YPSILANTI, Mich. – Despite a complete team effort, the Cleveland State women's basketball team came up short at Eastern Michigan Tuesday evening, falling to the Eagles 71-68. The Vikings now stand at 3-3 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 5-2.
Once again the Vikings had three players finish with double-digit points, led by Imani Gordon who tallied a season-high 19 points along with seven rebounds. Cori Coleman was just shy of a double-double, posting 18 points and nine rebounds, while Alexis Eckles finished with 10 points and seven boards. Ashanti Abshaw was also just shy of a double-double, notching a team-high 10 rebounds and eight points.
As a team, the Vikings grabbed 41 rebounds, just the second time this season that CSU has notched at least 40 boards.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Vikings went into the halftime break trailing by one point, 28-27.
The Eagles then opened the second half on a 6-1 run, but a Coleman jumper at the 17:08 mark stopped the run and brought the Vikings back within four points at 34-30. Over the next 2:38, Eastern Michigan went on an 11-5 run, extending its lead to double-digits at the 45-35 mark with 14:20 left to play in the contest.
EMU was able to hold a double-digit lead over the next 2:25, until a Brooke Smith layup and a pair of Abshaw free throws brought the Vikings within nine points at 50-41 with 11:55 left to play. The two teams traded baskets over the next few possessions then, until a 6-0 run from the Vikings - ending with a Coleman layup at the 9:14 mark - brought CSU within four points at 53-49.
After the Eagles were able to extend their lead to 57-51 at the 7:48 mark, the Vikings battled their way back and brought the score within one point at 59-58 with 6:17 left on the clock. CSU was able to work its way back into the contest with a 7-2 run, including five points from Gordon.
The Vikings were able to stay within striking distance over the next three minutes, until Cleveland State was finally able to regain a 67-66 lead following a Gordon layup at the 3:33 mark. This was Cleveland State's first lead since the 1:14 mark of the first half.
With 2:45 remaining, the Eagles were able to regain the slight advantage at 68-67, but a Gordon free throw 23 seconds later tied the contest at 68-68 with 2:22 left on the clock. The Eagles then closed out the contest with three points from the free throw line, earning the 71-68 victory.
The Vikings will now return home to begin a four-game homestand on Thursday (Dec. 4), hosting East Carolina at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for Thursday's game are just $8 and available by calling the CSU Ticket Office at 216-687-5440.
