INDIANAPOLIS — Let the dancing commence!
For the first time in 13 years, Cleveland State's women's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings clinched their spot in the 68-team bracket with a 73-61 victory over Green Bay in Tuesday's Horizon League championship game.
At 30-4, CSU has already shattered the program record for wins in a season, with the latest coming against a top-seeded Phoenix team that had beaten the Vikes twice before. Despite only shooting 36% from the field, they still made plenty of baskets when it mattered most, including 48% from 3-point range. Perhaps the biggest came towards the end of the third quarter, when Destiny Leo nailed a long jumper to put the Green and White ahead by 10.
Leo's basket was part of a 14-0 run that made the contest a relative blowout, notwithstanding a late GB spurt. The Horizon League Player of the Year finished with 13 points, while Gabriella Smith had a game-high 19 on 6 of 10 shooting (5 of 7 from beyond the arc). Brittni Moore added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Cleveland State's defense was also stifling, holding Green Bay (27-5) to just 31% from the field and 20% from distance. Natalie McNeal led the Phoenix with 18 points and 13 boards.
The Vikings now head to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2010, the last time they won a conference title. It marks the culmination of a remarkable turnaround under head coach Chris Kielsmeier, going from only 10 wins in his first season back in 2018-19 to now 30 in his fifth. His team also lost in the Horizon League finals a year ago to IUPUI.
"This team has a chance to go down as the greatest Cleveland State women's basketball team ever," Kielsmeier told 3News' Nick Camino after the game. "We're proud about what [we've] done, and we'll be focused and ready to play when we get to play again."
CSU will now wait until 8 p.m. this "Selection Sunday" to see where it will be slotted in the bracket. For reference, ESPN's Charlie Creme had Green Bay slotted as a 13-seed prior to today's game in Indianapolis.