CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team remained perfect on the 2025-26 season Sunday, picking up a 76-55 victory over Akron. With the win, the Vikings are now 4-0 on the year.

Game Stats
-Jada Leonard paced the Vikings with 27 points on the day, while Ayisse Magassa added 13 and Colbi Maples tallied 10.
-Ayisse Magassa grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
-Cleveland State shot 47-percent from the field, including a .571 clip during the first quarter.
-The Vikings combined for 16 steals on the day, including nine from Jada Leonard.
-Cleveland State forced Akron into 28 turnovers, turning these miscues into 34 points.

Game Notes
-Jada Leonard recorded a season-high with her 27 points, while she finished just shy of a double-double with nine assists.
-Ayisse Magassa tallied her first double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
-With 10 rebounds on the game, Ayisse Magassa marked the fourth straight game that a Viking has grabbed double-digit boards.
-Cleveland State has shot 40-percent from the floor in all four games this year.
-The 16 steals marked a season-high for the Vikings, and the fourth time that they have tallied double-digit takeaways.
-The Vikings remained perfect on the year with Wednesday's win.

The Game
For the second straight game the Vikings were able to get out to a quick lead over the opening minutes, as an 11-2 run over the first 4:36 gave Cleveland State a lead that they would go on to hold for the rest of the half.

Although Akron was able to stop the CSU scoring run, the Vikings responded with a Jada Leonard three-pointer and an Ella Van Weelden jumper to give the Vikings their first double-digit lead of the contest at 16-5 late in the frame. Cleveland State then closed out the quarter with six straight points from Leonard and Madison Royal-Davis, taking a 22-5 advantage into the second quarter.

During the second quarter, the Vikings fended off an Akron run, as the Zips were able to close the gap to single digits at 30-25 late in the frame. Cleveland State regained control with a Leonard three-pointer, before closing the half with a pair of baskets to take a double-digit lead into the halftime break at 38-26.  

The two teams opened the second half by trading baskets until midway through the third quarter when back-to-back baskets from Ayisse Magassa put the Vikings up 53-37, while another two baskets from Colbi Maples and Leonard gave Cleveland State a 20-point advantage at 57-37 late in the frame.

Cleveland State then held a 59-41 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Vikings were then able to control play during the final quarter, pulling away with the 21-point victory over Akron, 76-55.

Up Next
Cleveland State will hit the road for its lone contest this week, traveling to Northwestern on Friday, November 21.