 10th with an 88.6 scoring average, while also ranking 10th averaging 9.5 three-pointers per game…Individually, Clark leads the country in points per game (29.5) and assists (81).
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State picked up a 71-62 win over Akron, extending its win streak to nine straight games and picking up its 13th consecutive win at home. Three Vikings finished the game with double-digit points, while the Vikings shot 41-percent from the field. The Vikings combined for 15 assists on the game, while also notching six steals and four blocked shots.
VIKINGS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO NINE
With Sunday's 71-62 victory over Akron, the Vikings extended their current win streak to nine straight games. After dropping the season opener at Bowling Green, Cleveland State has rattled off wins in each of its last nine contests to lead all Horizon League teams with a nine-game win streak. This marks the third time during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure that the Vikings have notched a win streak of nine+ games.
TOUGH COMPETITION IN IOWA
This will mark the second straight season that Cleveland State will be facing a top-25 team from the state of Iowa, as the Vikings also faced No. 8 Iowa State in the 2022-23 season opener last year. Cleveland State head coach Chris Kielsmeier will enjoy a homecoming of sorts Saturday, as he is a native of Iowa.
…ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing seven of its last eight games at home, Cleveland State will now hit the road for a five-game stretch, beginning with Saturday's contest at Iowa. During this roadswing, the Vikings will travel 4,450+ miles, with games in Iowa, Florida and Wisconsin. So far this season, the Vikings stand at 2-1 when playing away from home.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State will be closing out its 11-game non-league slate over the next three contests, currently standing at 7-1 when facing non-league opponents. Over the last three seasons the Vikings have combined to go 23-5 in non-league action, including a 9-2 record last year.
BALANCED OFFENSE FOR THE VIKINGS
Through the first 10 games of the season, four different Vikings have recorded 20-point performances, including four from junior Colbi Maples. So far this season, the Vikings are averaging a Horizon League-best 79.7 points per game, while also shooting a league-best 47-percent from the field. Individually, Maples (16.4 ppg) and Mickayla Perdue (12.1 ppg) are both averaging double-digit scoring figures, while both rank in the top-15 in scoring among #HLWBB players.
…PERDUE NOTCHES FIRST 20-POINT GAME
Last time out, Mickayla Perdue tallied a team-best 25 points in the win over Akron, recording the first 20-point game of her Cleveland State career. Perdue, who went 9-for-15 from the field - including four three-pointers - against the Zips, became the fourth Viking to lead the offensive output for Cleveland State this season. After moving into the starting lineup two weeks ago, Perdue has been averaging 18.0 points per game to lead the Vikings during this four-game stretch.
CSU ON THE BOARDS
After the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season, the Vikings are outrebounding their opponents 391-323, averaging 39.1 boards per game as one of the best rebounding teams in the Horizon League. Cleveland State has outrebounded its opponents in seven of the first 10 games, including a pair of 50-rebound performances, finishing with 52 boards against Central Michigan and Chicago State.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Ten games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma already has 15 blocked shots on the year and 58 for her career. Reisma, who is one of three #HLWBB players with 15+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but one game this year, including two against Akron last time out.
MAPLES NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping Cleveland State to a 2-0 start to #HLWBB play earlier this season, junior Colbi Maples was named the Horizon League Player of the Week (December 4). Through the two games, Maples averaged 24.0 points per game on a .577 field goal percentage (15-for-26), finishing with 25 points against RMU and 23 points against Northern Kentucky. In addition, Maples went 6-for-8 from three-point while adding four steals and four assists on the two games.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the weekend, Cleveland State is ranked seventh in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Vikings are one of two Horizon League teams to be ranked, as Green Bay also enters the weekend in the top-25.
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 521-171. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 105-55 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 earlier this year - 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 close out non-league play at the Homewood Suites Classic hosted by FGCU next week, facing Southern Miss (December 20) and Drexel (December 21).
