GAME #12
Cleveland State vs. Southern Miss
Wednesday, December 20 | 4:30 p.m. | Fort Myers, Fla. (@ FGCU)
GAME #13
Cleveland State vs. Drexel
Thursday, December 21 | 3:00 p.m. | Fort Myers, Fla. (@ FGCU)
Live Stats {Southern Miss} | Live Stats {Drexel} | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out non-league play this week, taking part in the Homewood Suites Classic hosted by FGCU on Wednesday, December 20 and Thursday, December 21. The Vikings, who enter the week with a 9-2 record on the year, will face Southern Miss (December 20) and Drexel (December 21) during the two-day tournament.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/SOUTHERN MISS SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the second meeting between the two teams, with Southern Miss picking up a 92-76 victory in the first matchup during the 1998-99 campaign.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss enters Wednesday's game with a 7-1 record on the season, with the only loss on the year coming last time out in a 69-67 decision at Memphis...Earlier this year, Southern Miss was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, while senior Domonique Davis was named the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year...Davis is also a Sun Belt Player of the Week honoree (12/5), picking up the award after a 25-point performance in the win over No. 19 Ole Miss.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DREXEL SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the second meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State earning a 60-59 victory during the 1999-00 season when the teams first met.
SCOUTING DREXEL
Drexel enters the week with a 4-4 record on the year, with wins over Delaware State, La Salle, Marist, and Buffalo...Earlier this season, Drexel was picked to finish seventh in the CAA Preseason Poll...Through the first eight games, transfer Brooke Mullin is averaging a team-best 11.8 points per game, while Grace O'Neill is averaging 5.1 boards per game to lead the Drexel rebounding effort...Mullin and O'Neill have both recorded 22 assists, while also leading the team with nine steals each.
VIKINGS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
This week's trip south marks the first time that the Vikings are playing in the state of Florida since the 2014-15 season, when Cleveland State faced FAU and FIU in a pair of non-league contests. Cleveland State finished the 2014-15 trip south with a 1-1 record.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing seven games out of an eight-game stretch at home, Cleveland State opened a five-game roadswing last time out, and will be playing its second and third games away from home during this week's tournament in Florida. During this roadswing, the Vikings will travel 4,450+ miles, with games in Iowa, Florida and Wisconsin. So far this season, the Vikings stand at 2-2 when playing away from home.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State will be closing out its 11-game non-league slate over the next two contests, currently standing at 7-2 when facing non-league opponents. Over the last three seasons the Vikings have combined to go 23-6 in non-league action, including a 9-2 record last year.
VIKINGS SPREADING THE OFFENSE
Last time out, the Vikings recorded 12 assists in the game against Iowa, marking the seventh time this season that Cleveland State has tallied double-digit assists. Colbi Maples paced the Vikings with six assists on the day, while Mickayla Perdue and Carmen Villalobos both added two. For the season, Maples has a team-best 39 assists and ranks fifth among Horizon League players averaging 3.5 assists per game.
PERDUE NOTCHES BACK-TO-BACK 20-POINT PERFORMANCES
Last time out, Mickayla Perdue tallied her second straight 20-point performance, finishing with 24 points against Iowa. Perdue went 8-for-14 from the field, including a 5-for-7 effort from behind-the-arc. Perdue, who tallied her first 20-point game of the season with 25 points against Akron last week, became the third Viking to post multiple 20-point games on the season. After moving into the starting lineup five games ago, Perdue has been averaging 19.2 points per game to lead the Vikings during this five-game stretch.
MAPLES LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
Through the first 11 games of the season Colbi Maples is leading the Viking offense, averaging 16.5 points per game to rank fourth among Horizon League players. Maples has posted 10+ points in nine of the first 11 games, including 18 points against Iowa last time out. In addition, Maples also has a team-best 39 total assists, ranking fifth among #HLWBB players averaging 3.5 assists per game.
CSU ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Entering the seventh week of the season, Cleveland State is one of two Horizon League teams to be averaging double-digit steals, entering this week's contests averaging 10.0 steals per game. Last time out, the Vikings finished with 11 steals against Iowa, forcing the Hawkeyes into 19 turnovers - their second highest turnover mark of the year. Through the first 11 games, the Vikings have notched 10+ steals six times.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Eleven games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma already has 15 blocked shots on the year and 58 for her career. Reisma, who is one of four #HLWBB players with 15+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but two games this year, including a season-high three 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 earlier this season, junior Colbi Maples was named the Horizon League Player of the Week (December 4). 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 week, Cleveland State is ranked seventh 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.
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 521-172. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 105-56 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 earlier this year - 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 return to Horizon League play on the road, traveling to Green Bay (December 30) and Milwaukee (January 1). The Vikings opened #HLWBB play earlier this season with back-to-back wins against RMU and Northern Kentucky.
