CLEVELAND — The Cleveland State women's basketball team are looking to the 2021-22 season with renewed purpose and a revitalized roster after the team's loss to IUPUI in the Horizon League Tournament semi-final.

That loss book-ended an excellent season for the team. The Vikings held a 21-11 overall season record and accumulated 2,188 points as a team, averaging 68.4 points per game. 

Senior Mariah White led the way with a career-year that saw her win the 2021 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year award. She was also selected as the Women’s Basketball Individual Sport Category winner. Her impact will be remembered, but White is no longer with the team as she transferred to Missouri State for her final year of eligibility.  

The loss to Indiana University-Purdue in the tournament hurt, but it also spurred the returning and new members of the team to achieve even more in this upcoming season.

CSU head coach Chris Keilsmeier finalized the 2021-22 recruiting class on June 18, welcoming four newcomers. Brittni Moore (Memphis, Tenn.), Amele Ngwafang (Silver Spring, Md.), Gabriella Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and Deja Williams (Long Beach, Calif.) will join Faith Burch (Warren, Ohio) to complete the roster for the upcoming season.

As a sophomore, Moore led the University of Tennessee Martin Skyhawks with 55 total steals, ranking 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference and averaging 1.7 steals per game. She also averaged 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, helping UT Martin to two consecutive 20-win campaigns.

The 5’10 forward said she is settling in well at her new home.

"The adjustment here at CSU has been pretty smooth,” Moore said. “The biggest thing is getting used to your surroundings and getting used to your teammates, your coaches and getting used to the new system on the court."

Ngwafang, a 6’0 forward, comes to CSU after playing her first two years of collegiate basketball at Radford, where she assisted the Highlanders in capturing the 2018-19 Big South Tournament Championship. During her sophomore season, Ngwafang appeared in all 29 contests, shooting 41.8 percent from the floor, averaging 8.5 points per game. In addition, she averaged 8.5 rebounds per game and finished the year with seven double-doubles.

Smith, a 5’9 guard, spent the 2020-21 season at Iowa Western, where she was named the ICCAC Player of the Year and earned NJCAA All-America Second Team honors. She averaged 15.1 points per game, a .491 clip from the floor, while also averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest. In addition, she posted 60 assists and 37 steals, helping the Reivers to a 22-3 record and a trip to the 2021 NJCAA National Tournament.

Williams, a 5’6 guard, joins the Vikings after spending her freshman season at Cal State Northridge, where she was named to the All-Big West Freshman Team. Williams ranked third on the team, averaging 10.0 points per game, and was ranked fourth in made three-pointers with 55. Williams also combined for 46 steals and 45 assists during her freshman season, as she earned a spot in the starting lineup during 14 of the 29 games she played.

Keilsmeier expressed his anticipation to see these four athletes don a Vikings uniform.

"Our program is excited to announce and welcome our four newcomers," Kielsmeier said. "They all bring a wealth of experience at the collegiate level and have proven to be successful both on and off the court." . 

"All of these young women provide unique versatility that will align well with our system," the head coach continued. "Each of these student-athletes are a great fit for the future success and culture of Cleveland State women's basketball both on and off the court, and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome them to our Viking family."

The Vikings open their season against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at a time TBA at the Wolstein Center.