GAME #6
Cleveland State vs. LIU
Sunday, November 28 | 2:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
CLEVELAND STATE ROSTER | LIU ROSTER
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the month of November - and its current six-game homestand - this weekend, hosting LIU on Sunday, November 28. The Vikings enter the weekend standing at 5-0 on the season, while LIU is currently 0-5.
A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's season-opening win streak to five straight games…Put the Vikings at 8-0 against non-league teams over the last two years…Extend Cleveland State's win streak inside the Wolstein Center to 12 straight games dating back to January 23 of last season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/LIU SERIES
Sunday's game will mark just the third meeting between the two teams in program history, with the series tied at 1-1. Cleveland State picked up a 79-49 victory in the last meeting during the 2019-20 season as part of the Vikings' record-setting 11-game win streak.
SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU enters Sunday's game standing at 0-5 on the season, most recently dropping a 70-55 decision at Youngstown State…Sunday's game will mark the fifth road game out of the first six contests for LIU this season, and will close out a two-game roadswing through the state of Ohio…Through the first five games, Erykah Russell leads LIU averaging 11.0 points per game, while Russell is also averaging a team-best 6.0 boards per contest…Earlier this season, the Sharks were selected to finish ninth in the NEC Preseason Poll.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State picked up its first official #HLWBB victory of the season, earning a 74-64 win over UIC. Destiny Leo (22 pts) and Isabella Geraci (16 pts) combined for 38 of Cleveland State's 74 points, while Amele Ngwafang (9 rbs), Nadia Dumas (8 rbs) and Barbara Zieniewska (7 rbs) combined for 24 rebounds. As a team, the Vikings recorded 11 assists and seven steals on the game.
4-0 START TO THE 2021-22 CAMPAIGN
For just the fifth time in program history the Vikings are 4-0 to start the season (excluding the forfeit win over IUPUI), picking up wins against ETSU, St. Bonaventure, Quincy, and UIC. The last time the Vikings were 4-0 to start the year was during the 2010-11 season when Cleveland State posted a 5-0 record through the first five games. Cleveland State is one of two #HLWBB teams to be undefeated this season.
…LONGEST ACTIVE WIN STREAK IN DI
With the 4-0 start to the season, Cleveland State entered the week owning the longest active win streak among Division I teams, winning seven straight games dating back to last season's WBI. The Vikings, who finished the 2020-21 season with three straight wins, have not dropped a contest since March 8, 2021. As of Friday, November 26, the Vikings are now one of four Division I teams with a win streak of 7+ games, led by Massachusetts with eight straight victories.
LEO NOTCHES FOUR-STRAIGHT 20-POINT GAMES
Over the first four games of the 2021-22 campaign, sophomore Destiny Leo is averaging 24.0 points per game after notching 20+ points on all four occasions. Most recently, Leo recorded a team-high 22 points against UIC. Leo has combined for 14 total three-pointers through the first two weeks of play, including a career-high tying five against ETSU and Quincy. Entering the week, Leo leads the league with her 24.0 points per game and 3.5 three-pointers per game, while she ranks second with a .571 clip from the floor.
GERACI NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH AGAINST UIC
Last time out, senior Isabella Geraci had a career-high game against the Flames, finishing with 16 points on a 4-for-7 performance from the field. In addition, Geraci also posted a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the free throw line, notching her first double-digit point game of the year. For the season, Geraci is averaging 6.0 points per game, and is shooting 90-percent from the free throw line (10-for-11).
CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through the first two weeks of the 2021-22 season the Vikings have converted 91 total free throws, including 31 against UIC last time out and 30 against ETSU in the season opener. Individually, Destiny Leo has gone 26-for-28 from the free throw line this season, while Amele Ngwafang was converted 16 free throws and Isabelle Gradwell and Deja Williams have both made 11 entering Sunday's game.
CLEVELAND STATE AMONG THE LEAGUE'S BEST
Entering the weekend, Cleveland State leads the league in rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 44.0 boards per game and 6.00 blocks per game. Individually, Nadia Dumas (8.0) and Amele Ngwafang (7.8) both rank in the top-six in rebounding, while Dumas also ranks third averaging 2.0 blocks per game.
HOME SWEET HOME
During the 2021-22 season the Vikings will play 17 of their 29 regular season games in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center - including six of their seven non-league contests. Cleveland State will start the season with six straight home games, marking the first time in program history that the Vikings will spend the entire month of November at home.
…VIKINGS EXTEND WOLSTEIN CENTER WIN STREAK
With their 74-64 victory over UIC last time out, the Vikings extended their current win streak inside the Wolstein Center to 11 straight games. This run dates back to January 23 of last season, and includes wins over eight different teams. Over the last three seasons Cleveland State has combined for a 21-6 record when playing at home, including a perfect 7-0 mark against non-league opponents.
CLEVELAND STATE TABBED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Last month the Vikings were tabbed to finish sixth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll - picking up 78 points. Last season, the Vikings finished sixth in the league standings with an 8-8 #HLWBB record, and advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament for the second straight year. IUPUI was picked as the preseason favorite, while Milwaukee, Green Bay, Northern Kentucky, and Oakland rounded out the top five.
LEO NAMED #HLWBB PRESEASON SECOND TEAM
After being named the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman last season, Destiny Leo earned a spot on the #HLWBB Preseason Second Team last month, becoming the fourth Viking to earn a spot on a preseason team during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure. As a freshman, Leo averaged 11.4 points per game to rank 13th among league players, while she was tops in the #HLWBB standings with 51 total three-pointers on the season.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns 10 letterwinners from last season's WBI Championship squad, including the senior quartet of Nadia Dumas, Isabella Geraci, Isabelle Gradwell, and Barbara Zieniewska. This returning core will be joined by four transfers and one true freshman for the upcoming season, giving head coach Chris Kielsmeier a well-rounded roster for the 2021-22 campaign.
…HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of fourth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2021-22 campaign, who owns a 49-40 record at Cleveland State and a 462-156 overall record in 21 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to the 2018-19 season, notched his 450th career win last year in a 60-48 victory over Green Bay, becoming just the second active #HLWBB coach to reach the milestone.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will return to #HLWBB play next week, traveling to Northern Kentucky on Friday, December 3 and Wright State on Sunday, December 5.
