GAME #20
Cleveland State vs. IUPUI
Saturday, January 20 | 5:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return home for the final time during the month of January on Saturday, hosting IUPUI in a 5:00 p.m. contest. Entering Saturday's matchup, the Vikings are 16-3 overall this season and 7-1 in league play, while IUPUI is currently 4-12 overall and 2-5 against league opponents.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Give Cleveland State a 6-0 start to the 2024 calendar year…Mark six straight wins for the Vikings for the second time this season…Extend Cleveland State's home win streak to 17 straight games.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/IUPUI SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 22nd meeting between the two teams, with IUPUI owning a 12-9 edge in the all-time series. Despite trailing in the overall series, the Vikings enter Saturday's game having won two straight matchups against the Jaguars, picking up a pair of convincing wins last season.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI enters Saturday's game with a 4-12 record on the year, including a 2-5 mark in #HLWBB play...IUPUI's two league wins have come against Detroit Mercy (81-76) and Northern Kentucky (96-81), picking up both wins in two out of its last three games...Through the first four+ weeks of league action, the Jaguars are ninth in the #HLWBB standings...Earlier this year, IUPUI was selected to finish ninth, while Jazmyn Turner was named to the All-League First Team...The Jaguars currently rank second in the league averaging 4.0 blocks per game, while they rank third averaging 37.4 rebounds per game…Individually, Katie Davidson leads the league averaging 18.8 points per game.
…LAST TIME OUT
Cleveland State picked up a 72-61 victory at Wright State, improving to 7-1 in #HLWBB play on the season and remaining perfect during the 2024 calendar year. This marked Cleveland State's 11th double-digit win of the season, while it was the 15th time that the Vikings eclipsed the 70-point mark.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Saturday will mark the first of three doubleheaders during league play for Cleveland State basketball (1/20, 2/17, 3/2), as the men will host Purdue Fort Wayne at 2:00 p.m. prior to the women's game against IUPUI. So far this season, the men's and women's teams have combined to go 4-0 when playing on the same day, as both teams picked up a pair of wins on doubleheader dates during the Viking Invitational back in November.
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State continues the fifth week of #HLWBB play ranked second in the league standings, owning a 7-1 record against league opponents. The Vikings, who are one of just two teams with one loss or less in league play, are just one game behind Green Bay who currently sits in the top spot.
…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 host its final home game during the month of January on Saturday, marking the 11th of 16 scheduled home games for the Vikings this season. So far this year, Cleveland State owns a perfect 10-0 record when playing at home, while the Vikings have combined for a 60-18 record at home during Chris Kielsmeier's tenure.
VIKINGS WITH STRONG OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE AT WSU
Last time out the Vikings posted one of their best offensive performances of the season, shooting a season-high 60-percent from the floor at Wright State. Cleveland State's .604 clip from the field against the Raiders marked a season-high for all #HLWBB games so far this year, while its one of just two 60-percent+ efforts for the season from league teams. For the first time this year five Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, including four of the five CSU starters.
…FORT-DAVIS HAS STRONG PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE RAIDERS
In addition to the four starters that tallied double-digit points in the win at Wright State, Brooklynn Fort-Davis came off the bench to record 16 points on a 7-for-9 night. The 16 points marked a season-high for the graduate transfer, while it marked just her second double-digit scoring performance of the season. Fort-Davis was one of two Vikings to shoot 75-percent or better on the game, while she also tallied four rebounds and one steal against the Raiders.
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE OFFENSIVE END THIS SEASON
Through the first 11+ weeks of the season, Cleveland State has been one of the top offensive teams in the Horizon League, currently leading the league averaging 75.8 points per game while ranking second with a .458 field goal percentage. Through the first 19 games, the Vikings have tallied 70+ points 15 times, and currently own a 13.7 scoring margin. Individually, two Vikings rank in the top-five in scoring, with Colbi Maples ranking third averaging 16.9 points and Mickayla Perdue ranking fifth averaging 15.0 points per game.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
Nineteen games into the 2023-24 campaign, sophomore Jordana Reisma has 24 blocked shots on the year and 67 for her career. Reisma, who is one of six #HLWBB players with 20+ blocks on the year, has posted a block in all but four games this year, including a season-high four against Youngstown State earlier this month. Reisma's 67 career blocks are just five 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 326 made free throws this season, leading the league and ranking second nationally in the category (trailing LSU with 402 made free throws). Through 19 games the Vikings are averaging 17.1 free throws made per game, ranking sixth among Division I teams. Cleveland State has converted 20+ free throws five times so far this year, including a season-high 29 at Loyola earlier this year.
PERDUE NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping the Vikings to a 2-0 outing last week averaging 22.0 points per game on a .500 field goal percentage, Mickayla Perdue was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Perdue opened the week with a 25-point performance against Detroit Mercy, before posting 19 points against Purdue Fort Wayne. From the floor, Perdue went 8-for-16 against UDM and 6-for-12 against PFW, combining for six three-pointers. Perdue became the third Viking to earn #HLWBB Player of the Week honors this season, joining Colbi Maples and Jordana Reisma.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the weekend, Cleveland State is ranked 10th 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 528-173. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 112-57 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.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will hit the road for a three-game roadswing, beginning with a matchup at Oakland on Thursday, January 25.
