GAME #26
Cleveland State vs. Green Bay
Saturday, February 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out regular season play on Saturday, February 26, hosting Green Bay in a 2:00 p.m. contest. Entering the game, Cleveland State currently stands at 19-6 overall this season and 14-5 against league opponents, while Green Bay stands at 18-6 overall and 14-4 in league play.
SENIOR DAY
Saturday's game against the Phoenix will be Senior Day for Cleveland State, as the Vikings will honor seven players following the conclusion of the game; Isabella Geraci, Elie Smith, Taylah Levy, Barbara Zieniewska, Isabelle Gradwell, Nadia Dumas, and Amele Ngwafang.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's win streak to five straight games…Give Cleveland State a 20-win season for the second time over the last three years…Improve the Vikings to 12-3 when playing at the Wolstein Center this season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/GREEN BAY SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 77th meeting between the two teams, with Green Bay owning a 68-8 advantage in the all-time series. Last season Cleveland State won two out of the three matchups, including a 69-63 victory at Green Bay in the #HLWBB Quarterfinals.
…THE FIRST TIME AROUND
The first matchup between Cleveland State and Green Bay was declared a no-contest earlier this season due to COVID-19 implications within the Phoenix program.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay enters Saturday's game standing at 18-6 overall this season and 14-4 in Horizon League play…The Phoenix have won 11 of their last 12 games, including a 73-57 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne last time out…Green Bay currently sits third in the #HLWBB standings…When playing on the road this season, Green Bay is 8-4…Meghan Pingel ranks fourth individually among league players averaging 3.7 assists per game, while she ranks second with a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio.
LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings picked up a 67-55 victory against Milwaukee, extending their current win streak to four straight games. Nadia Dumas led the Viking offense with 16 points, while Amele Ngwafang was just shy of a double-double with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. As a team, the Viking defense recorded 15 steals and forced Milwaukee into 25 turnovers.
VIKINGS IN THE #HLWBB STANDINGS
With the 67-55 victory against Milwaukee last time out, the Vikings clinched a top-four seed in the upcoming Keeps Horizon League Championship, earning a first round bye and the opportunity to host a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 3. Cleveland State currently sits fourth in the league standings, but a win against the Phoenix on Saturday would move the Vikings into third place.
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Saturday's game against Green Bay will close out a 14-game home slate for the Vikings during regular season play, while also marking their sixth home game during the month of February. So far this year, the Vikings own an 11-3 record when playing at home, including a 5-2 mark against Horizon League opponents.
DUMAS LEADS VIKING OFFENSE AGAINST MILWAUKEE
Last time out, Nadia Dumas tallied a team-high 16 points in the win over Milwaukee, marking her 14th double-digit scoring performance over the last 17 games. For the season, Dumas ranks second on the team and 14th among league players averaging 11.9 points per game. Dumas leads the Vikings with a .529 clip from the field (100-for-189), while she is also a 74-percent shooter from the free throw line this year (74-for-99).
…DUMAS ON THE CSU BLOCKED SHOTS TOP-10 LIST
Entering Saturday's game against Green Bay, Nadia Dumas ranks eighth in the CSU Career Record Book with 82 total blocked shots. For the season, Dumas has 30 blocks, ranking fifth among league players averaging 1.3 blocks per game. After recording two blocks at Detroit Mercy earlier this week, Dumas became just the ninth Viking all-time to reach 80 career blocks, while she needs just one more blocked shot to move into seventh place on the top-10 list.
VIKINGS WITH THE TAKEAWAY
Cleveland State enters Saturday's game against Green Bay averaging a league-high 9.78 steals per game. Last time out, the Vikings tallied 15 steals against Milwaukee, marking the third time this season that Cleveland State has posted 15+ takeaways. The Viking defense forced Milwaukee into 25 turnovers, and turned these miscues into 36 points. Six different Vikings recorded at least one steal against the Panthers, led by Destiny Leo with a career-high six.
NGWAFANG ON THE BOARDS
Entering Saturday's contest against Green Bay, Amele Ngwafang has been Cleveland State's top rebounder over the last few games, as she currently leads the team averaging 7.7 boards per game. Ngwafang has grabbed 10+ rebounds six times over the last eight games, including a season-high 14 rebounds at Oakland last weekend. Over the last eight games, Ngwafang is averaging 10.7 rebounds per game, while she ranks sixth among #HLWBB players averaging 7.7 boards on the season.
LEO NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, sophomore Destiny Leo picked up her second weekly honor of the season, as she was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Leo posted back-to-back 20-point performances against Oakland (24 points) and Detroit Mercy (22), while shooting 50-percent from the floor. Leo was also named the Player of the Week back in December following her career-high night at Northern Kentucky (12/3).
…LEO LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
Entering the final game of regular season play, Destiny Leo ranks second in the league averaging 18.2 points per game, while she ranks among the top-50 players nationally in the category. Leo has notched 20 or more points nine times so far this season, including a pair of 30-point performances. In addition, Leo is one of Cleveland State's most efficient shooters, as she owns a .438 clip from the field, including a .377 clip from behind-the-arc so far this season.
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.
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 62-46 record at Cleveland State and a 478-162 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 prepare for the Keeps Horizon League Championship, and will host a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 3.
