Cleveland State Women's Basketball Set To Host Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational Athletics

Posted: Nov 22, 2022

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will host its first ever MTE this week, welcoming Bellarmine, Georgia State and St. Bonaventure to the Wolstein Center for the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational. The MTE will be a round-robin format, with two games on Wednesday, November 23, Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 23
4:00 p.m. - Georgia State vs. Cleveland State
7:00 p.m. - St. Bonaventure vs. Bellarmine

Friday, November 25
4:00 p.m. - Bellarmine vs. Cleveland State
7:00 p.m. - Georgia State vs. St. Bonaventure

Saturday, November 26
1:00 p.m. - Bellarmine vs. Georgia State
4:00 p.m. - St. Bonaventure vs. Cleveland State

THE CLEVELAND STATE/GEORGIA STATE SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/BELLARMINE SERIES
Friday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/ST. BONAVENTURE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the sixth meeting between the two teams, with St. Bonaventure owning a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. The Vikings have won the last two matchups though, including a 58-49 victory last season.

LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State earned a 90-83 overtime victory at DePaul, marking the first win against the Blue Demons in over 30 years. Tuesday's win marked the first overtime game since the 2017-18 campaign, while it also marked the first road win of the season for the Vikings.

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 2022-23 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 68-50 record at Cleveland State and a 484-166 overall record in 23 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.

HOME SWEET HOME
During the 2022-23 season the Vikings will play 14 of their 31 regular season games in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center - with this week's trio of games at the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational marking the final non-league games at home this year. Under Chris Kielsmeier, the Vikings have combined for a 36-17 record when playing inside the Wolstein Center, including a 13-3 mark against non-league opponents.

REISMA NAMED #HLWBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
After leading Cleveland State to an overtime win at DePaul last time out, newcomer Jordana Reisma was named the #HLWBB Freshman of the Week. Reisma was just shy of a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds against DePaul, marking season-highs in both categories. In addition, she tallied one assist and three blocked shots, giving her six total blocks on the year to lead all Vikings.

ZIENIEWSKA NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT DePAUL
Last time out, Barbara Zieniewska recorded the second double-double of the season for the Vikings, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Blue Demons. Zieniewska shot 71-percent from the floor (5-for-7) on the game, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort from behind-the-arc. During the overtime period, Zieniewska tallied three crucial rebounds, one blocked shot, one steal, and one assist, en route to helping the Vikings pick up the 90-83 victory.

WILLIAMS WITH THE ASSIST
Entering the third week of the 2022-23 campaign, junior Deja Williams leads the Horizon League averaging 4.3 assists per game. Williams, who has 13 total assists on the year, notched a career-best eight at DePaul last time out, and has tallied at least two assists in all three games so far this season. Williams also ranks fifth among #HLWBB players with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio.

LEO RETURNING TO FORM
After being held to just eight points at Iowa State in the season opener, junior Destiny Leo has returned to form over the last two games, notching 19 points against Hofstra and 22 points at DePaul. Through three games, Leo is averaging a team-best 16.3 points per game, with the 22-point performance against the Blue Demons marking the 16th 20-point game of her career. In addition, Leo has combined for nine assists and four steals through the first three games of the year.

CLEVELAND STATE WITH THE BLOCK
Over the first two weeks of the 2022-23 campaign Cleveland State has been one of the best shot blocking teams in the country, entering this week's games averaging 6.67 blocks per game to rank 10th among Division I schools. The Vikings have notched 4+ blocks in all three games so far this season, including nine at DePaul last time out. Individually, Jordana Reisma has a team-best six blocked shots, while Amele Ngwafang has four and Carmen Villalobos has three.

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 is currently sitting at the top of the three-point field goal percentage list, shooting at a .387 clip (129-333) through her first three seasons.

UP NEXT
The Vikings will open their 20-game #HLWBB slate with two games next week, hosting Oakland on Friday, December 2 and Detroit Mercy on Sunday, December 4.