SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return home to begin the month of February, beginning with an 11:00 a.m. contest against RMU on Thursday, February 2. Entering Thursday's game, Cleveland State stands at 19-3 overall this season and 10-2 in #HLWBB play, while RMU is currently 8-13 overall and 2-10 in Horizon League action.

A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings three straight wins…Keep Cleveland State perfect during the second half of #HLWBB play…Put the Vikings at 2-1 when playing in Kids Day Games this season…Give the Vikings the season sweep over RMU.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/RMU SERIES
Thursday's game will be the 10th meeting between the two teams in program history, with RMU owning a slight 5-4 edge in the all-time series. Although RMU has won two out of the three matchups since the Colonials joined the Horizon League, Cleveland State was able to pick up a 70-52 victory at RMU earlier this season. 

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris enters Thursday's game with an 8-13 overall record this season, while standing at 2-10 in Horizon League play…RMU's two #HLWBB victories have come over Wright State (68-47) and IUPUI (69-63)…The Colonials are currently on a four-game losing skid, with their last victory coming in the 69-63 decision over IUPUI…Thursday's game is the first of two straight road games for RMU, with the Colonials owning a 1-9 record when playing on the road this year…Among league teams, RMU ranks first with a 4.05 turnover margin, while ranking third averaging 11.8 offensive rebounds per game…Individually, Phoenix Gedeon ranks in the top-10 in scoring (7th - 13.1) and rebounding (5th - 8.0).

LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State closed out the month of January with a 72-51 victory at Oakland, giving the Vikings their second season sweep of the year (UDM & OAK). After trailing by one point at the halftime break, the Vikings outscored Oakland 46-24 during the final two quarters. Destiny Leo led the Viking offense with 23 points, while Amele Ngwafang tallied a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. 

HEALTH AND HOOPS WITH VIKING BASKETBALL
Thursday's game against RMU will be Cleveland State's annual Kids Day Game - Health and Hoops with Viking Basketball. The event, which is open to all local Cleveland schools, will feature pre-game health and wellness stations, in-game interactive activities and more. 

VIKINGS TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN #HLWBB STANDINGS
Two games into the second half of Horizon League play, and the Vikings remain tied for first place in the #HLWBB standings with a 10-2 record. Cleveland State's 10-2 record marks the best 12-game start in league play for the Vikings, as they continue to be tied with Green Bay and Youngstown State at the top of the standings.

HOME-SWEET-HOME
For the first time in two weeks the Vikings will be playing inside the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center this week, kicking off a three-game homestand against RMU on Thursday. Thursday's game against the Colonials will be the 11th of 15 scheduled home games for the Vikings this season, a place where CSU owns a 9-1 record so far this year, and an overall record of 45-18 during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure.

VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State is ranked 15th in the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Vikings are one of three Horizon League teams to be ranked in the top-25, as Youngstown State (13) and Green Bay (14) are also ranked this week.

TRACKING A 20-WIN SEASON
Entering Thursday's game against RMU the Vikings are just one win shy of recording a 20-win campaign - which would be the third 20-win season over the last four years for the Vikings. A win on Thursday would make Cleveland State the first #HLWBB team to reach the 20-win plateau this season, while it would be the first time in program history that the Vikings have recorded three 20-win seasons over a four year stretch. 

LEO NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the league-leading third time this season Destiny Leo was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Monday, following a 31-point game at Detroit Mercy and a 23-point game at Oakland. For the week, Leo shot 62-percent from the field (15-for-24), while also posting a perfect 20-for-20 performance from the free throw line on the two games. With her 54 combined points, Leo moved into 18th place on the CSU Scoring List, entering Thursday's game with 1,193 total points as a Viking, while she also moved into the top spot in the #HLWBB Statistics averaging 17.6 points per game this season. 

…LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Entering Thursday's game against RMU, Destiny Leo continues to be the top free throw shooter in the Horizon League, owning a .941 clip (96-for-102) from the line on the season. Nationally, Leo ranks fourth among Division I players in free throw percentage, while she also ranks in the top-25 for free throws made. Over the last five games, Leo has posted a perfect 36-for-36 performance from the free throw line, including a 12-for-12 effort against the Grizzlies last time out. 

NGWAFANG NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT OAKLAND
Last time out, Amele Ngwafang recorded her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds at Oakland. Ngwafang, who is one of just four #HLWBB players with five or more double-doubles this season, leads the team averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, while she ranks third with 9.5 points per game this year. Among #HLWBB players, Ngwafang ranks seventh in rebounding, while ranking fourth with 63 offensive boards. 

CLEVELAND STATE ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Twenty-two games into the 2022-23 campaign Cleveland State leads the Horizon League in rebounding (41.2) and blocked shots (4.18) while ranking second in steals (9.59), serving as one of the best defensive teams in the league. Through the first 12 weeks, the Vikings have recorded double-digit steals nine times and have notched 4+ blocked shots during 10 games. Individually, Amele Ngwafang ranks seventh among #HLWBB players averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, while Jordana Reisma is tied for second with 1.3 blocks per game, and Deja Williams is sixth averaging a team-best 1.5 steals per game.

VIKINGS SET PROGRAM RECORD WITH 16-GAME WIN STREAK
Earlier this season, Cleveland State set a program record with a 16-game win streak, dating from November 12, 2022 through January 12, 2023. The Vikings, who set the previous record with 11 straight wins during the 2019-20 campaign, were one of just four Division I teams with a win streak of 16+ games at the time (South Carolina, Ohio State, LSU).

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 an 85-52 record at Cleveland State and a 501-168 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, recorded his 500th career head coaching win in a 107-65 decision at Detroit Mercy last time out.

…500 CAREER HEAD COACHING WINS FOR CHRIS KIELSMEIER
Last Thursday's 107-65 victory at Detroit Mercy marked the 500th career head coaching win for Chris Kielsmeier, with 84 of those wins coming during his tenure at Cleveland State. Prior to joining the Vikings, Kielsmeier earned 179 wins during eight seasons at Howard Payne University and 237 wins during 10 seasons at Wayne State College. 

UP NEXT
The Vikings will host Youngstown State in a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday, February 4 for Cleveland State's annual National Girls & Women In Sports Day.