CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season Monday, picking up a 71-49 victory over Chicago State.

Game Stats
-Colbi Maples led the Viking offense with 29 points, while Jada Leonard added nine and Izabella Zingaro chipped in eight.
-Macey Fegan grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds.
-As a team, the Vikings finished with 14 steals, including seven from Jada Leonard.
-Cleveland State shot 43-percent from the floor on the game, including a .750 clip during the first quarter.
-The Viking defense forced Chicago State into 21 turnovers, turning these miscues into 19 points.

Game Notes
-Monday's game marked the first official game back for Colbi Maples after suffering a season-ending injury early last season.
-Macey Fegan tallied a career-high with her 13 boards on the night.
-All 14 Vikings got in the game on Monday, with 11 of them making their Cleveland State debuts.
-Monday marked the beginning of head coach Chris Kielsmeier's eighth season with the Vikings.

The Game
After jumping out to a quick lead after the first quarter at 20-11, a 9-2 Viking run to start the second quarter extended Cleveland State's lead to 29-13 midway through the frame on a pair of Jada Leonard free throws. Despite Chicago State stopping the CSU scoring run on their next possession, a string of seven straight points from the Vikings – including a Macey Fegan and-one – regained a sizeable lead for Cleveland State at 36-15 with 5:13 left to play in the frame.

Cleveland State then controlled play throughout the rest of the quarter, taking a 38-25 lead into the halftime break.

Jada Leonard opened the scoring for the Vikings during the second half, as a three-pointer less than 30-seconds into the frame extended Cleveland State's lead to 41-25. A Maples layup on the ensuing possession put the Vikings up 43-25, before Chicago State was able to stop the CSU scoring run.

The two teams then traded baskets over the final few minutes of the third quarter, with Cleveland State taking a 53-36 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Vikings once again opened the fourth quarter with a strong start, as a 6-2 run gave Cleveland State a 20-point lead at 59-38 just a few minutes into the frame. The Vikings were then able to hold the 20-point advantage throughout the majority of the fourth quarter, pulling away with the 71-49 victory.

The Vikings will hit the road for the first time during 2025-26 this weekend, traveling to Cal State Fullerton for a Sunday afternoon contest.