SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will return home for a pair of games this week, beginning with their annual Health+Hoops Game on Thursday, February 6. Thursday's tipoff is slated for 11:00 a.m. when the Vikings take on Detroit Mercy. Entering the week, Cleveland State is 18-5 overall this season and 9-3 in Horizon League play, while the Titans are 12-9 overall and 6-7 in league action.
 
A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins…Improve CSU to 9-1 at home this season…Mark Cleveland State's 10th Horizon League win of the season…Keep the Vikings perfect during the month of February.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DETROIT MERCY SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the 72nd meeting between the two teams, with Detroit Mercy owning a 42-29 edge in the all-time series. This will be the second matchup between the Vikings and the Titans this season, with Cleveland State picking up a 72-62 victory in the first meeting back in early January.
 
VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY
Cleveland State enters Thursday's contest with a 9-3 record in Horizon League play this season, currently sitting in third place in the #HLWBB standings. Entering the ninth week of league action, the Vikings are just one win shy of becoming the third #HLWBB team with 10+ league wins on the season.
 
HEALTH + HOOPS WITH VIKING BASKETBALL
Thursday's game against Detroit Mercy will be Cleveland State's annual Kids Day Game - Health + Hoops With Viking Basketball. The event, which is open to all local Cleveland schools, will feature pre-game health and wellness stations, in-game interactive activities, and more.
 
…VIKINGS IN EARLY TIPOFFS
Thursday's game will mark the fifth contest this season that will be tipping off before Noon for the Vikings, and the second of two designated Kids Day games. So far this season, Cleveland State owns a 4-0 record in early tipoff games, including a 74-53 victory at RMU in the Colonials' Kids Day game.
 
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Thursday's game will mark the 10th of 14 scheduled home games for the Vikings this season, with Cleveland State owning an 8-1 record when playing on its home court this season. Over the last three seasons, the Vikings have gone 40-2 when playing at home, including a perfect 17-0 campaign last year.
 
LEO ECLIPSES 1,800 CAREER POINTS
Following her 16-point performance at Milwaukee last time out, Destiny Leo recorded the 1,800th point of her career. Leo, who enters Thursday's game with 1,801 career points, currently ranks fifth on the CSU Scoring List and needs just four more points to move into fourth place. For the season, Leo is averaging 10.6 points per game as one of four Vikings to average 10.0+ points per game.
 
PERDUE TALLIES 30-POINT GAME AT MILWAUKEE
Last time out, Mickayla Perdue paced the Viking offense with 30 points at Milwaukee, marking her third 30-point game of the season. Among Horizon League players, Perdue is the only one to average 20.0+ points per game (20.4) this season, while her 469 total points on the year ranks her 11th nationally. Through 23 games played, Perdue leads all #HLWBB players with 12 20-point games on the season, and is the only player with multiple 30-point performances.
 
REISMA EFFICIENT FROM THE FIELD
Jordana Reisma continues to be one of the most efficient shooters among Division I players, entering Thursday's contest against Detroit Mercy with a .688 field goal percentage on the year. Reisma, who currently ranks second among all Division I players in field goal percentage, is shooting 132-for-192 on the year, while she currently sits at the top of the CSU Career Record Book with a .596 clip (354-593) for her career.
 
GUERREIRO AMONG #HLWBB LEADERS
Entering the week, Sara Guerreiro continues to be one of the best all-around players in the Horizon League, ranking in the top-five in rebounding, assists and assist to turnover ratio. Guerreiro currently ranks second in the league averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, while she also ranks second with a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio and third averaging 4.4 assists per game. In addition, Guerreiro also ranks 18th averaging 10.6 points per game. Through 23 games played, Guerreiro leads the Vikings with 177 total boards and 101 total assists.
 
CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
The Vikings continue to be the top rebounding team in the league, averaging 38.3 boards per game through the first 23 games played. Cleveland State also holds a league-best +7.0 rebounding margin, and has outrebounded its opponent 18 times so far this year. The Vikings have combined for 882 rebounds on the season, including 660 defensive boards which is tops in the league.
 
…AND FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Through 23 games played this season, the Vikings rank seventh nationally averaging 17.04 free throws made per game. For the season, Cleveland State has converted a league-best 392 free throws, including 20+ free throws during six games this year. Last time out, the Vikings went 28-for-29 from the free throw line at Milwaukee, and are shooting at a league-best .782 clip on the year.
 
…AND FROM THE FIELD
As a team, Cleveland State has had one of the more efficient offenses this season, leading the Horizon League and ranking 11th among Division I teams with a .477 clip from the field on the year. The Vikings have shot 50-percent or better during nine games so far this season, including three times during #HLWBB play (at Wright State, at Detroit Mercy, at Milwaukee). Individually, five Vikings are shooting 45-percent or better from the field on the year; Jordana Reisma (.688), Mya Moore (.507), Sara Guerreiro (.494), Macey Fegan (.465), and Filippa Goula (.452).
 
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 559-180. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 143-64, 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.
 
CLEVELAND STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO SHOW
Fans can stay up-to-date with all things Viking Basketball throughout the 2024-25 season by tuning in to the Cleveland State Women's Basketball Radio Show. The weekly show airs on Monday nights beginning at 6:00 p.m. on 1350 AM and features a variety of coaches, student-athletes and members of the CSU community.
 
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the weekend by hosting Oakland at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 8 for Youth Day.