GAME #26
Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, February 7 | 2:00 pm | Wolstein Center
Watch Live | Live Stats

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will be back in action at home this weekend, hosting Purdue Fort Wayne at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 7. Entering Saturday's contest, the Vikings are 17-8 on the year and 7-7 in Horizon League play, while the Mastodons are 15-9 overall and 9-5 in league action.
 
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD...
Put the Vikings back in the win column…Give the Vikings a 13-1 record when playing at home this season…Mark a season split for the Vikings against Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PURDUE FORT WAYNE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 22nd meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 17-4 advantage in the all-time series. This will be the second matchup between the two teams this year, with Purdue Fort Wayne picking up an 80-70 victory just 17 days ago.
 
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters Saturday's game with a 15-9 record on the year, including a 9-5 mark in Horizon League play…The Mastodons currently sit third in the #HLWBB standings, and are one of three teams with nine league wins this year…Last time out, the Mastodons came up short at Wright State (70-67), snapping a four-game win streak…When playing away from home this season, the Mastodons are 4-8…As a team, Purdue Fort Wayne leads the league averaging 71.3 points per game on a .444 field goal percentage, while also owning a league-best 4.13 turnover margin…Individually, Alana Nelson leads the league averaging 16.8 points per game, while Jordan Reid ranks second with 2.3 steals per game.
 
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Saturday's game will be the 14th game of a 17-game home slate for the Vikings this season – a place where they own a 12-1 record so far this season. Over the last four years, the Vikings have combined for a 59-4 record when playing at home, including a perfect 17-0 record during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
…THE FINAL STRETCH
Heading into the final stretch of #HLWBB play, the Vikings will have home court advantage for four of the final six games, including back-to-back games against Purdue Fort Wayne (Saturday) and Green Bay (Wednesday, February 11). The Vikings will host IU Indy later this month, while also hosting Oakland in the regular season finale on Saturday, February 28.
 
MAPLES NAMED #HLWBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, Colbi Maples was named the Horizon League Player of the Week after helping the Vikings to a pair of wins against Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky. During the two games Maples averaged 22.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting 51-percent from the field on the week. In addition, Maples converted a handful of three-pointers on the week, while going 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
 
ZINGARO NOTCHES THREE STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Last time out, Izabella Zingaro recorded her third straight double-double – and fifth overall this season – notching 24 points and 11 rebounds at IU Indy. Zingaro is now one of just four Horizon League players with five or more double-doubles on the year, while she is one of just three #HLWBB players with at least seven 20-point performances on the season. Among Horizon League players, Zingaro is the only one to rank in the top-five in scoring (2nd-16.0) and rebounding (T-4th-6.9).
 
LEONARD TOP-15 NATIONALLY IN STEALS
After 25 games played this season, Jada Leonard continues to lead the Horizon League and rank 10th nationally with 75 steals on the year. Leonard, who has recorded at least one takeaway in every game this season, is averaging 3.0 steals per game. Leonard's 75 steals on the year makes her the only Horizon League player with 70+ takeaways during the 2025-26 campaign, while she is one of just 13 Division I players with 75 total steals.
 
…ZINGARO AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Entering Saturday's game, Izabella Zingaro ranks seventh among Division I players with a .618 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 fifth in the #HLWBB standings with a .803 free throw percentage.
 
VIKINGS FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
So far this season, the Vikings rank 16th nationally averaging 16.16 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 404 free throws, leading all Horizon League teams. Individually, Izabella Zingaro is 118-for-147 from the charity stripe, while Jada Leonard is 83-for-100. For the year, Cleveland State has recorded 20+ free throws eight times, including a season-high of 28 against Purdue Fort Wayne in the first meeting.
 
…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
So far this season the Vikings have held a major advantage on the boards, outrebounding their opponents 920-803. Cleveland State has combined for 40+ rebounds nine times, including four times over the last eight games. As a team, the Vikings are averaging 36.8 rebounds per game, while Izabella Zingaro (5th-6.9) and Macey Fegan (T-13th-5.4) both rank in the top-15 individually among league players.
 
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 585-194. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 169-78, 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 its mini two-game homestand on Wednesday, February 11, hosting Green Bay at 7:00 p.m.