SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will kickoff Horizon League play with two games this week, beginning on Wednesday, December 4 when the Vikings host Northern Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. Entering Wednesday's contest, the Vikings are 5-2 on the year, while Northern Kentucky is currently 2-6 this season.
 
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings four straight wins…Mark the fourth straight year that the Vikings have won their #HLWBB opener…Extend Cleveland State's home win streak to 26 straight games…Improve the Vikings to 3-0 at home this season.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/NORTHERN KENTUCKY SERIES
Wednesday's game will be the 22nd meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State holding a 16-5 edge in the all-time series, including a 10-1 record for the Vikings over the last 11 matchups. Last year, the Vikings went 3-0 against the Norse, including an 81-69 victory to capture the #HLWBB Regular Season Championship and an 88-78 win in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament.
 
CLEVELAND STATE SET TO BEGIN #HLWBB PLAY
Wednesday's game against Northern Kentucky will mark the #HLWBB opener for both teams, with Cleveland State owning a 10-2 record in league openers over the last 12 seasons. Under head coach Chris Kielsmeier, the Vikings own a 71-39 record in #HLWBB regular season play, including a program record 18-2 mark last season.
 
…CSU ENTERS 2024-25 AS REIGNING #HLWBB REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
Last season, the Vikings captured the program's first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Championship, finishing with an 18-2 record in #HLWBB play. The 18 wins marked a program-best for Cleveland State, while it included a perfect 10-0 record when playing at home.
 
…VIKINGS SELECTED AS #HLWBB PRESEASON FAVORITES
Earlier this season, the Vikings were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, picking up 117 points and seven first place votes. This marked the first time in program history that Cleveland State was selected as the preseason favorite, while it marked the fourth time that they were ranked in the top-two heading into a season.
 
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Wednesday's game will mark the third of 13 home games for the Vikings during the 2024-25 season, and the first #HLWBB game inside the Wolstein Center. Last time that Cleveland State played at home, the Vikings picked up a 94-52 victory over Ohio Dominican, extending their current home win streak to 25 straight games. This stretch ranks third among Division I teams (South Carolina-61, FGCU-35), and dates back to February 2, 2023
 
PERDUE & GUERREIRO NAMED BIG EASY CLASSIC ALL-TOURNEY
The Cleveland State duo of Mickayla Perdue and Sara Guerreiro earned a spot on the Big Easy Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend after helping the Vikings to a 2-0 week against Louisiana and Lamar. Perdue averaged 17.5 points per game on a .464 field goal percentage along with nine assists and four steals, while Guerreiro averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game along with 11 assists and five steals through the two games.
 
PERDUE NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
In addition, Mickayla Perdue also picked up Horizon League Player of the Week honors following the Big Easy Classic, earning the first weekly accolade for Cleveland State this season and the third of her career. Perdue opened the week with nine points and four assists in the win over Louisiana, and followed that up with a 26-point effort along with five assists and four steals in the win over Lamar.
 
…PERDUE AMONG SCORING LEADERS
The 26 point performance against Lamar marked the fifth 20-point game of the season for Mickayla Perdue, as she enters Wednesday's game leading the Horizon League averaging 22.7 points per game. Among Division I players, Perdue ranks seventh in scoring, and is one of just 11 players nationally to be averaging 22.0+ points per game.
 
REISMA EFFICIENT FROM THE FIELD
Entering Wednesday's game against Northern Kentucky, Jordana Reisma has been Cleveland State's most efficient offensive player, shooting 67-percent from the field going 38-for-56 through seven games played. Among Division I players, Reisma ranks fourth with her .679 clip, while she currently sits at the top of the CSU Career Record Book with a .568 field goal percentage (260-for-457) for her career.
 
FEGAN EARNS SPOT IN STARTING LINEUP AT BIG EASY CLASSIC
Last time out, the Vikings used their third starting lineup combination of the season, as Macey Fegan earned a spot in the starting five for the Louisiana and Lamar games. For the week, Fegan averaged 3.0 points per game along with four assists and three steals, playing 28.1 minutes per game to help the Vikings go 2-0 at the Big Easy Classic.
 
GUERREIRO ON THE BOARDS
Through seven games played, Sara Guerreiro has been Cleveland State's top rebounder, entering #HLWBB play ranked second among league players averaging 8.0 boards per game. Guerreiro has grabbed 56 total rebounds on the year, including a career-high 13 boards at Chicago State earlier this season. Guerreiro is part of a Cleveland State team that is averaging a league-best 40.9 rebounds per game, owning a 5.1 rebounding margin heading into the fifth week of the season.
 
LEO ADDS TO CAREER SCORING TOTAL
After averaging 15.0 points per game at the Big Easy Classic, Destiny Leo added to her career scoring total and enters Wednesday's game with 1,637 career points. Leo, who ranks sixth on the CSU Scoring List, is one of four Vikings to be averaging double-digit points this season and currently stands at 11.4 points per game. This marks the fifth straight season that Leo is averaging 10.0+ points per game.
 
HIGH POWERED OFFENSE
Through the first four weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, Cleveland State has been the highest scoring team in the Horizon League, averaging 80.3 points per game. The Vikings, who have tallied 75+ points four times this season, also lead the league with a .484 field goal percentage on the year. So far this season, the Vikings have shot 50-percent or better from the field three times, including a .526 clip against Louisiana last weekend.
 
CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through seven games played this season, the Vikings rank fourth nationally averaging 20.0 free throws made per game. For the season, Cleveland State has converted 140 free throws, including a season-best 33-for-41 performance against Chicago State last month. The Vikings are shooting at a .773 clip from the free throw line on the year, with the quartet of Mickayla Perdue (39-49), Sara Guerreiro (28-32), Jordana Reisma (21-27), and Destiny Leo (15-19) all shooting 75-percent or better.
 
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 546-178. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 130-62, 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.