The Cleveland State women's basketball team will continue postseason play on Monday, March 9, traveling to Indianapolis, Ind. for a Semifinal matchup against IUPUI in the 2020 Horizon League Basketball Championship. Entering Monday's game, CSU stands at 21-11 overall this season and is playing as the No. 6 seed in this year's tournament, while IUPUI is currently 21-8 and is playing as the No. 1 seed.

 

Put the Vikings into the Championship game of the 2020 Horizon League Basketball Tournament…Give Cleveland State three straight wins for the second time this year…Give head coach Chris Kielsmeier a 3-1 record in #HLWBB Tournament play.

 

Monday's contest will be the 14th meeting between the two teams, with IUPUI holding a slight 7-6 edge in the overall series. IUPUI has won six straight entering Monday's game, with Cleveland State's last victory over the Jaguars coming during the 2013-14 season prior to IUPUI joining the Horizon League.

 

The Jaguars were able to pick up wins in both meetings during the regular season, posting a 78-53 win in Cleveland and a 58-48 victory at home. Mariah White led the Vikings with 20 points against the Jaguars in the first meeting, while Mariah Miller posted a team-best 19 points - including her 1,000th career point -  in the second matchup.

 

 

Cleveland State has earned its spot in the #HLWBB Semifinals following a pair of wins last week, as the Vikings picked up an 84-48 victory over Youngstown State in the First Round and then notched a 63-52 win at Wright State in the Quarterfinals. The first two rounds were hosted at campus sites, while the tournament will shift to the Indiana Farmers Colesium for the Semifinals (March 9) and Championship (March 10). 

 

Cleveland State posted one of its most complete performances of the season in its opening game of the tournament, posting an 84-48 victory over Youngstown State. On the offensive end, the Vikings shot 45-percent from the field (32-for-70), with four Vikings finishing in double-figures. Defensively, the Vikings recorded 15 total steals and forced the Penguins into 18 turnovers. This marked the sixth time this season that Cleveland State has eclipsed the 80-point plateau, while it marked the 12th time that the Vikings have recorded double-digit takeaways.

 

The Vikings used a strong second half against Wright State last time out to earn a 63-52 victory over the defending Horizon League Tournament champions. Mariah White led the Vikings offensively with 29 points, while Mariah Miller recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. As a team, the Vikings recorded 10 steals, marking the 13th time that the Vikings have recorded double-digit takeaways this year. 

 

Thursday's victory at Wright State marked the second #HLWBB Tournament win for the Vikings under head coach Chris Kielsmeier, as they now stand at 2-1 in postseason play under his direction. Over the last 13 years, the Vikings stand at 12-10 in tournament play, advancing to the semifinals six times and earning an appearance in the championship game twice. The Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament title in both of their championship appearances, capturing the crown during the 2007-08 and 2009-10 seasons.

 

Last week's 84-48 victory over Youngstown State in the First Round of the #HLWBB Tournament marked the 20th victory of the season for Cleveland State, marking just the third time in program history that the Vikings have reached the 20-win plateau. Entering Monday's Semifinal the Vikings now stand at 21-10 on the season - one of just two #HLWBB teams with 21 or more wins on the year. For head coach Chris Kielsmeier, this marks the 13th time that one of his teams has recorded 20+ wins in a season.

 

After serving as one of the best offensive players throughout the regular season, senior Mariah Miller was named to the All-Horizon League First Team for the second straight year. In #HLWBB Tournament play, Miller has averaged 18.5 points through the first two games, including 27 points against YSU in the First Round - her 10th 20-point game of the season. On the year, Miller is averaging 17.0 points per game, and has notched double-digit points in all but four games.  Entering Monday's game, Miller ranks 20th in the CSU Career Record Book with 1,149 total points, while she is just shy of a spot in the CSU Single-Season Record book with her 527 total points this year.

 

After averaging a league-best 3.1 steals per game through the regular season and helping the Vikings grab a league-high 290 total steals, junior Mariah White was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year last week. White has shown her defensive strength through the first two rounds of tournament play, as she has combined for six steals in the two games, including a team-high five takeaways against Youngstown State. For the season, she now has 95 total steals - which ranks her 10th nationally - while she is also tied for sixth place in the CSU Single-Season Record Book.

 

Entering Monday's game, Cleveland State ranks 17th nationally with 315 total steals as one of the best defensive teams in Division I. So far this season, the Vikings have recorded 10+ takeaways during 13 games, including 15 steals against YSU in the First Round and 10 steals against Wright State in the Quarterfinals. Through the first 31 games of the year, the Vikings have forced their opponents into 538 turnovers, owning a league-best 3.32 turnover margin.

 

After returning to the starting lineup against Northern Kentucky earlier this season, senior Jade Ely has had a crucial impact for the Vikings over the last nine games. Since earning a spot in the starting five, Ely has been averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 2.5 assists per game - and is leading the team in steals (25) and assists (23) during this stretch. In the two Tournament games last week, Ely combined for 24 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals, helping the Vikings earn a spot in Monday's #HLWBB Semifinal. 

 

Sophomore JaMiya Braxton has been Cleveland State's top three-point shooter this season, entering Monday's game with 69 made three-pointers. Braxton leads the league and ranks 40th nationally with a .406 clip from behind-the-arc, while she is tied for the league-lead averaging 2.3 three-pointers per game. Braxton, who had a stretch of 15 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer earlier this year - has combined for four three-pointers through the first two #HLWBB Tournament games. In the CSU Single-Season Record Book, Braxton ranks third with her 69 shots from behind-the-arc this year.

 

After the first 31 games of the season, redshirt sophomore Nadia Dumas is the only Viking to have appeared in the starting lineup during all 31 games. Dumas, who became part of the starting five for the first time in her career this season, is one of 14 Horizon League players to appear in the starting lineup during every game. Against YSU in the First Round, Dumas recorded a career-high 12 rebounds, marking the first double-digit rebound game of her career. For the season, Dumas is averaging 3.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game.

 

Throughout the first part of the 2019-20 campaign, the Vikings posted an 11-game winstreak, setting a program record for consecutive wins. Cleveland State's winstreak stretched from November 13 through December 28, as the Vikings rattled off a double-digit winstreak for the first time in program history. The 11-game winstreak topped the previous record of nine consecutive wins which was set during the 1982-83 season.

 

Cleveland State's 11-1 start to the 2019-20 campaign marked the best start in program history, bettering the previous mark of 7-1 that was set during the 1974-75 campaign. Ten of Cleveland State's 11 wins came during non-league play, which marked the first time that the Vikings had recorded 10+ wins during non-league play since joining the Horizon League in the 1994-95 season.