GAME #12
Cleveland State at Youngstown State
Saturday, January 1 | 1:00 p.m. | Youngstown, Ohio
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open the New Year on the road this weekend, traveling to Youngstown State for a 1:00 p.m contest on Saturday, January 1. Entering the weekend, Cleveland State stands at 9-2 overall this season and 4-1 in league play, while Youngstown State is currently 11-1 on the year, including a 5-0 mark against league opponents.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Put the Vikings back in the win column…Give the Vikings a win to start the month for the third time this season…Mark the 10th win of the season for Cleveland State.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/YOUNGSTOWN STATE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 79th meeting between the two teams in program history, with Youngstown State owning a 44-34 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams have traded wins over the last six meetings, with Cleveland State's last win coming in a 76-73 decision in the first game of a two-game series last year.
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State enters Saturday's game standing at 11-1 overall this season and 5-0 in #HLWBB play…YSU's only loss on the year came against Penn State during the middle of December…After picking up a 64-41 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne last time out, the Penguins are the only team to be undefeated in league play this season…YSU is currently on a three-game win streak, also picking up wins against Davis & Elkins and Point Park during this stretch…The Penguins are one of the most efficient teams in the league, shooting .416 from the floor…Individually, Lilly Ritz ranks second with a .611 clip from the field so far this season.
LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings closed out the calendar year, dropping a 63-55 decision at Robert Morris. This marked the first loss in #HLWBB play for the Vikings this season, while it also marked the first meeting between the two teams as Horizon League opponents. Destiny Leo (22 pts) and Nadia Dumas (15 pts) led the Viking offense, while Barbara Zieniewska grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
VIKINGS RETURN TO #HLWBB PLAY
Saturday's contest at Youngstown State will be a matchup between the top two teams in the #HLWBB standings, as YSU enters the game with a perfect 5-0 league record and the Vikings stand at 4-1 against league opponents. With a win over the Penguins on Saturday, Cleveland State would have five wins over the first six #HLWBB contests for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
ON THE ROAD…FOR JUST THE THIRD TIME
Saturday's game at Youngstown State will mark just the third time playing away from home for the Vikings this season, with Cleveland State standing at 2-1 on the road this year (including a forfeit win at Wright State). After playing the majority of their games at home during November and December, the Vikings are slated to play six of nine games on the road during January.
ZIENIEWSKA NOTCHES THIRD DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDING GAME
Last time out, Barbara Zieniewska grabbed 11 rebounds at Robert Morris, marking her third double-digit rebound game of the season. For the year, Zieniewska is averaging a team-high 7.6 boards per game, ranking fourth among Horizon League players. Earlier this year, Zieniewska tallied a CSU career-high 12 rebounds against LIU, while she followed that up with 10 boards at Northern Kentucky.
…VIKINGS ON THE GLASS
Through the first nine games played, Cleveland State is averaging a league-best 43.3 rebounds per game, and owns a 6.0 rebounding margin which is also a league-high. The Vikings have outrebounded their opponent in seven games so far this year, and grabbed a season-high 55 boards against Ohio Christian. Five different Vikings have led CSU on the boards through the first nine games, while Cleveland State has a league-high three players ranked in the top-10 (Barbara Zieniewska, Nadia Dumas, Amele Ngwafang) in the individual stat category.
LEO NOTCHES 20-POINT GAME...AGAIN
Last time out, sophomore Destiny Leo tallied her sixth 20-point game of the season, finishing with a team-high 22 points at Robert Morris. Through the first part of the 2021-22 campaign, Leo is averaging 22.9 points per game, a mark that leads all Horizon League players and ranks fifth nationally. Included in her six 20-point games is a pair of 30-point performances; 30 vs. Quincy and a career-high 31 at Northern Kentucky.
DUMAS PICKING UP ON THE OFFENSIVE END
After notching three-straight 15+ point games against Ohio Christian, Loyola (Ill.) and Robert Morris, redshirt senior Nadia Dumas enters Saturday's game averaging 11.1 ppg - one of three Vikings to average double-digit points on the season. Last time out, Dumas finished with 15 points against the Colonials - shooting 6-for-7 from the floor - marking her sixth 10+ point game of the year.
CLEVELAND STATE STARTING FIVE
After using the same starting lineup through the first six games, the Vikings have used three different starting fives the last three times out. Nadia Dumas and Barbara Zieniewska have appeared in the starting lineup during all nine games, while Amele Ngwafang picked up her first start in the Green & White at Robert Morris last time out.
CLEVELAND STATE AMONG THE LEAGUE'S BEST
Entering the week, Cleveland State leads the league in scoring (74.1 ppg), rebounding (43.3 rpg), blocked shots (4.56 bpg), and turnover margin (2.11), while ranking second in steals (9.56 spg).
…INDIVIDUALS AMONG THE LEAGUE'S BEST
Individually, five Vikings rank in the top-five in statistical categories, led by Destiny Leo who is averaging a league-best 22.9 points per game and 2.9 three-pointers per game, while shooting 52-percent from the floor to rank third. Barbara Zieniewska ranks fourth in rebounding (7.6), Brittni Moore ranks fifth in steals (2.0) and Amele Ngwafang (2nd-1.6) and Nadia Dumas (5th-1.2) both rank in the top-five in blocked shots.
GRADWELL & DUMAS CLOSING IN ON 100 GAMES PLAYED AT CSU
Redshirt-senior Nadia Dumas and senior Isabelle Gradwell are closing in on becoming the first active Vikings to play in 100 career games at Cleveland State, as Dumas notched her 92nd appearance and Gradwell tallied her 94th appearance last time out. Gradwell has played in every game during her collegiate career, while Dumas has taken the court in all but two games as a Viking.
VIKINGS POST 7-0 START TO THE 2021-22 CAMPAIGN
For just the second time in program history the Vikings went 7-0 to start the season (excluding the forfeit wins over IUPUI & Wright State), picking up wins against ETSU, St. Bonaventure, Quincy, UIC, LIU, Northern Kentucky, and Ohio Christian. Cleveland State's 7-0 start tied the program record for the best start to a season, which was first set during the 1974-75 campaign.
VIKINGS ECLIPSE THE CENTURY MARK
Cleveland State recorded the 13th 100-point game in program history earlier this season, finishing with 104 points against Ohio Christian. This marked the first time since the 2019-20 campaign that the Vikings have eclipsed the 100-point mark, while it put the Vikings at 11-2 all-time when scoring 100+ points after finishing with a 104-51 victory against the Trailblazers.
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 52-42 record at Cleveland State and a 477-158 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 continue its #HLWBB slate at home next week, scheduled to host Detroit Mercy on Thursday, January 6 and Oakland on Saturday, January 8.
