GAME #36 {WNIT Great 8}
Cleveland State at Arkansas State
Monday, March 30 | 8:00 pm (EST) | Jonesboro, Ark.
Watch Live | Live Stats 

SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State women's basketball team will once again hit the road to continue postseason play on Monday, March 30, traveling to Arkansas State for the Great 8 of the 2026 WNIT. Entering Monday's contest, the Vikings are 26-9 on the year, while Arkansas State has a matching 26-9 record on the year.
 
A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD...
Advance the Vikings to the Fab 4 of the WNIT…Mark the 11th postseason win for Cleveland State in program history…Give the Vikings three-straight wins for the sixth time this season…Mark the first win over Arkansas State in program history.
 
THE CLEVELAND STATE/ARKANSAS STATE SERIES
Monday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams in program history.
 
SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES
Arkansas State enters Monday's game with a 26-9 record on the year, including a 2-0 mark in WNIT play…The Red Wolves have played a pair of common opponents to the Vikings to begin WNIT play, earning an 83-52 victory over Radford in the second round and an 83-72 win over Purdue Fort Wayne in the Super 16…Arkansas State finished regular season play with a 14-4 mark in Sun Belt play, advancing to the SBC semifinals before falling to second-seeded Troy…Mimi McCollister was named the SBC Sixth Woman of the Year, while Zyion Shannon and Crislyn Rose earned All-Conference honors…This marks the ninth appearance in the WNIT for the Red Wolves and first since 2015-16.
 
2026 WNIT
This year's WNIT field features 48 teams, including 16 that received byes into the second round of the tournament. First round matchups were contested March 19-21, while second round games were played March 22-24, and Super 16 games were played March 25-27. Great 8 winners will advance to the Fab 4 games on April 1, while the 2026 WNIT championship game is set for April 4. All games will be hosted on campus sites.
 
…A LOOK AT THE BRACKET
Cleveland State was one of three Horizon League teams selected to the WNIT field, joining Purdue Fort Wayne and Youngstown State - with all three #HLWBB teams earning byes into the second round of the tournament. Along with these two, there were two additional teams in the field from the Vikings' 25-26 schedule, as St. Bonaventure and Radford both earned invites to the tournament.
 
…CLEVELAND STATE IN THE WNIT
This will mark the third appearance for the Vikings in the WNIT, earning a spot in the tournament field last year along with 2014-15. Last season, the Vikings advanced all the way to the Fab 4, posting a 3-1 record during the tournament.
 
…SUPER 16 RECAP
Last time out, the Vikings posted a 66-56 victory at Middle Tennessee in the Super 16 of the 2026 WNIT. Cleveland State had five players finish with double-digit points, while the Viking defense recorded 12 steals and forced MTSU into 15 turnovers. Cleveland State outrebounded the Blue Raiders 43-24, including 12 offensive boards on the night.
 
…SECOND ROUND RECAP
Cleveland State picked up a second round win to begin WNIT play, posting a 74-68 victory over Monmouth in last Monday's contest. The Vikings were playing for the first time in two weeks, and improved to 18-1 when playing at home this season. The win marked the program's ninth postseason win in program history, while the Vikings improved to 4-1 in WNIT play over the last two seasons.
 
…VIKINGS SET PROGRAM RECORD FOR HOME WINS
The second round win over Monmouth marked the 18th home win for the Vikings this season, setting a program record for wins at home. Cleveland State currently owns an 18-1 record when playing at home this season, and stands at 65-4 over the last four seasons. This year's 18 home wins took over first place from the 2023-24 team that tallied 17 wins at home, while the next two spots on the top-10 list belong to the 2024-25 (15) and 2022-23 (15) squads.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Monday's WNIT Great 8 game will mark the 17th road game for the Vikings this season, as they enter the contest with an 8-8 record when playing away from home. As of Monday, Cleveland State will have traveled 13,750+ miles, covering nine states and Puerto Rico.
 
VIKINGS AGAINST NON-LEAGUE TEAMS THIS SEASON
Following Thursday's 66-56 victory over Middle Tennessee, the Vikings now stand at 12-1 against non-Horizon League teams this season. This marks the first time since the 2019-20 campaign that Cleveland State has tallied 10+ wins against non-league teams.
 
CSU CONTINUES POSTSEASON PLAY WITH 26 WINS
After securing their fifth straight 20-win season with a 57-52 win at RMU earlier this year, Cleveland State continues WNIT play with 26 wins - which ranks fourth for the most wins in a single-season in program history. The 26 wins marks the sixth 20-win campaign for Cleveland State over the last seven years, while it marks the fourth straight season with 25+ victories.
 
ZINGARO NAMED #HLWBB NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Earlier this month Izabella Zingaro was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, becoming the third Viking to earn the honor and the second over the last three seasons. Zingaro, who was also named to the All-League First Team, finished regular season play leading the league in scoring (16.7) and field goal percentage (.606), while ranking fourth in rebounding (7.2).
 
…LEONARD & MAPLES NAMED ALL-LEAGUE
In addition to Izabella Zingaro, the duo of Jada Leonard and Colbi Maples also picked up All-League accolades, with Maples earning a spot on the First Team and Leonard being named to the All-Defensive Team. This marked the second time that Maples has been named to the #HLWBB First Team, while the All-Defensive Team honor is the first #HLWBB award for Leonard.
 
MAPLES NAMED TO #HLWBB ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
For the first time in her career, graduate student Colbi Maples earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Academic team, becoming the fourth Viking all-time to earn the recognition. Maples, who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in electronics engineering technology last spring, is currently pursuing her MBA, holding a 3.78 GPA. Maples was one of five #HLWBB players named to the team.
 
HURLEY & PIQUE STEP UP AGAINST MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Last time out, the duo of Sarah Hurley and Paula Pique made a big impact for the Vikings, combining for 23 points, 10 rebounds and six steals in the WNIT Super 16 matchup. Pique moved into the starting lineup last time out, and played a team-high 39 minutes to finish with 11 points, four rebounds and five steals. Hurley posted a career-high 12 points on four made three-pointers to go along with six rebounds.
 
MAPLES TALLIES CAREER-HIGH IN WNIT SECOND ROUND
Colbi Maples notched her first 30-point game of the season in the win over Monmouth in the WNIT second round, posting a career-high 39 points on the game. Maples, who converted a career-high 13 field goals - including four three-pointers - was just one point shy of tying the Cleveland State Single-Game Scoring Record. For the season, Maples is averaging 15.8 points per game to rank third among Horizon League players, while she is one of four league players with 10 or more 20-point games on the year.
 
…FOLLOWS THAT UP WITH 19 POINTS AT MTSU
Colbi Maples followed up her career-high performance with a game-best 19 points at Middle Tennessee last time out, including 13 second half points. Maples, who has now recorded 15+ points 16 times this season, was one of five Vikings to finish with double-digit points on the night, marking the second time this season that five or more players have finished with 10+ points in the same game.
 
ZINGARO NOTCHES 20-POINT GAME AGAINST MONMOUTH
Last week, Izabella Zingaro recorded her team-leading 12th 20-point game of the season, finishing with 23 points in the win over Monmouth. Zingaro, who has recorded 20+ points in four of the last six games, is averaging a Horizon League-best 17.1 points per game on the year, while she ranks eighth in the CSU Single-Season Record Book with 599 total points on the year.
 
FEGAN OVER THE LAST 10 GAMES
Over the last 10 games, Macey Fegan has been a large part of Cleveland State going 9-1, averaging 10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game during this stretch. Fegan, who is averaging 8.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on the season, has tallied two double-doubles during this stretch and seven double-digit scoring performances, while also notching a career-high 21 points against Green Bay and a career-high tying 13 rebounds against Purdue Fort Wayne. In addition, she has accounted for 38 assists and 14 steals over the last 10 games.
 
LEONARD TOP-20 NATIONALLY IN STEALS
After 34 games played this season, Jada Leonard continues to lead the Horizon League and rank 17th nationally with 98 steals on the year. Leonard, who has recorded at least one takeaway in all but one game that she has played in this season, is averaging 2.9 steals per game. Leonard's 98 steals on the year makes her the only Horizon League player with 90+ takeaways during the 2025-26 campaign, while she is one of just 23 Division I players with 95+ total steals.
 
…ZINGARO AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Entering Monday's game, Izabella Zingaro ranks eighth among Division I players with a .610 field goal percentage on the year. Zingaro, who has been perfect from the field twice this season, leads all league players in the category. In addition, Zingaro also ranks 12th nationally with her 179 made free throws on the year, leading the league in the category while ranking seventh among #HLWBB players with a .796 free throw percentage.
 
VIKINGS FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
So far this season, the Vikings rank 13th nationally averaging 15.63 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 547 free throws, leading all Horizon League teams. Individually, Izabella Zingaro is 179-for-225 from the charity stripe, while Colbi Maples (109-for-144) and Jada Leonard (103-for-124) have both added 100+ free throws each. For the year, Cleveland State has recorded 20+ free throws 11 times, including a season-best 28-for-35 effort at Purdue Fort Wayne earlier this year.
 
…AND FROM THE FIELD
As a team, Cleveland State has had one of the more efficient offenses this season, leading the Horizon League with a .448 clip from the field. The Vikings have shot 50-percent or better eight times so far this season. The Vikings also rank second among Horizon League teams averaging 70.7 points per game, while holding a +10.6 scoring margin.
 
…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS
So far this season the Vikings have held a major advantage on the boards, outrebounding their opponents 1,309-1,116. Cleveland State has combined for 40+ rebounds 12 times, including 43 boards against Middle Tennessee last time out. As a team, the Vikings are averaging 37.4 rebounds per game, while Izabella Zingaro (4th-7.5) and Macey Fegan (9th-6.2) both rank in the top-10 individually among Horizon 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 594-195. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 178-79, 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 six 20-win seasons and has earned six straight postseason bids.