In the middle game of the CSU Invitational, Cleveland State dominated Valparaiso 80-41 inside Woodling Gymnasium to improve to 6-1 overall.
Here’s what stood out from a happy Black Friday for the Vikings:
1. The victory was the sort of “everyone plays, everyone scores” afternoon not often seen against Division I competition. CSU still relished that opportunity though, particularly in the heart of the three-games-in-four days schedule of their home MTE.
All 13 healthy players saw action, and all but one was on the floor for more than 11 minutes. Laurel Rockwood wound up as the team’s leading scorer with 14 points, but nine different Vikings made at least two field goals. Colbi Maples threw in 12 tallies before taking most of the second half off, and Madison Royal-Davis added ten, with ten rebounds.
“[It’s about] getting a young team opportunities to learn from a multitude of things, because they threw a lot of different looks at us,” Chris Kielsmeier said. “And it’s a great team effort. I mean, sometimes you can use those words and maybe it’s not fully true, but boy, I mean one through 13 we played tonight, and we played hard. We jumped on ’em early and hopefully, this is just continuing to give them a lot of confidence.”
After Cleveland State went on a 12-0 run early in the second quarter to take a 35-11 lead, the outcome was essentially locked in. In fact, the Vikings theoretically could have been shut out for the entire second half and still outscored their guests.
That meant two quarters of Kielsmeier trying his best to spread the appropriate opportunities across a deep and talented roster.
“I hope that our players got a little bit of an understanding of what it’s like to be in my role,” he said. “We have so much talent, and so many players that can impact the game that nobody’s going to get the amount of minutes that they deserve and want.”
“We all have our own wants, that’s just facts,” he continued. “But giving of yourself, and putting yourself the program above you, is something that this group is going to have to continue to learn, because we’re so talented, and we’re so deep, and that really flexed tonight. That really showed its strength tonight.”
2. It’s beyond debate that Cleveland State’s defense has improved significantly over last year’s version, but its effort against the Beacons was among its strongest of the young season.
The Vikings limited Valpo to just 31 percent shooting for the game (16-for-52), while forcing 33 Beacons turnovers. Eight different CSU players grabbed multiple steals, led by Jada Leonard’s four, and the home team’s 41 points allowed were its lowest total versus a DI opponent since holding IU Indianapolis to 39 back on January 18th.
“It’s pretty sharp,” Kielsmeier said of his defense. “It’s in a good spot. I think I said it a little bit ago, it’s Cleveland State versus Cleveland State. How much intensity do our players play with? What’s their effort level and what’s their motor?”
“When you come from other programs and stuff, every kid thinks they play hard. I don’t think there’s too many players that think ‘I don’t play very hard.’ They all think they play hard. But learning our standards and our expectations, and maybe most importantly your own inner expectations, is something that you have to learn.”
While Valparaiso won’t be confused with Pat Summitt’s 1997-98 Tennessee Lady Vols anytime soon, it is at least worth mentioning that the Beacons were arguably better offensively against the likes of Iowa State – currently the tenth-ranked team in the nation – on November 12th (50 points scored, 29 percent from the field, 18 turnovers) than they were on Friday.
3. Redshirt senior forward Royal-Davis was billed as an outstanding rebounder when she transferred in from Oakland back in the spring. That claim was supported by the Toledo native’s 2.4 offensive and 6.4 total caroms last season with the Golden Grizzlies.
Former UC Santa Barbara center Rockwood carried, more or less, the same label on arrival, given her 11.8 rebounds per 40 minutes in 2024-25.
It seemed appropriate, then, that those two players were among Kielsmeier’s first calls after Valparaiso grabbed the contest’s first six rebounds. The count included two on the offensive glass by Kamryn Winch, one of which resulted in the Beacons’ first and last lead of the afternoon, 4-2.
“Whoever’s out there should rebound,” Kielsmeier said. “I don’t care who it is. I mean, obviously, Madison’s got a knack for getting herself on that ball, especially when her motor is as high as what it was tonight.”
That motor provided one pivotal early moment when she grabbed four rebounds in the space of about 30 seconds – three on the offensive end – a sequence that ultimately ended with Leonard free throws to give CSU a 13-4 advantage, near the end of a 12-0 run that permanently put the Vikings on the front foot.
“I feel like it just helps me that I’m athletic, because I don’t really push too much down in the paint like other people would do,” Royal-Davis said. “I just know when it comes off the rim, I’ve got to time it perfect and just outjump them. That’s my thing.”
Even with the help of Royal-Davis and Rockwood, whose four boards tied for second on the team, the Vikings were out-rebounded 41-37, one of the few sore spots for Kielsmeier on an otherwise-positive afternoon.
Little of that is at the feet of the 5-11 power forward, though, who earned her second double-double of the season, matching her career total prior to 2025-26.
“Ten rebounds, that’s crazy,” Royal-Davis said. “Four for seven [from the floor] is really good. I was trying to be more aggressive. I think it’s a transition for me from my last school, because I played more of just a passer role. So coming here, [Kielsmeier] developed me really well to be able to be like, you could go inside, you could go score. You don’t always have to just pass. So I’m just proud of myself for actually taking more shots and producing.”
4. Friday was the first of three scheduled games this season involving a Cleveland Stater facing off against a former team. Horizon League play will offer Royal-Davis a pair of opportunities to square off with her old OU squad, but first, it was Ella Van Weelden’s turn. Though Van Weelden was at Northern Colorado last year, she played 44 games at Valparaiso from 2022-24.
She didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against the Beacons, burying a three midway through the first quarter to help give CSU its first bit of separation. In all, Van Weelden attempted three triples in the opening ten minutes.
Sarah Hurley picked up where her expanded playing time on Wednesday left off, including a pair of deep balls in the second quarter (both of which were well ahead of the shot clock) on consecutive Cleveland State possessions. Even Colby Guinta, heretofore mostly used during mop-up time, made a second-quarter cameo and knocked down a corner three to bring the CSU bench to its feet.
According to Kielsmeier, the sudden multi-pronged aerial attack was mostly the result of game conditions, specifically, the Vikings’ ability to produce quick transitions.
“I think a lot of that was just the flow of the game,” he said. “Our transition has kind of sputtered all year. It’s not in rhythm the way we want it to be, for a lot of different reasons, and we want wide open threes in transition and us to be able to create those hasn’t been very good.”
“Today, we got more of those and when we get those, I want our players to let those things fly, because I know they can hit ’em.”
Whatever the case, Cleveland State developing a couple of consistent three-point threats outside of Maples, who owns 16 of the Vikings’ 40 threes so far this season, will be vital as the season progresses.
Overall, the Vikings were 7-for-20 from deep against the Beacons, with Paula Pique joining Maples, Van Weelden, Hurley, and Guinta on the list of shot makers.
5. Throughout most of her time in green and white, Sara Guerreiro developed something of a reputation as the Viking who could be counted on to keep things afloat in moments when nothing else seemed to be working.
Guerreiro graduated in the spring and is now playing professionally in Germany, but it seems as if Macey Fegan has inherited her very specific niche.
Against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Fegan had a quick-response basket to an Elyse MacDonough three, points that would ultimately give CSU the lead for good. She followed up with an immediate steal and another bucket less than a minute later, helping to stabilize an important moment of the game.
The stakes weren’t nearly as great against Valparaiso, but after the Beacons began the second half on a 7-0 run, it was Fegan who put a lid on things with consecutive hoops.
“Macey has played really well both these games,” Kielsmeier said. “Just keeping the game simple, attacking into space when it’s there, going to make a play when it’s there, and when it’s not, [avoiding] turning it over. I’m really proud of Macey’s development. She’s really learned the system, and learned a new position, and she’s playing really, really well right now for us.”
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