2 weeks Ago By David Glasier
Graduate guard Sara Guerreiro and the Cleveland State Vikings passed an early-season test of their resolve and depth Nov. 12 in a 75-68 victory over Bowling Green at Wolstein Center. Guerreiro finished with team-high totals of 19 points and five assists as the Vikings dug their way out of a 17-point hole at the start of the second quarter and pulled past the Falcons in the second half to improve to 2-1.
BG slipped to 1-2 with the loss. CSU also got solid efforts from junior center Jordana Reisma (17 points, eight rebounds), graduate guard Mickayla Perdue (16 points) and graduate guard Destiny Leo (12 points) en route to the hard-fought win. The Vikings withstood the loss of senior point guard Colbi Maples, who had scored nine points and helped fuel CSU’s spirited comeback before she was sidelined with an apparent left knee injury with 15 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Maples, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, had cashed in a layup four minutes earlier to give CSU the lead for good at 47-46. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” CSU coach Chris Kielsmeier said when asked for an early read on the extent of Maples’ injury. The Vikings certainly did not get off to the start they envisioned for their 2024-25 season home opener.
They couldn’t buy a basket in the first quarter while the Falcons came out firing to take a 25-10 lead into the second quarter. Matters were only marginally better for the Vikings in the second quarter as they closed the gap to 42-32 at halftime. The only reliable offense the Vikings got in the first half came from Reisma.
The 6-foot-2 pivot from Wisconsin scored 11 points in the half and exploited the Falcons in the low block. “We went with what was working,” Reisma said. Three of Riesma’s baskets came on nifty feeds from Guerreiro.
“We all know how good Jordana is. We trust her, and tonight she was great in there,” Guerreiro said. The second half was a horde of a different color for the Vikings.
They turned up the heat at both ends of the floor, taking a 56-53 lead in to the final quarter and pulling away from there. “Obviously, there was a sense of concern when we fell behind early, but we knew we could figure things out,” said Leo, the former North standout and 2023 Horizon League Player of the Year. Senior guard Amy Velasco netted a game-high 18 points for BG.
Cleveland State 75, Bowling Green 68.
