GAME #28
Cleveland State at IUPUI
Wednesday, February 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Indianapolis, Ind.
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the month with a three-game roadswing, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. contest at IUPUI on Wednesday, February 21. Entering Wednesday's matchup, the Vikings are 23-4 overall this season and 14-2 in league play, while IUPUI is currently 6-19 on the year and 4-12 against league opponents.
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD…
Keep the Vikings perfect during the month of February…Give Cleveland State a series sweep over IUPUI…Extend Cleveland State's current win streak to six straight games.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/IUPUI SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the 23rd meeting between the two teams, with IUPUI holding a slight 12-10 edge in the all-time series. Cleveland State has won three straight entering Wednesday's matchup, including a convincing 90-58 victory against the Jaguars earlier this season.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI enters Wednesday's game with a 6-19 record on the year, including a 4-12 mark in #HLWBB play…Last time out, the Jaguars picked up a 70-50 victory over RMU, snapping a four-game losing skid…IUPUI is currently sitting 10th in the league standings…When playing at home, the Jaguars own a 5-7 record on the season…As a team, IUPUI leads the league averaging 4.04 blocked shots per game, while the Jaguars rank second averaging 11.2 offensive rebounds per game…Individually, Katie Davidson ranks second with 17.2 points per game, while Faith Stinson ranks sixth averaging 1.0 blocks per game.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State closed out a four-game homestand with a 64-51 victory over Milwaukee, remaining perfect when playing at home this season. Four Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, led by Colbi Maples with 15. Cleveland State combined for 15 assists, while the Viking defense recorded 13 steals and forced the Panthers into 16 turnovers which they turned into 18 points. Once again, the Vikings were able to get out a strong lead against Milwaukee, as they held the advantage for all but 44 seconds of the contest.
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY
Entering the 10th week of #HLWBB play, the Vikings currently sit at the top of the league standings, tied with Green Bay with a 14-2 record. Cleveland State, who is one of three teams with 10+ #HLWBB wins on the year, owns a league-best five-game win streak, while also winning 12 of their last 13 contests.
…CLEVELAND STATE TRACKING 15 #HLWBB WINS
With just one more win, Cleveland State would reach the 15-win plateau for Horizon League play. The Vikings would reach the milestone for just the second time in program history, after Cleveland State finished with a program-best 17 #HLWBB wins last year.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Cleveland State will open up a three-game roadswing on Wednesday, closing out the month of February away from home. The Vikings, who own an 8-4 record on the road this season, will be playing away from home for the first time in three weeks.
GUERREIRO TALLIES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AGAINST MILWAUKEE
Last time out, Sara Guerreiro recorded her second double-double of the season in the win over Milwaukee, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds on the game. The 12-point performance marked her fourth straight double-digit point effort, while the 12 rebounds marked the third time this season that she has grabbed 10 or more boards. Over the last four games, Guerreiro has been averaging 13.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while playing 35+ minutes in all four games.
REISMA ON THE BLOCK
With 29 blocked shots on the year, sophomore Jordana Reisma enters Wednesday's game at IUPUI tied for 10th in the CSU Career Record Book with 72 career blocks. Reisma, who is one of six #HLWBB players with 25+ blocks on the year, also recorded 43 blocked shots as a freshman last year. So far this season, Reisma has tallied at least one block in 18 games.
PERDUE WITH TWELVE 20+ POINT PERFORMANCES ON THE YEAR
So far this season, Mickayla Perdue has tallied 20+ points 12 times, which is tied for the lead among #HLWBB players. Nine of Perdue's 20-point performances have come against league opponents, including a season-best 30-point effort against Green Bay earlier this month. For the season, Perdue ranks third in the league averaging 16.9 points per game, while she is one of three #HLWBB players with 450+ points on the year (455).
…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE OFFENSIVE END THIS SEASON
Entering the 16th week of the season, Cleveland State has been one of the top offensive teams in the Horizon League, currently leading the league averaging 75.3 points per game while ranking second with a .464 field goal percentage. Through the first 27 games, the Vikings have tallied 70+ points 21 times, and currently own a 13.5 scoring margin.
VILLALOBOS WITH THE STEAL
Through 27 games played Carmen Villalobos leads the Horizon League with 61 total steals on the year. Villalobos has been part of a Viking defense that has held its opponents to a .385 clip on the year - the second lowest field goal percentage for opponents among league teams. Averaging 2.3 steals per game, Villalobos has tallied at least one takeaway in all but two games this season, including a season-high five steals on multiple occasions.
CLEVELAND STATE RECORDS 20-WIN SEASON
With their 86-63 victory over Green Bay earlier this month, the Vikings notched their 20th win of the 2023-24 campaign, marking the third straight 20-win season and the fourth over the last five years. After following up the Green Bay win with victories over Wright State, Oakland and Milwaukee, the Vikings now have 23 wins on the year, which is tied for the second most wins in a single-season in program history.
#HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
So far this season Cleveland State has been recognized five times with weekly honors from the Horizon League - marking a season-high among league teams. Colbi Maples (Dec. 4, Jan. 22) and Mickayla Perdue (Jan. 15, Feb. 5) have picked up the honor twice, while Jordana Reisma (Dec. 26) has earned #HLWBB honors once.
LEO HONORED AT GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS AWARDS
Last month Destiny Leo was honored at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, being named the 2023 Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year. Leo, who was one of three finalists from the Greater Cleveland area, won the award after helping Cleveland State to its best season in program history during 2022-23 as the #HLWBB Player of the Year, helping the team to a 30-5 overall record, Horizon League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
VIKINGS IN THE MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
Entering the week, Cleveland State is 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 enters the week ranked 13th.
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 535-174. Through six seasons at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier has led the Vikings to a 119-58 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 head to RMU for a 12:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, February 24.
