GAME #10
Cleveland State vs. Akron
Sunday, December 10 | 2:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out its December home slate on Sunday, December 10, hosting Akron in a 2:00 p.m. contest. Entering Sunday's matchup, the Vikings stand at 8-1 overall this season, while the Zips are currently 3-4 on the year.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW
Sunday's game against Akron will be a ticketed event, with courtside seats available for $20 and general admission tickets available for $10. Purchase tickets by CLICKING HERE or purchase at the Wolstein Center Box Office on gameday.
A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's current win streak to nine straight games…Put the Vikings at 7-0 at home this season…Keep Cleveland State perfect during the month of December.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/AKRON SERIES
Sunday's game will mark the 45th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 27-17 advantage in the overall series. The Vikings enter Sunday's game having won the last two matchups, including a 76-58 victory last year that was part of Cleveland State's record-setting 16-game win streak.
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron enters Sunday's game with a 3-4 record on the season, picking up wins against Robert Morris (63-58), Pittsburgh (75-72) and Tennessee State (55-49)…Sunday's matchup with the Vikings will be the third Horizon League opponent for the Zips, as they also faced Oakland and Youngstown State earlier this season…Prior to the start of the season, Akron was picked to finish sixth in the MAC Preseason Poll, while junior Reagan Bass was named to Preseason First Team…Through the first four weeks of the 2023-24 season, Bass has been honored four times as the MAC Player of the Week.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State returned to non-league play by picking up an 87-56 victory over Niagara, extending its win streak to eight straight games. Three Vikings finished the game with double-digit points, while Cleveland State combined for a .544 field goal percentage and 19 assists on the game. The Vikings held a 39-24 edge in rebounding, while also grabbing 19 steals.
VIKINGS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO EIGHT
With Wednesday's 87-56 victory over Niagara, the Vikings extended their current win streak to eight straight games. After dropping the season opener at Bowling Green, Cleveland State has rattled off wins in each of its last eight contests to lead all league teams with an eight-game win streak. This marks the third time during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's tenure that the Vikings have notched a win streak of eight+ games.
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Cleveland State enters Sunday's game with a perfect 6-0 record when playing at home this season. Under Chris Kielsmeier the Vikings have combined for a 56-18 record when playing at home, and have won 12 straight home contests dating back to February 2 of last season.
GUERREIRO NOTCHES FIRST 20-POINT GAME
Last time out, Sara Guerreiro tallied a team-best 22 points in the win over Niagara, recording the first 20-point game of her Cleveland State career. Guerreiro, who went 8-for-14 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line against the Purple Eagles, is the third Viking to post a 20-point performance so far this season. The 22-point effort was the second double-digit scoring performance of the season for Guerreiro, who is averaging 6.2 points per game.
FORT-DAVIS HAS STRONG OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE AGAINST NIAGARA
Brooklynn Fort-Davis was one of three Vikings to finish with double-digit points in the win over Niagara last time out, finishing with a season-high 15 points. Fort-Davis was 5-for-6 from the field on the game, and 5-for-7 from the free throw line. In addition, Fort-Davis also tallied three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one blocked shot in 22 minutes of action.
…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Entering Sunday's game against Akron, Cleveland State has been one of the most efficient teams on the offensive end, leading the Horizon League with a .486 field goal percentage on the season. Last time out, the Vikings shot 54-percent from the field, marking the fourth straight game that they have posted a .500+ clip. Cleveland State is also averaging a league-best 80.7 points per game through the first nine contests of the 2023-24 campaign.
CSU ON THE BOARDS
After the first nine games of the 2023-24 season, the Vikings are outrebounding their opponents 351-280, leading the league in rebounding margin (+7.9). Cleveland State is averaging 39.0 rebounds per game, and has outrebounded its opponents in seven of the first nine games. So far this season, the Vikings have recorded a pair of 50-rebound performances, finishing with 52 boards against Central Michigan and Chicago State.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Nine games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma already has 13 blocked shots on the year and 56 for her career. Reisma, who is one of four #HLWBB players with 13+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but one game this year, including a season-high three blocked shots against Central Michigan and Austin Peay.
MAPLES NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping Cleveland State to a 2-0 start to #HLWBB play, junior Colbi Maples was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Through the two games, Maples averaged 24.0 points per game on a .577 field goal percentage (15-for-26), finishing with 25 points against RMU and 23 points against Northern Kentucky. In addition, Maples went 6-for-8 from three-point while adding four steals and four assists on the two games.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the weekend, Cleveland State is ranked eighth in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Vikings are one of two Horizon League teams to be ranked, as Green Bay also enters the weekend in the top-25.
VIKING DUO NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Following a pair of standout performances at the Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational, Colbi Maples and Mickayla Perdue both earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Maples led the Vikings averaging 14.0 points per game on the week, while shooting 54-percent from the floor. Perdue added 9.7 points per game along with five steals and five assists throughout the three games.
HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who owns a career head coaching record of 519-171. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 103-55 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.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will open a five-game roadswing next week, traveling to fourth-ranked Iowa for a 7:00 p.m. EST contest on Saturday, December 16.
