CSU women’s basketball is sporting an impressive season – The Cauldron
Simply put: CSU women’s basketball is killing it this season.
The Cleveland State Women’s basketball team sits in second place in the Horizon League standings, with an overall of 19-4 and a conference record of 10-2. Photo Credit: Jacob Ott
The Cleveland State Women’s basketball team sits in second place in the Horizon League standings, with an overall of 19-4 and a conference record of 10-2. Remaining undefeated at home and capturing the pride of the campus community, the team looks to maintain its fierce momentum as the remainder of the season unravels.
CSU opened up its 2023-24 season on Nov. 7 for a match against Bowling Green. CSU senior Destiny Leo led the team’s offense with 33 points, and junior Colbi Maples contributed 27 points. Although the Vikings had a slight advantage over the Falcons on multiple occasions in the game, the team fell with a score of 86-89.
Never fear, Vikings. This loss did not hold the team back moving forward.
Later in the month, the Vikings disclosed their 2023 Horizon League Tournament Championship and showed off their NCAA Tournament banner prior to the team’s home opener against Central Michigan. CSU started the game off strong, leading with an 11-0 run that would give the team an early advantage. The Vikings then proceeded to increase their lead in the fourth quarter, finalizing the game with a victorious score of 96-57. It was also during this game that Leo surpassed 1,500 points with 17 points scored against the Chippewas. She ended the game with 1,516 total career points.
Throughout Thanksgiving week, the CSU women’s basketball team hosted three teams in the Woodling Gymnasium. The first being on Wednesday, Nov. 22 against Austin Peay, with a Friday night game on Nov. 24 against Chicago State to follow. The invitational wrapped up with a Saturday game on Nov. 25 against UMKC.
In natural Viking fashion, CSU claimed victory in all three games, walking out of Thanksgiving break with an undefeated weekend and 3-0 invitational record. To add to the win, in a 95-41 blowout win against Chicago State, CSU head coach, Chris Kielsmeier, would get his one hundredth official win as coach.
Coming into December, the Vikings would continue their win streak with a ninth win. A prominent game to note during the teams run was a 87-56 win against Niagara on Dec. 6. The Vikings had an aggressive start with a 8-0 run to later give them a 19-8 lead early on. Coming into the third, CSU had something to prove, extending their advantage with a 7-3 team run to end the quarter. CSU seniors Sara Guerreiro and Mickayla Perdue were two huge contributors to the 4th quarter, assisting in a 8-2 scoring run to bring the Vikings to a 87-56 victory. Cleveland State was 54.4% from the field, with three players scoring in double digits: Guerreiro with 22 points, Perdu with 19 points and Brooklyn Fort-Davis with 15 points.
The month of January was also immensely kind to the CSU women’s basketball, with seven total wins and one loss.
The team kicked off 2024 with a seamless 7-0 start. A noteworthy game was on Jan. 17 against Wright State, in which CSU maintained an 11-point gap to emerge victorious with a final score of 72-61.
As of late, the Vikings picked up a 70-60 win on Wednesday, Jan. 31 against Purdue Fort Wayne. Cleveland State started the game off strong, holding a 35-24 advantage at half. Throughout the game CSU maintained control of its lead, swiftly coming out victorious when the clock struck zero. Perdue led the offensive with 20 points, followed by Maples with 17 points.
The team will continue play throughout February and March, with anticipation of a Horizon League Championship Win.
Saturday, Feb. 3 marks National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Go Vikings!