SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return to non-league play to close out the week, traveling south to Puerto Rico for two games at the Puerto Rico Clasico. The Vikings will take on Morgan State on Thursday, December 19, before facing Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Saturday, December 21. Entering the tournament, the Vikings stand at 9-2 overall this season.
 
VIKINGS IN PUERTO RICO
This week's games against Morgan State and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez will mark the first time that Cleveland State is playing in Puerto Rico.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MORGAN STATE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PUERTO RICO-MAYAGUEZ SERIES
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
VIKINGS RETURN TO NON-LEAGUE PLAY
Cleveland State will briefly return to non-league play with two games this week, looking to improve on its 6-2 record that the Vikings own through the first part of the non-league schedule. The Vikings are currently on a four-game win streak in non-league play, and stand at 3-2 when playing non-league games away from home this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings remained perfect in Horizon League play, picking up an 85-71 victory at Wright State to improve to 3-0 in #HLWBB action. Cleveland State is one of five teams to be undefeated in league play through the start of the 2024-25 slate, and one of just two to stand at 3-0 (Purdue Fort Wayne).
 
BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN
This week's games at the Puerto Rico Clasico will mark the seventh and eighth of 17 road games for the Vikings this season. Through the first six+ weeks of the season the Vikings have traveled over 3,500 miles for six road games, owning a 4-2 record during this stretch.
 
…BUSY STRETCH AHEAD
Cleveland State will see its busiest stretch of the 2024-25 campaign this week, playing three games over six days - all of which will be road games. After playing at Wright State on Monday, the Vikings will now travel to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico, taking on Morgan State (December 19) and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (December 21) before taking a couple days off for the Holiday Break.
 
VIKINGS EXTEND WIN STREAK & REMAIN PERFECT DURING DECEMBER
With Monday's win over Wright State, Cleveland State remained perfect during the month of December (4-0), while also extending its current win streak to seven straight games. The seven consecutive wins leads all league teams, while it marks the sixth straight season that the Vikings have had a win streak of 7+ games.
 
REISMA NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, Jordana Reisma was named the Horizon League Player of the Week, picking up her first weekly accolade of the season and the sixth of her career. Reisma tallied a career-high 25 points against Bethune-Cookman last weekend, going 11-for-13 from the field along with seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
 
…AND EFFICIENT FROM THE FIELD
Entering this week's Puerto Rico Clasico, Jordana Reisma continues to be Cleveland State's most efficient offensive player, shooting 69-percent from the field going 65-for-94 through 11 games played. Among Division I players, Reisma ranks second with her .691 clip, while she currently sits at the top of the CSU Career Record Book with a .579 field goal percentage (287-for-495) for her career.
 
PERDUE NOTCHES EIGHTH 20-POINT GAME OF THE YEAR
Last time out, Mickayla Perdue recorded her eighth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 23 points at Wright State. Perdue, who has recorded 20+ points in three straight games, is averaging 22.1 points per game to lead all Horizon League scorers. Nationally, Perdue ranks seventh in scoring, while she is one of only seven Division I players with 240+ points so far this season.
 
GUERREIRO ON THE BOARDS
Entering this week's games Sara Guerreiro leads all league players averaging 8.5 rebounds per game on the season. Through 11 games, Guerreiro has grabbed a team-best 94 rebounds, including a pair of 10+ rebound performances against Chicago State (13) and Northern Kentucky (16). As a team, the Vikings are averaging a league-best 41.0 boards per game, holding a 7.7 rebound margin on the year.
 
LEO TRACKING 1,700 CAREER POINTS
Destiny Leo enters the final stretch of the calendar year tracking down 1,700 career points, entering this week's Puerto Rico Clasico with 1,679 points on her career. Leo, who ranks sixth all-time on the CSU Scoring List, is averaging 11.1 points per game so far this season, and needs just 21 more points to reach the 1,700-point milestone. Leo would become just the sixth Viking all-time to eclipse 1,700 points, and the first to do so since the 2011-12 season.
 
HIGH POWERED OFFENSE
Through the first six+ weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, Cleveland State has been one of the highest scoring teams in the Horizon League, averaging 79.5 points per game. The Vikings, who have tallied 75+ points seven times this season, lead the league with a .487 field goal percentage on the year. So far this season, the Vikings have shot 50-percent or better from the field five times, including a .571 clip at Wright State in their last outing.
 
VIKINGS SHARING THE BALL
Cleveland State has done a great job of spreading the offense so far this season, averaging a league-best 16.27 assists per game. Last time out, the Vikings finished with 19 assists at Wright State, marking the eighth straight game with 15+ helpers and ninth overall this year. Individually, Sara Guerreiro ranks second among league players averaging 4.8 assists per game, while Mickayla Perdue is averaging 3.8 to rank fourth.
 
CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through 11 games played this season, the Vikings rank sixth nationally averaging 18.1 free throws made per game. For the season, Cleveland State has converted 200 free throws, including a season-best 33-for-41 performance against Chicago State last month. The Vikings are shooting at a .763 clip from the free throw line on the year, with the quartet of Mickayla Perdue (57-71), Sara Guerreiro (31-36), Destiny Leo (28-34), and Macey Fegan (10-11) all shooting 80-percent or better.
 
VIKINGS IN THE RANKINGS
Cleveland State currently sits 11th in the latest edition of the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Vikings are the lone Horizon League team to be in the current rankings, while Green Bay and Purdue Fort Wayne are both receiving votes.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of seventh-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who currently owns a career head coaching record of 550-178. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 134-62, with his 100th victory as a Viking coming in a 95-41 decision over Chicago State last season. Under his guidance, Cleveland State has posted four 20-win seasons, including a program-record 30 wins during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
...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 season – one of 20 coaches to earn the recognition, and the only coach from the Horizon League. Under Kielsmeier, the Vikings have advanced to the Horizon League Championship game three straight years, and have made four consecutive postseason appearances.
 
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will return to play after the Holidays, hosting Milwuakee on Sunday, December 29 at 12:00 p.m.