GAME #1
Cleveland State at Bowling Green
Tuesday, November 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Bowling Green, Ohio
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will officially kick off the 2023-24 season this week, traveling to Bowling Green for a 6:00 p.m. contest on Tuesday, November 7. The Vikings will be opening their 51st season of basketball and their sixth under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
A WIN ON TUESDAY WOULD…
Put Cleveland State at 3-3 in season openers under head coach Chris Kielsmeier...Mark the sixth win against the Falcons in program history.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/BOWLING GREEN SERIES
Tuesday's game will be the 16th meeting between the two teams, and the first since the 2019-20 campaign. Although Bowling Green owns a 10-5 edge in the overall series, the Vikings have won two out of the last three matches, with the wins coming during the 2016-17 and 2015-16 seasons.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green enters the 2023-24 campaign under new leadership, as Fred Chimel was named head coach in April...The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the preseason MAC Poll, while Lexi Fleming was selected to the preseason All-MAC Second Team...Bowling Green is coming off a program-record tying 31 wins during the 2022-23 season, including an appearnace in the Fab Four of the WNIT...In their lone exhibition of the year, the Falcons picked up an 82-43 victory against Purdue Northwest...Tuesday's game will be the first of 10 non-league games for the Falcons, including the first of two against Horizon League opponents.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns six letterwinners from last season's team that captured the 2023 #HLWBB Tournament Championship and set a program record with 30 wins on the year. In addition, Cleveland State welcomes seven newcomers – six transfers and one true freshman.
CLEVELAND STATE TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
Last month, Cleveland State was selected to finish second in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, picking up 107 points. This marks the third time in program history that the Vikings were selected to finish second in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, with the Vikings also tabbed in the top-two prior to the 2011-12 and 2009-10 seasons.
LEO REPEATS AS #HLWBB PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cleveland State senior Destiny Leo was honored by the Horizon League last month, earning her second straight nod as the #HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year. Leo, who is the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, is the only Viking in program history to earn the recognition more than once. Leo returns as Cleveland State's leading scorer from a season ago, as she averaged 17.9 points per game to lead all league players, while also leading the league and ranking seventh nationally with a .911 free throw percentage (164-180).
…AND NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Destiny Leo was also named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List earlier this season – one of 25 student-athletes named to the national preseason watch list. Leo, who is the first Cleveland State player to earn a spot on the list, enters her senior campaign at the top of the CSU Career Record Book in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (.389) and Free Throw Percentage (.903), while ranking third with 214 Three-Point Field Goals and 11th with 1,433 Total Points.
REISMA RETURNS FOLLOWING ALL-LEAGUE ROOKIE SEASON
In addition to Destiny Leo, sophomore Jordana Reisma also returns as an all-league honoree from a season ago, picking up All-Freshman Team recognition in 2022-23. Reisma averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, while notching a team-high 43 blocked shots. Reisma finished the year tied for third among Horizon League players averaging 1.2 blocks per game.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State will be opening an 11-game non-league slate on Tuesday, with six of those games coming at home, including the second annual Viking Invitational (held in Woodling Gymnasium). Four of Cleveland State's non-league opponents were postseason teams last season, including NCAA Runner-Up Iowa and WNIT Fab Four team Bowling Green.
HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who enters the 2023-24 campaign with a career head coaching record of 512-170. Through his first five seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 96-54 overall record, including a trio of 20-win seasons. Last year, Kielsmeier guided the Vikings to their third #HLWBB Tournament Championship, while he led the Vikings to their first-ever postseason title in 2021 when Cleveland State captured the WBI championship.
…KIELSMEIER NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Chris Kielsmeier was named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Preseason Watch List last week - one of 20 coaches named to the inaugural watch list. Under Kielsmeier, the Vikings have advanced to the postseason in three straight years, and have tallied 20-win campaigns three times over the last four seasons.
A LOOK BACK AT 2022-23
Cleveland State combined for a program-best 30-5 record last season, marking the first 30-win campaign in program history and the third 20+ win season over the last four years. The Vikings captured the #HLWBB Tournament title for the third time in program history, and earned the program's highest seed in NCAA Tournament play. Cleveland State's trip to the NCAA Tournament marked the third straight postseason appearance.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will stay on the road to continue the 2023-24 campaign, traveling to Loyola for a 3:00 p.m. EST contest on Sunday, November 12.
