GAME #9
Cleveland State at Detroit Mercy
Thursday, December 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Detroit, Mich.
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SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will kickoff Horizon League play with two games this week, beginning on Thursday, December 4 when the Vikings travel to Detroit Mercy for a 7:00 p.m. contest. Entering Thursday's contest, the Vikings are 7-1 on the year, while Detroit Mercy is currently 1-5 this season.
 
A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings four straight wins…Mark the fifth straight year that the Vikings have won their #HLWBB opener…Put the Vikings at 2-1 when playing on the road this year…Mark the second straight month that Cleveland State will be opening with a win.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DETROIT MERCY SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the 73rd meeting between the two teams, with Detroit Mercy owning a 42-30 edge in the all-time series. This will be the first of two matchups between the two teams this season, with Cleveland State winning eight out of the last nine meetings.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy enters Thursday's game with a 1-5 record on the year, with its lone win coming in a 78-48 victory over Valparaiso in the season opener…Earlier this year, the Titans were selected to finish seventh in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and will be under the direction of first-year head coach Kiefer Haffey…Thursday's contest will be the fifth home game out of the first seven contests for the Titans this season…Through the first six games, Jasmine Edwards leads the Titans and ranks 11th in the league averaging 12.0 points per game, while Makayla Jackson ranks 14th with an 11.4 points per game average.
 
CLEVELAND STATE SET TO BEGIN #HLWBB PLAY
Thursday's game at Detroit Mercy will mark the #HLWBB opener for both teams, with Cleveland State owning an 11-2 record in league openers over the last 13 seasons. Under head coach Chris Kielsmeier, the Vikings own an 85-45 record in #HLWBB regular season play, including 14 wins last year which marked the fourth straight double-digit league win campaign.
 
…CLEVELAND STATE SELECTED FOURTH IN #HLWBB PRESEASON POLL
Earlier this year, Cleveland State was selected to finish fourth in the #HLWBB Preseason Poll, picking up 87 points and one first place vote. This marks the fourth straight year that the Vikings have been picked to finish in the top-four of the Horizon League.
 
…MAPLES NAMED #HLWBB PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
In addition to the preseason poll, the Horizon League also announced their preseason all-league teams, with Colbi Maples earning Preseason Player of the Year honors. Maples, who also earned the honor prior to last season, became just the second Viking all-time to earn the recognition more than once. Maples also earned a spot on the Preseason All-League First Team.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Thursday's game at Detroit Mercy will be just the third road game of the season for the Vikings, as Cleveland State has played just two non-league games away from home so far this year. This will be the first time that the Vikings are opening Horizon League play on the road since the 2021-22 campaign when they picked up a 63-52 win at Northern Kentucky.
 
CSU INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Last time out, the Vikings went 3-0 at the CSU Invitational, picking up wins over St. Bonaventure, Valparaiso and Radford en route to claiming the CSU Invitational title. This marked the third time that the Vikings have hosted an in-season MTE, with the Vikings now owning a 9-0 record during the tournaments.
 
…MAPLES & LEONARD NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
After helping the Vikings to a 3-0 record at the CSU Invitational, the duo of Colbi Maples and Jada Leonard was named to the All-Tournament Team. Maples averaged a team-best 16.3 points per game - including a 23-point effort against St. Bonaventure - while Leonard averaged 12.0 points per game along with 3.6 assists and 3.6 steals per contest.
 
VIKINGS PICK UP OVERTIME WIN AGAINST RADFORD
Cleveland State played its first overtime game of the 2025-26 campaign last time out, picking up a 62-59 victory over Radford. This marked Cleveland State's fifth straight overtime win, including the third over the last two seasons.
 
MAPLES LEADING THE LEAGUE IN SCORING
Through the first four weeks of the 2025-26 season, Colbi Maples is averaging a league-high 16.5 points per game, and has combined for 132 total points. Maples, who has recorded three 20-point games so far this year, notched a season-best 29 points against Chicago State in the season opener - her first game back from injury.
 
LEONARD TOPS IN THE LEAGUE IN STEALS
Jada Leonard also enters #HLWBB play leading the league in a statistical category, as she is averaging a league-high 4.3 steals per game this season. Leonard currently ranks fifth among Division I players with 34 total takeaways on the year, and has recorded at least one steal in all eight games.
 
…VIKINGS FORCING THE TURNOVER
As a team, Cleveland State is averaging a league-best 13.13 steals per game, combining for 105 takeaways through the first eight games played. Against Valparaiso last week, the Vikings tallied 24 steals, and have posted 10+ takeaways in six out of the first eight games.
 
ZINGARO TALLIES 20-POINT GAME AGAINST RADFORD
Last time out, Izabella Zingaro tallied her first 20-point game of the season, finishing with 21 points against Radford. Zingaro, who became the third Viking to record a 20-point game this season, is averaging 13.6 points per game on the year while shooting 57-percent from the floor. Zingaro's 13.6 points per game average currently ranks her sixth among Horizon League players.
 
VIKINGS FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
So far this season, the Vikings rank sixth nationally averaging 19.50 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 156 free throws, including a 21-for-29 effort against St. Bonaventure last week. Individually, Izabella Zingaro has been shooting 84-percent from the free throw line with a team-best 43 made free throws on the year, while Colbi Maples has converted 37.
 
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
So far this season, a Cleveland State player has grabbed 10+ rebounds in five of the first eight games, with five different players recording double-digit rebound performances. Among league players, two Vikings rank in the top-10 in rebounding, with Madison Royal-Davis ranking seventh (6.0 rpg) and Izabella Zingaro ranking eighth (5.9 rpg). As a team, the Vikings are averaging 38.3 rebounds per game, and hold a +3.8 rebound margin.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
The Vikings will be under the direction of eighth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who owns a career head coaching record of 575-187. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 159-71, with his 150th victory as a Viking coming in a 92-61 decision over Detroit Mercy last season. Under his guidance, Cleveland State has posted five 20-win seasons, including a program-record 30 wins during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the week at Oakland, facing the Grizzlies at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 6.