GAME #18
Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, January 13 | 1:00 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 current three-game homestand on Saturday, January 13, hosting Purdue Fort Wayne at 1:00 p.m. inside the Wolstein Center. Entering Saturday's contest, the Vikings are 14-3 overall this season and 5-1 in league play, while Purdue Fort Wayne is currently 11-6 overall and 5-2 against league opponents.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Give Cleveland State a 4-0 start to the 2024 calendar year…Mark four straight wins for the Vikings for the second time this season…Extend Cleveland State's home win streak to 15 straight games.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PURDUE FORT WAYNE SERIES
Saturday's game will be the 15th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 13-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Vikings have won nine straight games against the Mastodons, including a series sweep last season.
…LAST TIME AGAINST THE MASTODONS
The last time these two teams met, the Vikings picked up a 73-63 victory for the 24th win of the 2022-23 campaign, marking a program record for wins in a single season. Cleveland State went on to finish last season with 30 wins, marking the first 30-win campaign in program history.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters Saturday's game with an 11-6 record on the year, including a 5-2 mark in #HLWBB play…Through the first three+ weeks of league action, the Mastodons are tied for third in the standings…Most recently, Purdue Fort Wayne earned a 79-59 victory over Oakland…Earlier this year, Purdue Fort Wayne was selected to finish fourth in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, while Amellia Bromenschenkel was named to the Preseason All-League First Team…The Mastodons are leading the league with 8.8 three-pointers per game, while ranking fourth with a 72.4 scoring average on the year.
…LAST TIME OUT
Cleveland State picked up a 74-53 victory over Detroit Mercy, improving to 5-1 in #HLWBB play on the season and remaining perfect during the 2024 calendar year. Two Vikings finished the game in double-figure points, while the CSU defense forced UDM into 28 turnovers. The Vikings also had an efficient night from the free throw line, going 21-for-24 for a season-best .875 clip.
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State continues the fourth week of #HLWBB play ranked second in the league standings, owning a 5-1 record against league opponents. The Vikings, who are one of just two teams with one loss or less in league play, sit right above Purdue Fort Wayne who is tied for third with a 5-2 mark on the year.
…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.
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Cleveland State will close out its current homestand with Saturday's game against Purdue Fort Wayne which will mark the 10th of 16 scheduled home games for the Vikings this season. So far this year, Cleveland State owns a perfect 9-0 record when playing at home, while the Vikings have combined for a 59-18 record at home under Chris Kielsmeier's tenure.
PERDUE BACK WITH ANOTHER 20-POINT PERFORMANCE
Last time out Mickayla Perdue recorded her team-leading sixth 20-point performance of the season, finishing with 25 points in the win over Detroit Mercy. Perdue notched the first 15 points of the game for the Vikings, and went on to tally 23 of her 25 points during the first half. So far this season, Perdue is averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 44-percent from the field, and has tallied her six 20+ point efforts over the last eight games.
VIKINGS ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Through the first 10+ weeks of the season, Cleveland State has been one of the top offensive teams in the Horizon League, currently leading the league averaging 76.5 points per game while ranking second with a .452 field goal percentage. Through the first 17 games, the Vikings have tallied 70+ points 14 times, and currently own a 14.0 scoring margin. Individually, two Vikings rank in the top-five in scoring, with Colbi Maples ranking fourth averaging 16.2 points and Mickayla Perdue ranking fifth averaging 14.9 points per game.
…VIKINGS SPREADING THE OFFENSE
Entering Saturday's game against Detroit Mercy, the Vikings have recorded double-digit assists in 10 straight games, including a season-high 19 helpers in the win over Niagara. For the season, Colbi Maples has a team-best 70 assists and ranks third among Horizon League players averaging 4.1 assists per game.
CSU ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Following Wednesday's strong defensive performance against Detroit Mercy, the Vikings enter Saturday's contest as one of two #HLWBB teams to be averaging double-digit steals, currently averaging 10.00 steals per game. Last time out, the Vikings recorded 16 takeaways, marking the third time this season that CSU has recorded 15 or more steals. Individually, Colbi Maples has a team-best 37 steals on the year, while Carmen Villalobos has 34 steals, with both ranking in the top-five among #HLWBB players in the category.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Seventeen games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma has 23 blocked shots on the year and 66 for her career. Reisma, who is one of four #HLWBB players with 20+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but three games this year, including a season-high four against Youngstown State last week. Reisma's 66 career blocks are also just six-blocks shy of earning her a spot in the CSU Career Record Book.
VIKINGS AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
As a team, Cleveland State has combined for 299 made free throws this season, leading the league and ranking second nationally in the category. Through 17 games the Vikings are averaging 17.5 free throws made per game, ranking fourth among Division I teams. Cleveland State has converted 20+ free throws five times so far this year, including a 21-for-24 performance against Detroit Mercy last time out.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State was ranked ninth 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 entered the week ranked sixth.
THE NON-LEAGUE SLATE
Cleveland State closed out its non-league slate last month, 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.
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 526-173. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 110-57 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 SET FOR 700th CAREER GAME
Saturday's game against Purdue Fort Wayne will mark the 700th career game for Chris Kielsmeier during his head coaching tenure. Kielsmeier, who has coached 167 games so far at Cleveland State, also combined for 309 games at Wayne State College and 223 games at Howard Payne.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will hit the road for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, January 17, traveling to Wright State for a 7:00 p.m. game.
