SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will take a break from Horizon League play for a midweek matchup against Chicago State on Tuesday, February 7. Entering Tuesday's game, Cleveland State stands at 21-3 overall this season, while Chicago State is currently 4-21 on the year. 

A WIN ON TUESDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings five straight wins…Put Cleveland State at 10-1 in non-league play during the 2022-23 campaign…Keep the Vikings perfect during the month of February…Improve Cleveland State to 12-1 at the Wolstein Center this year.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/CHICAGO STATE SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the ninth meeting between the two teams in program history, with Cleveland State holding a 6-2 lead in the all-time series. This will mark the first matchup since the 2010-11 campaign, when Chicago State picked up a 68-50 victory in the second round of the 2011 WBI. 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Chicago State enters Tuesday's game with a 4-21 overall record this season…The Cougars are currently on a three-game win streak, picking up two wins against Hartford and a win against Saint Xavier during this stretch…So far this season, two of Chicago State's four wins have come on the road, where they own a 2-13 record…Chicago State, who is playing the 2022-23 campaign as an independent, will have just two scheduled games left following Tuesday's matchup…Cleveland State will be the third Horizon League opponent for Chicago State this year, as they also faced Purdue Fort Wayne and Green Bay…The Cougars are under the direction of first year head coach Andrea Williams.

LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State recorded its fourth season sweep last time out, picking up a convincing 81-48 victory over Youngstown State. Four Vikings finished the game in double-figures, led by Amele Ngwafang with 21 points, while Ngwafang also paced the Vikings with 15 rebounds. Cleveland State held a 55-32 advantage on the boards, including a 21-12 edge in offensive rebounds. The Vikings forced YSU into 19 turnovers, and held the Penguins to a .323 clip from the field. 

BACK TO NON-LEAGUE PLAY
Tuesday's game will mark the final non-league regular season game for the Vikings during the 2022-23 campaign, with Cleveland State owning a 9-1 record against non-league opponents this year. At home, the Vikings own a perfect 4-0 record in non-league play, with wins against Hofstra, Georgia State, Bellarmine, and St. Bonaventure.

HOME-SWEET-HOME
Cleveland State will be closing out its current three-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Chicago State in the 13th of 15 scheduled home games for the Vikings this season. So far this season, the Vikings own an 11-1 record inside the friendly confines of the Wolstien Center, while they have combined for a 47-18 record at home during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure.

VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State was ranked 15th in the lastest 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.

CLEVELAND STATE RECORDS 20-WIN SEASON
With last Thursday's 61-43 victory over RMU the Vikings notched their 20th win of the 2022-23 campaign, marking the third 20-win season over the last four years. Cleveland State became the first #HLWBB team to reach the 20-win plateau this season, while it marks just the fifth 20-win campaign in program history. After picking up another win against YSU on Saturday, the Vikings now have 21 wins on the year, which is tied for the second most wins in a single-season in program history.

NGWAFANG NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season Amele Ngwafang picked up Player of the Week honors from the Horizon League, earning the accolade after leading the Vikings to a 2-0 #HLWBB record last time out. Ngwafang averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds, while shooting 50-percent from the floor (11-for-22) on the week. Ngwafang posted back-to-back double-doubles against RMU (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Youngstown State (21 points, 15 rebounds), and is now one of just four league players with eight or more double-doubles this season.

LEO ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Through 24 games played so far this season Destiny Leo continues to lead the team and the Horizon League averaging 18.2 points per game. Last time out, Leo notched 18 points against YSU - her 21st double-digit scoring game of the season. With 436 total points on the year, Leo ranks 24th nationally, while she enters Tuesday's contest ranked 16th on the CSU Scoring List with 1,241 career points. 

…LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Entering Tuesday's game against Chicago State, Destiny Leo continues to be the top free throw shooter in the Horizon League, owning a .943 clip (115-for-122) from the line on the season. Nationally, Leo ranks third among Division I players in free throw percentage, while she also ranks in the top-15 for free throws made. So far this season, Leo has been perfect from the free throw line in 16 games, including a 12-for-12 effort against Youngstown State last time out.

…CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
As a team, Cleveland State has combined for a league-best 429 free throws made this season, while shooting 70-percent from the line. The Vikings are averaging 17.88 free throws per game, ranking second nationally in the category, trailing only LSU at 18.41. In addition to Destiny Leo (.943), Deja Williams (.846) and Gabriella Smith (.833) are also shooting 80-percent or better from the free throw line this year. 

CLEVELAND STATE ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Twenty-four games into the 2022-23 campaign Cleveland State leads the Horizon League in rebounding (42.0) and blocked shots (4.00) while ranking second in steals (9.46), serving as one of the best defensive teams in the league. Through the first 13 weeks, the Vikings have recorded double-digit steals nine times and have notched 4+ blocked shots during 10 games. Individually, Amele Ngwafang ranks fifth among #HLWBB players averaging 7.5 rebounds per game, while Jordana Reisma is tied for third with 1.2 blocks per game, and Deja Williams is tied for sixth averaging a team-best 1.4 steals per game.

#HLWBB WEEKLY ACCOLADES
So far this season Cleveland State has earned six #HLWBB Player of the Week and three #HLWBB Freshman of the Week honors - with the six Player of the Week accolades leading all league teams. Destiny Leo (11/28, 12/5, 1/30), Brittni Moore (12/12) and Amele Ngwafang (1/9, 2/6)  have combined for the five Player of the Week honors, while Jordana Reisma has picked up all three Freshman of the Week awards (11/21, 12/5, 1/2). 

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 87-52 record at Cleveland State and a 503-168 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
With the 107-65 victory at Detroit Mercy earlier this season Chris Kielsmeier recorded the 500th head coaching win of his career, including 84 of which that he recorded during his time 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 return to #HLWBB play on the road this weekend, traveling to IUPUI on Saturday, February 11 and Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday, February 13.