MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The RMU women's basketball team is hitting the road to Ohio with a two-game win streak going into its matchup against the Cleveland State Vikings on Sunday afternoon at the Wolstein Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on SIDEARM.
RMU LATELY
The Colonials are off to their best 17-game start to the season since the 2017-18 season, when the Colonials went 13-4. On Thursday night, RMU picked up its 12th win of the season, defeating IU Indy 80-70 in an overtime thriller at the UPMC Events Center. The OT win was the first for the Colonials since March of 2020, when RMU beat Wagner 65-61 in the NEC Quarterfinals. RMU now sits at 12-5 overall and 5-3 in Horizon League play.
TRAORE IGNITES IN CAREER NIGHT
In the Colonials' win over IU Indy, Myriam Traore scored a career high 22 points, going 8-for-12 from the floor to lead RMU. Traore broke her previous career high of 17 against Purdue Fort Wayne back in early January. Traore also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe while pulling down four rebounds, dishing out two assists, and getting one block on the night. This season, Traore has nine double-digit scoring games for the Colonials.
LEROUX COMES THROUGH
Sophomore Ava Leroux also had a career night for RMU in its win over IU Indy, posting a career high 14 points in 13 minutes played. Leroux went 5-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. Leroux also pulled down six rebounds and had a block in the win.
RMU AND CSU HISTORY
RMU and Cleveland State will meet for the 15th time since 1986, with Cleveland State holding a 9-5 series lead over the Colonials. The Colonials are currently on a six-game losing streak against the Vikings, with RMU's last win coming back on February 13, 2022, when the Colonials won 68-54 in Cleveland. Last season, RMU fell 74-53 in Moon Township before falling to the Vikings on the road 85-53. On the road, RMU is 4-3 against Cleveland State and 2-6 in conference play.
SCOUTING CSU
This season, the Vikings have been nearly unstoppable at home, starting the season off 10-1 in the Wolstein Center. Cleveland State currently sits at 14-5 overall and 4-4 in Horizon League action. The Vikings enter the matchup on a two-game winning streak, having picked up wins over Wright State and Detroit Mercy at home.
The Vikings have three of the top-five scorers in the league with Izabella Zingaro (2nd) averaging 15.5 points per game, Colbi Maples (3rd) averaging 14.3, and Jada Leonard (5th) averaging 13.2. Cleveland State has the best offense in the league, averaging 72.4 points per game with a 14.4 margin on the season, while the Vikings are shooting a league-best 46% from the floor.
Cleveland State is led by seventh-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier. Last season Kielsmeier led the Vikings to their first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Championship after going 18-2 in Horizon League play. The Vikings finished the season with a 29-6 overall record, which was the third straight 20-win campaign for Cleveland State. Back in the 2022-23 season, Cleveland State earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament and captured the 2023 #HLWBB Championship, which was the third tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Cleveland State finished the season with a record-setting 30-5.
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