GAME #1
Cleveland State at No. 8/9 Iowa State
Monday, November 7 | 12:00 p.m. EST | Ames, Iowa
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will officially kick off the 2022-23 season this week, traveling to No. 8/9 Iowa State for a 12:00 p.m. EST contest on Monday, November 7. The Vikings will be opening their 50th season of basketball, and their fifth under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD…
Mark the first win over Iowa State in program history…Put Cleveland State at 3-2 in season openers under head coach Chris Kielsmeier…Give the Vikings their first win over a nationally ranked team since the 2017-18 season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/IOWA STATE SERIES
Monday's game will be just the third meeting between the two teams, with the first two meetings coming during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. This will be the second time that the two teams will meet in Ames, with the Cyclones picking up a 95-46 victory during the last meeting.
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State enters the 2022-23 campaign as a top-10 team, ranked No. 8/9 in the preseason polls…The Cyclones were picked as the preseason favorite in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, while Ashley Joens was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year…Iowa State is coming off a program-record 28 wins during the 2021-22 season, including an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16…In their lone exhibition of the year, the Cyclones picked up a 104-47 victory against Winona State earlier this month…Monday's game will be the first of six non-league games at Hilton Coliseum during the 2022-23 campaign.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns nine letterwinners from last season's #HLWBB Championship appearance squad, including All-Tournament Team honorees Destiny Leo and Gabriella Smith. In addition, the Vikings also return Barbara Zieniewska, Brittni Moore, Deja Williams, and Amele Ngwafang, who all appeared in the starting lineup throughout the year. This returning core will be joined by three 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 fifth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier during the 2022-23 campaign, who owns a 66-49 record at Cleveland State and a 482-165 overall record in 22 seasons as a head coach. Kielsmeier, who joined the Vikings as the seventh head coach in program history prior to the 2018-19 season, is one of just two active #HLWBB coaches to reach the 450-win milestone.
…HOMECOMING FOR KIELSMEIER
Monday's game at Iowa State will be a homecoming for head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who is a native of Iowa and graduate of Iowa State. Kielsmeier, who got his start in coaching as part of the Iowa State women's basketball program, graduated in 1999 with a degree in sports management.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State will be opening an 11-game non-league slate on Monday, including just four games inside the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center. The first of those four home non-league contests for the Vikings will be on Saturday, November 12 when they host Hofstra, while the other three games will come during the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational – Cleveland State's in-season tournament.
CLEVELAND STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Last month the Vikings were tabbed to finish third in the Horizon League Preseason Poll – picking up 102 points and one first-place vote. Last season, the Vikings finished fourth in the league standings with a 14-6 #HLWBB record, and advanced to the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament for the first time since 2010. Youngstown State was picked as the preseason favorite, while Green Bay was selected second.
LEO NAMED #HLWBB PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
As a two-time All-League honoree, junior Destiny Leo was named the #HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year last month, becoming the fourth Viking to be selected as the league's preseason player of the year and the first since Kailey Klein (2009-10). Leo returns as Cleveland State's leading scorer from a season ago, as she averaged 18.7 points per game to lead all league players and rank 38th nationally. In addition, Leo led the Vikings with 73 total three-pointers on a .390 three-point field goal percentage – both of which were tops in the league and top-50 among Division I players.
…LEO IN THE CSU RECORD BOOK
Last year, Destiny Leo set a program record with a .906 free throw percentage, converting 125 of her 138 attempts on the year. Leo is the only Viking to post a free throw percentage of .900 or higher in program history. In the CSU Career Record Book, Leo enters the season sitting at the top of the three-point field goal percentage list, shooting at a .391 clip (124-317) through her first two seasons.
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
Last season, Cleveland State finished the year as the top rebounding team in the Horizon League, averaging 41.0 boards per game. Individually, Amele Ngwafang led the Vikings with 7.3 rebounds per game, combining for 219 total boards on the year. Ngwafang grabbed 95 offensive boards last season, marking the sixth most in a single-season in program history. In addition to Ngwafang, Zieniewska returns as one of CSU's top rebounders, averaging 5.3 boards per game. As a team, Cleveland State recorded 50+ rebounds during four games, including a season-high 63 boards against Wright State (2/7/22).
VIKINGS ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Cleveland State was also one of the best defensive teams in the Horizon League last year, finishing the season with a league-best 285 total steals and 118 blocked shots. Individually, Gabriella Smith grabbed a team-best 55 steals, while Brittni Moore added 43 takeaways. Amele Ngwafang recorded a team-best 35 blocked shots on the year - with the trio of Smith, Moore and Ngwafang returning for the 2022-23 campaign.
A LOOK BACK AT 2021-22
Cleveland State combined for a 23-9 record last season, marking the second 20-win campaign over the last three years. The Vikings advanced to the #HLWBB Semifinals for the third straight year, while their championship game appearance marked the first time that Cleveland State was playing for the tournament title since the 2009-10 season. The Vikings also made their second straight postseason appearance, earning a spot in the WBI Championship game for the second straight year – winning the title following the 2021-22 campaign.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will host Hofstra on Saturday, November 12 in the 2022-23 home opener. Prior to tipoff against Hofstra the Vikings will be unveiling their 2022 WBI Finalist Banner.
