GAME #23
Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee
Wednesday, January 28 | 7:00 pm | Wolstein Center
Watch Live | Live Stats | Listen Live

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will split its time at home and on the road this week, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. contest against Milwaukee on Wednesday, January 28 inside the Wolstein Center. Entering Wednesday's contest, the Vikings are 15-7 on the year and 5-6 in Horizon League play, while the Panthers are 7-15 overall and 3-8 in league action.
 
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD...
Put the Vikings back in the win column…Give the Vikings a 12-1 record when playing at home this season…Mark a season split for the Vikings against Milwaukee.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the 71st meeting between the two teams, with Milwaukee owning a slight 37-33 edge in the all-time series. Despite this advantage, Cleveland State has won nine out of the last 10 matchups with the Panthers.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters Wednesday's game with a 7-15 record on the year, including a 3-8  mark in Horizon League play…Milwaukee's 3-8 #HLWBB record puts them ninth in the league standings…Most recently, the Panthers dropped an 82-71 contest against Oakland…Milwaukee's last win came as a 76-68 victory over Detroit Mercy last week…So far this season, the Panthers own a 3-8 record when playing away from home…As a team, Milwaukee is tied for the league-lead with a .330 three-point field goal percentage, and has made 151 three-pointers on the year…Individually, Jorey Buwalda leads the league averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, while ranking eighth with 12.5 points per game.
 
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Wednesday's game will be the 13th game of a 17-game home slate for the Vikings this season – a place where they own an 11-1 record so far this season. Over the last four years, the Vikings have combined for a 58-4 record when playing at home, including a perfect 17-0 record during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
…DOUBLE-DIGIT HOME WINS
Earlier this month, the Vikings clinched their fifth straight 10+ win season at home, marking the fifth straight year that Cleveland State has recorded double-digit wins on its home court. In addition, this marked the sixth time under head coach Chris Kielsmeier that the Vikings have notched double-digit wins on their home court.
 
HURLEY ON THE BOARDS
Sarah Hurley grabbed a career-high tying nine rebounds against YSU last time out, marking the third time this season that she has recorded nine boards in a game. For the year, Hurley is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game, but since moving into the starting lineup earlier this month, she is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game.
 
ZINGARO WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT POINT GAMES
Last time out, Izabella Zingaro finished with 10 points at Youngstown State, marking her eighth straight double-digit scoring game and 18th of the season. For the year, Zingaro is averaging 15.4 points per game – leading the Vikings and ranking second among league players. Zingaro also has a team-best five 20-point games this year, including a 23-point performance in the first matchup against Milwaukee.
 
…ZINGARO AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Entering Wednesday's game, Izabella Zingaro ranks seventh among Division I players with a .614 field goal percentage on the year. Zingaro, who has been perfect from the field twice this season, leads all league players in the category while also ranking second in the #HLWBB standings with a .833 free throw percentage.
 
LEONARD TOP-15 NATIONALLY IN STEALS
After 22 games played this season, Jada Leonard continues to lead the Horizon League and rank 14th nationally with 64 steals on the year. Leonard, who has recorded at least one takeaway in every game this season, is averaging 2.9 steals per game. Leonard's 64 steals on the year makes her the only Horizon League player with 60+ takeaways during the 2025-26 campaign.
 
VIKINGS FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
So far this season, the Vikings rank 12th nationally averaging 16.55 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 364 free throws,  leading all Horizon League teams. Individually, Izabella Zingaro is 105-for-126 from the charity stripe, while Jada Leonard is 74-for-91. For the year, Cleveland State has recorded 20+ free throws eight times, including a season-high of 28 against Purdue Fort Wayne last week.
 
FIVE VIKINGS HAVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES ON THE YEAR
So far this season a league-leading five Vikings have tallied double-doubles, including Macey Fegan and Izabella Zingaro who have multiple on the year. Cleveland State is one of just three schools with two or more players that have multiple double-doubles on the year, while the Vikings rank second in the league with 10 individual double-digit rebounding performances on the year.
 
…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
So far this season the Vikings have held a major advantage on the boards, outrebounding their opponents 804-704. Cleveland State has combined for 40+ rebounds seven times, including twice over the last five games. Individually, Izabella Zingaro ranks seventh among league players averaging 6.1 rebounds per game, while Macey Fegan also ranks in the top-15 in the category (11th-5.5).
 
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 583-193. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 167-77, 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 hit the road for a single game this weekend, traveling to Northern Kentucky on Saturday.