VIDEO: Highlights | Kate Peterson Abiad Postgame Comments
CLEVELAND, Ohio – All five Cleveland State starters scored in double-figures Tuesday afternoon, leading the women's basketball team to an 89-86 victory over Belmont. With the win, the Vikings improve to 6-3 on the season, and remain perfect at home (5-0).
Imani Gordon finished with a team-high 25 points along with a team-high six assists, while Alexis Eckles posted her second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Kiersten Green added 17 points, while Cori Coleman notched 16 and Brooke Smith tied her career-high with 13 points. CSU's final three points came from Allison Mitchell who tallied three points.
Eckles also tied her career-high with five blocks on the game, and posted four assists and two steals.
As a team, CSU shot 57-percent from the floor (35-for-61) and recorded 19 assists .
After trailing by seven with just under three minutes left to play in the first half, Cleveland State went on a 7-0 run to close the frame, tying the contest at 40-40 at the halftime break.
For the third time this season the Vikings reached the 40-point mark during the opening half, also doing so against Toledo (40) and Minnesota (44).
The two teams traded baskets over the first part of the second half then, until Allison Mitchell put the Vikings up by four (61-57) with 11:02 left on the clock. Mitchell grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the put-back to put the score at 60-57, and then converted the free throw after the foul on the play for the four-point lead.
The Vikings were able to hold the advantage over the next 4:28, until Belmont went on a 7-2 run to gain a 70-69 advantage with 6:34 left to play. The two teams traded leads over the next few possessions then, with a 2-for-2 effort from Gordon at the free throw giving CSU a 77-76 lead with 3:41 left on the clock.
On the ensuing Belmont possession, the Vikings forced a Bruin turnover, and Coleman converted the miscue into two points for CSU, giving the Vikings a 79-76 advantage with just over three minutes left to play.
Cleveland State would go on to hold the lead for the remainder of the contest, extending their lead to six points at the 84-78 mark after a Green three-pointer with 2:21 left on the clock. Although Belmont was able to cut the lead to two points (86-84) multiple times throughout the final two minutes, the Vikings held strong, earning the three-point victory.
Over the final three minutes, the Vikings picked up five of their points from the free throw line, going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Gordon finished with a perfect 11-for-11 performance from the free throw line, while Eckles and Mitchell each added one.
The Vikings will be back in action at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 18), hosting Niagara in a 'Health and Physical Education' game. Thursday's contest will also be back in the Wolstein Center.