Posted: Feb 12, 2023
GAME #27
Cleveland State at Purdue Fort Wayne
Monday, February 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the weekend on Monday, February 13, traveling to Purdue Fort Wayne for a 7:00 p.m. contest. Entering Monday's game, Cleveland State stands at 23-3 overall this season and 13-2 in Horizon League play, while Purdue Fort Wayne is currently 10-15 overall and 7-8 in league action.
A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings seven straight wins...Mark a program record for wins in a single season...Keep Cleveland State perfect during the second half of #HLWBB play...Put the Vikings at 5-0 during the month of February.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PURDUE FORT WAYNE SERIES
Monday's game will be the 14th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 12-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Vikings have won eight straight games against the Mastodons, including a 74-56 victory in the first matchup this season.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters Monday's game with a 10-15 overall record this season, including a 7-8 record in Horizon League play...The Mastodons are currently on a two-game losing skid, dropping back-to-back contests against IUPUI and Robert Morris...Monday's game will mark the first of a three-game homestand, with Purdue Fort Wayne owning a 6-5 record when playing at home this season...As a team, Purdue Fort Wayne ranks second among league teams in blocked shots (3.32), steals (9.36) and free throw percentage (.729)...Individually, Jazzlyn Linbo ranks second averaging 1.4 blocks per game, while Shayla Sellers ranks third with 44 total steals.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State picked up its fifth series sweep of the season, earning an 83-59 victory at IUPUI. This marked the first time since the Jaguars joined the Horizon League that Cleveland State was able to sweep both contests. The Viking offense shot 52-percent from the floor on the game, while the Cleveland State defense recorded 13 steals and forced IUPUI into 22 turnovers. Destiny Leo led the Viking offense with 23 points, while Amele Ngwafang and Barbara Zieniewska grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
VIKINGS TIED FOR FIRST PLACE IN #HLWBB STANDINGS
Midway through the eighth week of Horizon League play, Cleveland State is currently tied for first place in the #HLWBB standings with a 13-2 record (as of 2/11/23). Cleveland State's 13-2 record marks the best 15-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, including Monday's contest at Purdue Fort Wayne. So far this season, Cleveland State owns an 11-2 record when playing away from home, entering Monday's game with a current three-game win streak on the road.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State was 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 entered 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.
VIKINGS CLOSING IN ON PROGRAM RECORD FOR SINGLE-SEASON WINS
After reaching the 20-win mark and recording their third 20-win season over the last four years earlier this season, Cleveland State is now just one win shy of setting a program record for wins in a single season. The Vikings, who tied the program record with their 23rd win of the year at IUPUI last time out, are one of just eight Division I teams with 23+ wins so far this season. Cleveland State was the first #HLWBB team to reach the 20-win plateau this year, and is currently one of just two league teams to have 20+ wins on the year.
LEO NOTCHES 20-POINT GAME AT IUPUI
For the league-leading 11th time this season Destiny Leo eclipsed the 20-point mark last time out, finishing with a team-high 23 points in the win over IUPUI. Leo, who leads all #HLWBB players averaging 18.1 points per game, went 6-for-9 from the field against the Jaguars, including a 4-for-5 performance from three-point. With her 23 points against IUPUI Leo moved into 14th place on the CSU Scoring List, entering Monday's game with 1,275 total points on her career.
…LEO FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Entering Monday's game at Purdue Fort Wayne, Destiny Leo continues to be the top free throw shooter in the Horizon League, owning a .933 clip (126-for-135) 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 season-high 13-for-13 effort at RMU earlier this season.
REISMA TIES CAREER-HIGH AGAINST JAGUARS
For the first time in five games freshman Jordana Reisma finished with double-digit points, posting 14 at IUPUI to tie her career-high in a Viking uniform. Reisma, who now has five 10+ points games on the year, went 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, with her six made field goals marking a season-best. In addition, Reisma recorded two blocked shots on the game, marking the eighth time that she has finished with two or more blocks this season, and giving her a team-best 30 blocks so far this year.
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE OFFENSIVE END
The Vikings had one of their better offensive performances last time out, shooting 52-percent from the floor in the win over IUPUI, marking the fifth time this season that they have posted a .500+ clip. Cleveland State combined for 83 points in the win, marking the 11th time this season that the Vikings have eclipsed the 80-point mark. Entering Monday's game at Purdue Fort Wayne the Vikings lead the league in Field Goal % (.440), Scoring (77.0) and Scoring Margin (+19.7), with the +19.7 scoring margin also ranking seventh among Division I teams.
…AND ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Twenty-six games into the 2022-23 campaign Cleveland State leads the Horizon League in rebounding (42.3), blocked shots (3.77) and steals (9.50), serving as one of the best defensive teams in the league. Through the first 13+ weeks, the Vikings have recorded double-digit steals 10 times, including 13 takeaways in the win at IUPUI last time out, with four coming from Barbara Zieniewska.
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 earlier this week, 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.
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 89-52 record at Cleveland State and a 505-168 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 home for their final regular season homestand next weekend, hosting Northern Kentucky (2/16) and Wright State (2/18).
