SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return to Horizon League play this weekend, beginning with a 2:00 p.m. contest at IUPUI on Saturday, February 11. Entering Saturday's game, Cleveland State stands at 22-3 overall this season and 12-2 in Horizon League play, while IUPUI is currently 14-10 overall and 10-5 in league action.

A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings six straight wins…Keep Cleveland State perfect during the second half of #HLWBB play…Put the Vikings at 4-0 during the month of February…Give the Vikings their fifth series sweep of the season. 

THE CLEVELAND STATE/IUPUI SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 21st meeting between the two teams, with IUPUI owning a 12-8 edge in the all-time series. Earlier this year, the Vikings earned a convincing 92-59 win against IUPUI, and have won two of the last four matchups (including a forfeit win last season).

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI enters Saturday's game with a 14-10 overall record this season, including a 10-5 record in Horizon League play as one of three teams with double-digit #HLWBB wins…The Jaguars have won two out of their last three games, most recently picking up a 91-70 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne last time out…When playing at home this season, IUPUI stands at 8-3…As a team, IUPUI leads the league with a .357 three-point field goal percentage, while ranking third averaging 15.17 assists per game…Individually, Destiny Perkins is averaging a league-best 2.4 three-pointers per game and 4.2 assists per contest, while ranking fourth in scoring with 14.6 points per game. 

LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State closed out its regular season non-league slate with an 88-49 victory over Chicago State. With the win, the Vikings improved to 10-1 in non-league games this season. Aminata Ly paced the Vikings with 16 points, while Carmen Villalobos grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds. The Vikings combined for 21 assists on 31 made field goals, while shooting 45-percent from the floor. Cleveland State held a 56-32 advantage in rebounds on the day, while the Vikings outscored Chicago State 46-26 in the paint.

VIKINGS TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN #HLWBB STANDINGS
Entering the eighth week of Horizon League play Cleveland State is currently tied for first place in the #HLWBB standings with a 12-2 record (as of 2/9/23). Cleveland State's 12-2 record marks the best 14-game start in league play for the Vikings, while they are tied with Green Bay for the top spot in the standings.

ROAD WARRIORS
Cleveland State will close out regular season play with four of its final six games happening away from home, beginning with Saturday's contest at IUPUI. So far this season, Cleveland State owns a 10-2 record when playing on the road, entering Saturday's game with a current two-game win streak on the road. 

VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State is ranked 14th 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 Green Bay (13) and Youngstown State (24) are also ranked this week.

…AND RECEIVING VOTES IN AP TOP-25
Cleveland State also enters this weekend's games receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 Poll, marking the second time this season that the Vikings have appeared in one of the national top-25 polls. The Vikings are one of nine teams to be receiving votes in this week's poll, while they are the lone Horizon League team to appear in the rankings. 

CLEVELAND STATE RECORDS 20-WIN SEASON
With last week'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. The Vikings currently stand at 22 wins on the year, while one more win would tie the program record for wins in a single season (23 set in 1982-83). 

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 weekend. 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.

BENCH COMES UP BIG AGAINST CHICAGO STATE
Last time out, the Cleveland State bench combined for 50 of its 88 points, including double-digit scoring from Aminata Ly (16 points) and Sara Guerreiro (11). Ly's 16 points marked a career-high, while Guerreiro tallied her fourth 10+ point game of the year. In addition, Jordana Reisma, Deja Williams and Shadiya Thomas all added seven points, while Carmen Villalobos chipped in two points and a team-best 12 rebounds and eight assists. 

LEO ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Through 25 games played so far this season Destiny Leo continues to lead the team and the Horizon League averaging 17.9 points per game. Last time out, Leo notched 11 points against Chicago State - her 22nd double-digit scoring game of the season. With 447 total points on the year, Leo ranks 24th nationally, while she enters Saturday's contest ranked 15th on the CSU Scoring List with 1,252 career points. 

…LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Entering Saturday's game against IUPUI, Destiny Leo continues to be the top free throw shooter in the Horizon League, owning a .944 clip (119-for-126) from the line on the season. Nationally, Leo ranks second 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 17 games, including a 12-for-12 effort against Youngstown State in Cleveland State's last #HLWBB contest.

…CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
As a team, Cleveland State has combined for a league-best 451 free throws made this season, while shooting 71-percent from the line. The Vikings are averaging 18.04 free throws per game, ranking second nationally in the category, trailing only LSU at 18.52. In addition to Destiny Leo (.944), Deja Williams (.855) and Gabriella Smith (.842) 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 (42.5), blocked shots (3.84) and steals (9.36), 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 7.4 rebounds per game, while Jordana Reisma is fourth with 28 total blocks, and Deja Williams is tied for sixth averaging a team-best 1.4 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 88-52 record at Cleveland State and a 504-168 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 close out the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday, February 13.