GAME #14
Cleveland State at Green Bay
Saturday, December 30 | 2:00 p.m. EST | Green Bay, Wis.
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return to Horizon League play this week, beginning with a 2:00 p.m. EST contest at Green Bay on Saturday, December 30. Entering the final game of the calendar year the Vikings stand at 11-2 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Green Bay is currently 8-3 overall and 1-0 against league opponents.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Extend Cleveland State's current win streak to three straight games…Keep the Vikings perfect in #HLWBB play…Give CSU a win to close out the calendar year.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/GREEN BAY SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 82nd meeting between the two teams, with Green Bay owning a 71-10 advantage in the all-time series. Cleveland State picked up a win the last time the two teams met though, earning a 73-61 victory over the Phoenix in the 2023 #HLWBB Championship game to claim its third Horizon League Tournament title.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay enters Saturday's game with an 8-3 record on the year, including a 1-0 mark in #HLWBB play…The Phoenix picked up a 76-53 victory over Milwaukee to begin league action earlier this year…Green Bay is currently on a three-game win streak, and will be playing its fourth of five straight home games…Earlier this year, Green Bay was selected as the preseason favorite in the Horizon League, while Bailey Butler was named to the Preseason All-League First Team…The Phoenix currently lead the league in field goal percentage (.484), free throw percentage (.832), assist/turnover ratio (1.61), and assists (18.45).
VIKINGS RETURN TO #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State will return to Horizon League play this weekend, looking to stay perfect in #HLWBB play and improve to 3-0. Entering the second week of league play, Cleveland State is one of four teams to be undefeated in league play, while a win on Saturday would put the Vikings at 3-0 in league play for the third straight season.
…CSU TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
Earlier this season, 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.
ROAD WARRIORS
Saturday's game at Green Bay will be the fourth of five straight road games for the Vikings, as they will close out the calendar year away from home. So far this season, Cleveland State owns a 4-2 record when playing on the road, including a pair of neutral site victories over Southern Miss and Drexel at the Homewood Suites classic hosted by FGCU last time out.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State closed out its non-league slate last week, finishing with a 9-2 record against non-league opponents this season - with one of its losses coming against No. 4 Iowa. Over the last three years, the Vikings have combined to go 25-6 in non-league action, with the nine wins tying the program-best for non-league wins under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
REISMA NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping Cleveland State to a 2-0 week at the Homewood Suites Classic hosted by FGCU, sophomore Jordana Reisma was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Reisma averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on the week, while shooting 58-percent from the floor. Reisma tallied her second double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Southern Miss, while she followed that up with a career-best 18 points against Drexel. Reisma joins Colbi Maples as the two Vikings to earn #HLWBB Player of the Week honors so far this season.
…REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Thirteen games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma already has 17 blocked shots on the year and 60 for her career. Reisma, who is one of four #HLWBB players with 17+ 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.
VIKINGS SPREADING THE OFFENSE
Entering Saturday's game at Green Bay, the Vikings have recorded double-digit assists in six straight games, including a season-high 19 helpers in the win over Niagara. For the season, Colbi Maples has a team-best 50 assists and ranks third among Horizon League players averaging 3.8 assists per game.
PERDUE NOTCHES TRIO OF 20-POINT PERFORMANCES
Over the last four games senior Mickayla Perdue has posted a trio of 20-point performances, becoming the third Viking this season with three or more 20-point games. Perdue started her stretch of 20-point performances with 25 points against Akron, and followed that up with 24 points against nationally ranked Iowa and 24 points against Southern Miss. Since moving into the starting lineup four weeks ago, Perdue has been averaging 18.0 points per game compared to her 13.5 ppg average that she has on the season.
CSU ON THE BOARDS
After the first 13 games of the 2023-24 season, the Vikings are outrebounding their opponents 503-439, holding a +4.9 rebounding margin. Cleveland State is averaging 38.7 rebounds per game, and has recorded a trio of 50-board performances on the year, including 51 rebounds against Southern Miss last week. Individually, Carmen Villalobos is averaging a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game to rank fifth among #HLWBB players.
BURCH TALLIES CAREER-BEST REBOUNDING EFFORT
Last week Faith Burch recorded a team-best 13-rebound performance against Southern Miss, marking her second double-digit rebounding game of the season. Burch's 13 boards marked a career-high for the redshirt-sophomore, while it is also tied for the eighth highest single-game mark among #HLWBB players so far this year. For the season, Burch is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game, and has tallied 56 total boards.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State is ranked fifth 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 enters the week ranked sixth.
…AND RECEIVING VOTES IN TOP-25 POLL
Cleveland State also enters this week's games receiving votes in the most recent WBCA Top-25 Coaches 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 15 teams to be receiving votes in this week's WBCA poll.
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 523-172. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 107-56 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 close out its current five-game roadswing at Milwaukee on Monday, January 1, facing the Panthers in a 3:00 p.m. EST contest.
