GAME #15
Cleveland State at Milwaukee
Monday, January 1 | 3:00 p.m. EST | Milwaukee, Wis.
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open 2024 on the road Monday, traveling to Milwaukee for a 3:00 p.m. EST contest. Entering Monday's game, the Vikings stand at 11-3 overall this year and 2-1 in Horizon League play, while the Panthers are currently 7-7 on the year and 1-2 in #HLWBB action.
A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD…
Give Cleveland State a 1-0 start to the 2024 calendar year…Mark the sixth straight victory for the Vikings over Milwaukee…Improve Cleveland State to 3-1 in #HLWBB play.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES
Monday's game will mark the 66th meeting between the two teams, with Milwaukee owning a 36-29 edge in the all-time series. Despite this advantage, Cleveland State has won five straight against the Panthers, including all three matchups last season.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters Monday's game with a 7-7 record on the year, including an 1-2 mark in #HLWBB play…Milwaukee picked up a 70-59 win at IUPUI for its lone win in league play so far this season…The Panthers will be closing out a three-game homestand on Monday…Earlier this year, Milwaukee was selected to finish sixth in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, while junior Kendall Nead was named to the Preseason All-League Second Team…The Panthers currently rank second among #HLWBB teams averaging 17.00 assists per game, while Kamy Peppler leads the league individually averaging 5.1 assists per game.
VIKINGS RETURN TO #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State returned to Horizon League play this weekend, currently sitting at 2-1 in #HLWBB action. Just three games into the league slate the Vikings sit fourth in the #HLWBB standings with wins over RMU and Northern Kentucky through the first two weeks of play.
…CSU TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
Earlier this season, 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.
ROAD WARRIORS
Monday's game at Milwaukee will be the final contest of five straight road games for the Vikings. So far this season, Cleveland State owns a 4-3 record when playing on the road, including a pair of neutral site victories over Southern Miss and Drexel at the Homewood Suites classic hosted by FGCU last week.
PERDUE NOTCHES ANOTHER 20-POINT PERFORMANCE
Over the last five games senior Mickayla Perdue has posted four 20-point performances, becoming the second Viking this season with four or more 20-point games. Perdue started her stretch of 20-point performances with 25 points against Akron, and followed that up with 24 points against nationally ranked Iowa, 24 points against Southern Miss, while also notching 23 points at Green Bay last time out. Since moving into the starting lineup four weeks ago, Perdue has been averaging 18.6 points per game to lead the Viking offense during this eight-game stretch.
…VIKINGS ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Through the first eight weeks of the season, two Vikings are ranked in the top-five in scoring among Horizon League players, with Colbi Maples ranking fourth (17.1 ppg) and Mickayla Perdue ranking fifth (14.1 ppg). Cleveland State is the only school with two players ranked in the top-five, while the Vikings have combined for a league-best 77.4 points per game as a team so far this year.
…VIKINGS SPREADING THE OFFENSE
Entering Monday's game at Milwaukee, the Vikings have recorded double-digit assists in seven straight games, including a season-high 19 helpers in the win over Niagara. For the season, Colbi Maples has a team-best 57 assists and ranks third among Horizon League players averaging 4.1 assists per game.
REISMA NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping Cleveland State to a 2-0 week at the Homewood Suites Classic hosted by FGCU, sophomore Jordana Reisma was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Reisma averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on the week, while shooting 58-percent from the floor. Reisma tallied her second double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Southern Miss, while she followed that up with a career-best 18 points against Drexel. Reisma joins Colbi Maples as the two Vikings to earn #HLWBB Player of the Week honors so far this season.
…REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Fourteen games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma already has 17 blocked shots on the year and 60 for her career. Reisma, who is one of five #HLWBB players with 17+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but three games this year, including a season-high three against Central Michigan and Austin Peay.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State closed out its non-league slate last week, finishing with a 9-2 record against non-league opponents this season - with one of its losses coming against No. 4 Iowa. Over the last three years, the Vikings have combined to go 25-6 in non-league action, with the nine wins tying the program-best for non-league wins under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State is ranked fifth 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 enters the week ranked sixth.
…AND RECEIVING VOTES IN TOP-25 POLL
Cleveland State also enters this week's games receiving votes in the most recent WBCA Top-25 Coaches Poll, marking the second time this season that the Vikings have appeared in one of the national top-25 polls. The Vikings are one of 15 teams to be receiving votes in this week's WBCA poll.
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 523-173. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 107-57 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 return to the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center for a three-game homestand, beginning with a 1:00 p.m. matchup against Youngstown State on Saturday, January 6.
