GAME #24
Cleveland State at Northern Kentucky
Saturday, January 31 | 1:00 pm | Highland Heights, Ky.
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SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will close out the month of January on the road this weekend, traveling to Northern Kentucky for a 1:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, January 31. Entering Saturday's contest, the Vikings are 16-7 on the year and 6-6 in Horizon League play, while the Norse are 10-13 overall and 7-5 in league action.
 
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD...
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins…Mark a season sweep for the Vikings against NKU…Mark the first road win of the calendar year.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/NORTHERN KENTUCKY SERIES
Saturday's game will be the 25th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State holding an 18-6 edge in the all-time series. Over the last 14 matchups, the Vikings have posted a 12-2 record against the Norse, including a 74-56 victory in the first meeting of the season back in December.
 
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky enters Saturday's game with a 10-13 record on the year, including a 7-5 mark in Horizon League play…Northern Kentucky's 7-5 #HLWBB record puts them fifth in the league standings…Most recently, the Norse have lost back-to-back games against Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Indy, snapping a seven-game win streak that dated from December 29-January 17…When playing at home this year, NKU owns a 5-4 record…As a team, the Norse lead the league averaging 38.6 rebounds per game, while Maddie Moody ranks fourth individually averaging 7.0 rebounds per game…In addition, Karina Bystry ranks third in scoring (14.5).
 
BACK ON THE ROAD
Saturday's game at Northern Kentucky will be the 11th road contest of the season for the Vikings and the third over the last four games. Out of Cleveland State's remaining eight regular season games, the Vikings will play four away from home, including back-to-back games on Saturday and Wednesday (2.4).
 
VIKINGS NOTCH 15-WIN SEASON
Earlier this month the Vikings recorded their 15th win of the season with a 68-61 decision over RMU, marking the fifth straight year that Cleveland State has recorded 15+ wins. Among Horizon League teams, CSU is one of just three teams with 15 wins on the year.
 
MAPLES RETURNS TO FORM AGAINST MILWAUKEE
Colbi Maples recorded her team-high tying fifth 20-point game of the season last time out, finishing right on the number against Milwaukee. Maples, who had combined for just 23 points over the last three games, recorded her first 20-point performance since early December when she had 25 points at Detroit Mercy. In addition, Maples also finished with six assists on the game, marking a season-high.
 
ZINGARO NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AGAINST MILWAUKEE
Last time out, Izabella Zingaro recorded her third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Milwaukee. Zingaro, who leads the team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) this season, is the only Horizon League player to rank in the top-six in both categories. Through 23 games played, Zingaro has combined for 350 points and 146 boards.
 
…ZINGARO AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Entering Saturday's game, Izabella Zingaro ranks eighth among Division I players with a .606 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 third in the #HLWBB standings with a .824 free throw percentage.
 
LEONARD TOP-15 NATIONALLY IN STEALS
After 23 games played this season, Jada Leonard continues to lead the Horizon League and rank 12th nationally with 68 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 68 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 14th nationally averaging 16.17 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 372 free throws,  leading all Horizon League teams. Individually, Izabella Zingaro is 108-for-131 from the charity stripe, while Jada Leonard is 75-for-92. 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 both have three 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 844-740. Cleveland State has combined for 40+ rebounds eight times, including three times over the last six games. Individually, Izabella Zingaro ranks sixth among league players averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, while Macey Fegan also ranks in the top-15 in the category (11th-5.4).
 
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 584-193. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 168-77, 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 be back on the road next Wednesday, traveling to IU Indy for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.