SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open the 2025 calendar year on the road this week, beginning with a Friday night contest at Oakland (January 3) with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Entering Friday's contest, the Vikings are 12-2 on the year and 4-0 in Horizon League play, while Oakland stands at 5-7 overall and 3-0 in league play.
 
A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings 11 straight wins…Keep Cleveland State perfect in #HLWBB play at 5-0…Extend the Vikings' road win streak to six straight games…Mark the 14th straight win over Oakland.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/OAKLAND SERIES
Friday's game will mark the 23rd meeting between the two teams in program history, with Cleveland State owning a 17-5 advantage in the all-time series. The Vikings have won 13 straight against the Grizzlies, including a series sweep last season.
 
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State enters Friday's contest with a perfect 4-0 record in Horizon League play this season, entering the fourth week of #HLWBB play as one of four league teams to be undefeated. A win on Friday would put the Vikings at 5-0 to start league play for the second time over the last three seasons. 
 
VIKINGS EXTEND WIN STREAK & POST PERFECT DECEMBER
With Sunday's 73-68 overtime win against Milwaukee, Cleveland State posted a perfect 7-0 record during the month of December, while also extending its current win streak to 10 straight games. The 10 consecutive wins leads all league teams, while it marks the third straight season that the Vikings have had a win streak of 10+ games.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Friday's game at Oakland will mark the ninth of 17 road games for the Vikings this season, and just the second in #HLWBB play. Through the first eight weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, Cleveland State stands at 6-2 in road games, and has traveled 7,000+ miles during this stretch.
 
…BUT HOME-SWEET-HOME
The overtime victory against Milwaukee also extended Cleveland State's current home win streak to 29 straight games – the second longest active home win streak among Division I teams (South Carolina-65). This streak, which dates back to February 2, 2023, includes a 6-0 record at home this season, while the Vikings are scheduled to host eight more regular season games during 2024-25. 
 
LEO ECLIPSES 1,700 CAREER POINTS
After posting 15 points in the overtime win against Milwaukee last time out, Destiny Leo eclipsed the 1,700-point mark for her career, entering Friday's contest with 1,712 total points. Leo, who played all 45 minutes against the Panthers, converted four three-pointers along with a trio of free throws to record her fourth 15+ point game of the season. As one of just six Vikings all-time with 1,700+ points, Leo needs 36 more points to move into fifth place on the CSU All-Time Scoring List.
 
GUERREIRO & REISMA RECORD DOUBLE-DOUBLES AGAINST MILWAUKEE
The Cleveland State duo of Jordana Reisma and Sara Guerreiro both recorded double-doubles in the overtime win against Milwaukee last time out, Reisma finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Guerreiro notching 11 points and 13 boards. This marked the third double-double of the season for Guerreiro, while it marks the second for Reisma. Through 14 games played, Reisma is averaging 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Guerreiro is averaging 11.4 points and 8.1 boards per game.
 
…REISMA EFFICIENT FROM THE FIELD
Jordana Reisma continues to be one of the most efficient shooters among Division I players, entering Friday's contest at Oakland with a .700 field goal percentage on the year. Reisma, who ranks second among Division I players in field goal percentage, is shooting 84-for-120 on the year, while she currently sits at the top of the CSU Career Record Book with a .587 clip (306-521) for her career.
 
…GUERREIRO ON THE BOARDS
Entering Friday's game, Sara Guerreiro continues to lead all league players averaging 8.1 rebounds per game on the season. Through 14 games, Guerreiro has grabbed 113 total rebounds, including a league-best 92 defensive boards. The 13 rebounds against Milwaukee last time out marked Guerreiro's third double-digit rebound game of the season, and second in #HLWBB play. As a team, the Vikings are averaging a league-best 40.7 boards per game, holding an 8.9 rebound margin on the year.
 
PERDUE TALLIES ANOTHER 20-POINT PERFORMANCE
Mickayla Perdue tallied her ninth 20-point game of the season last time out, finishing with 21 points in the overtime win against Milwaukee. Perdue, who is leading the league averaging 20.4 points per game on the season, has now recorded 20+ points in three of the first four #HLWBB games. Through 14 games played, Perdue has combined for 286 total points, which ranks her 12th nationally.
 
VIKINGS SHARING THE BALL
Cleveland State has done a great job of spreading the offense so far this season, averaging a league-best 17.00 assists per game. Last time out, the Vikings finished with 14 assists against Milwaukee, and have now recorded double-digit assists in 13 of 14 games played this season. Individually, Sara Guerreiro ranks second among league players averaging 4.6 assists per game, while Mickayla Perdue is averaging 3.3 to rank fourth.
 
CLEVELAND STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through 14 games played this season, the Vikings rank 11th nationally averaging 17.00 free throws made per game. For the season, Cleveland State has converted a league-best 238 free throws, including a 21-for-28 performance against Milwaukee last time out. The Vikings are shooting at a .753 clip from the free throw line on the year, with the trio of Mickayla Perdue (68-83), Sara Guerreiro (34-40) and Macey Fegan (12-15) 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 one of two Horizon League teams to be in the top-25, as Green Bay currently ranks 25th. In addition, Purdue Fort Wayne and Detroit Mercy 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 553-178. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 137-62, 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.