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GAME #32 {#HLWBB First Round}
Cleveland State vs. Oakland
Wednesday, March 4 | 7:00 pm | Wolstein Center
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SETTING THE SCENE

The Cleveland State women’s basketball team will begin postseason play this week, hosting Oakland on Wednesday, March 4 in a first round game in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championship. Entering Wednesday’s game, CSU stands at 23-8 overall this year and finished the regular season with a 13-7 record in #HLWBB play, while Oakland is currently 10-20 on the year and notched a 7-13 record against league opponents during the regular season.

 

A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD…

Put the Vikings into the semifinals of the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championships…Make the Vikings 12-6 in #HLWBB tournament play under head coach Chris Kielsmeier…Give Cleveland State its ninth straight postseason victory when playing at home during Kielsmeier’s tenure.

 

THE CLEVELAND STATE/OAKLAND SERIES

Wednesday’s game will mark the 27th meeting between the two teams in program history, with Cleveland State owning a 20-6 advantage in the all-time series. Over the last 17 matchups, the Vikings own a 16-1 record against the Grizzlies, including a season-sweep this year. This will mark the first time that the two teams are meeting in Horizon League Tournament play.

 

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES

Oakland enters Wednesday’s first round game with a 10-20 overall record this season and finished regular season play with a 7-13 mark in league action…The Grizzlies earned the No. 8 seed in the #HLWBB Tournament after closing out league play with back-to-back losses against Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State… When playing away from home this season, Oakland owns a 5-13 record, with four of the wins coming in #HLWBB play…Earlier this week, Oakland’s Makenzie Luehring was named the #HLWBB Freshman of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-League First Team…Luehring enters tournament play ranking fifth in the league in scoring (14.9) and third in assists (3.7).

 

AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES THIS SEASON…

Cleveland State picked up wins in both meetings during the regular season, earning a 72-55 victory at Oakland during the first week of league play, and picking up an almost identical 73-59 win in last week’s regular season finale at the Wolstein Center. This marked one of four series sweeps for the Vikings in league play this year.

 

VIKINGS IN #HLWBB PLAY

Cleveland State enters the #HLWBB Tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season with a 13-7 mark against league opponents. The 13 wins marks the fifth straight year that Cleveland State has finished with double-digit league wins during regular season play.

 

VIKINGS IN THE #HLWBB TOURNAMENT

Under head coach Chris Kielsmeier the Vikings own an 11-6 record in the Horizon League Tournament, including a perfect 3-0 record in 2023 when the Vikings captured the #HLWBB Tournament Championships. Cleveland State has earned a spot in the semifinals 12 times in program history, while the Vikings have made five appearances in the championship game, capturing the #HLWBB Tournament title during the 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2023-24 seasons.

 

…VIKINGS AS THE No. 3 SEED

This marks the second time during head coach Chris Kielsmeier‘s tenure that the Vikings will be playing as the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, also doing so last year. Cleveland State will be playing as a top-three seed for the fourth straight season, while the Vikings have now been a top-four seed 13 times in program history.

 

FAMILIAR OPPONENT IN #HLWBB FIRST ROUND

Wednesday’s game against Oakland will mark the second straight game against the Grizzlies for Cleveland State, as the Vikings hosted Oakland in the regular season finale last Saturday. This marks the third time over the last four seasons that the Vikings will be playing the same opponent in the regular season finale and the opening round of #HLWBB tournament play, also doing so during the 2023-24 (Northern Kentucky) and 2022-23 (Milwaukee) seasons.

 

HOME-SWEET-HOME

Wednesday’s game will mark the 18th home game for the Vikings this season, with Cleveland State owning a 16-1 record when playing on its home court this year. Over the last four years, the Vikings have combined for a 63-4 record when playing at home, including a perfect 17-0 record during the 2023-24 campaign.

 

CLEVELAND STATE ENTERS #HLWBB TOURNAMENT WITH 23 WINS

After securing their fifth straight 20-win season with a 57-52 win at RMU earlier this year, Cleveland State enters #HLWBB Tournament play with 23 wins – tied for the fourth most wins in a single-season in program history. The 23 wins marks the sixth 20-win campaign for Cleveland State over the last seven years, while it also makes the Vikings one of three Horizon League teams with 20+ wins on the year.

 

ZINGARO NAMED #HLWBB NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Earlier this week 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.

 

ZINGARO ENTERS TOURNAMENT PLAY WITH BACK-TO-BACK 20-POINT EFFORTS

Last time out, Izabella Zingaro recorded her second straight 20-point game, and her 10th of the season, finishing with 26 points against Oakland in the regular season finale. Zingaro, who tallied a career-high 29 points at Wright State in the game before, has recorded 20+ points five times over the last eight games. Zingaro currently leads the Vikings and the league with 518 total points on the year.

 

FEGAN OVER THE LAST SIX GAMES

Over the last six games, Macey Fegan has been a large part of Cleveland State going 6-0, averaging 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game during this stretch while playing 201 of 240 possible minutes. Fegan, who is averaging 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the season, has tallied two double-doubles during this stretch, 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 24 assists and eight steals.

 

MAPLES NOTCHES 20-POINT GAME IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

In the regular season finale against Oakland, Colbi Maples recorded her ninth 20-point game of the season, finishing right on the number with 20 points. Of Maples’ nine 20-point games this season, five have come over the last nine games, giving her 20 20-point performances on her Cleveland State career. With Maples and Zingaro both reaching the 20-point mark against Oakland, it marked the fourth time this season that multiple Vikings have posted 20-point games in the same outing.

 

LEONARD TOP-20 NATIONALLY IN STEALS

After 31 games played this season, Jada Leonard continues to lead the Horizon League and rank 17th nationally with 90 steals on the year. Leonard, who has recorded at least one takeaway in all but one game this season, is averaging 2.9 steals per game. Leonard’s 90 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 17 Division I players with 90+ total steals.

 

…ZINGARO AMONG NATION’S BEST IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Entering Wednesday’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. In addition, Zingaro also ranks seventh nationally with her 160 made free throws on the year, leading the league in the category while ranking seventh among #HLWBB players with a .788 free throw percentage.

 

VIKINGS FROM THE FREE THROW LINE

So far this season, the Vikings rank 12th nationally averaging 15.94 free throws made per game. For the year, Cleveland State has converted 494 free throws, leading all Horizon League teams. Individually, Izabella Zingaro is 160-for-203 from the charity stripe, while Colbi Maples (94-for-123) and Jada Leonard (98-for-119) have both added 90+ free throws each. For the year, Cleveland State has recorded 20+ free throws 10 times, including five times against Horizon League opponents.

 

…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 .449 clip from the field. The Vikings have shot 50-percent or better eight times so far this season, including in each of their last two outings against Wright State (.529) and Oakland (.547). The Vikings also rank second among league teams averaging 70.9 points per game on the year, while their +11.6 scoring margin is tops in the league.

 

…CLEVELAND STATE ON THE BOARDS

So far this season the Vikings have held a major advantage on the boards, outrebounding their opponents 1,153-985. Cleveland State has combined for 40+ rebounds 11 times, including a season-high 49 against IU Indy earlier this year. As a team, the Vikings are averaging 37.2 rebounds per game, while Izabella Zingaro (4th-7.2) and Macey Fegan (9th-6.1) both rank in the top-10 individually among league players.

 

MAPLES RECORDS 1,000TH POINT AT CLEVELAND STATE

With a 17-point performance at Robert Morris last month, graduate student Colbi Maples eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her Cleveland State career. Maples, who enters Wednesday’s game with 1,049 points as a Viking, has 1,511 total points on her career. Maples, who finished with 580 points during her first season with the Vikings (23-24), has recorded 440 points so far this season, ranking third among league players averaging 15.2 points per game.

 

…LEONARD RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER POINT

Jada Leonard became the second active Viking to record 1,000 career points against IU Indy last month, as she went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to end the game at 1,001 career points. Leonard, who is one of three Vikings to be averaging double-digit points on the year, is currently tied for seventh among #HLWBB players with 379 total points on the year.

 

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 591-194. At Cleveland State, Kielsmeier owns a record of 175-78, 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.