VIDEO: Kate Peterson Abiad Postgame Comments
MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team used a balanced effort Sunday afternoon, picking up an 80-72 victory at Morehead State. With the win, the Vikings improve to 7-4 on the season, while Morehead State falls to 4-8.
Kiersten Green led the Viking offense with a 22-point performance, while Imani Gordon and Cori Coleman both notched 15 points. Allison Mitchell was the final Viking in double-figures Sunday afternoon, tallying a career-high 10 points.
Gordon tallied her first double-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds to her 15 points, while Green added six rebounds and five assists to her line.
After a back and forth beginning to the contest, the Vikings went on a 9-2 run over the final four minutes of the half, going into the break with a 42-34 advantage. Gordon, who finished with a team-high 10 rebounds, recorded all 10 during the opening stanza.
To begin the second half, Morehead State went on a 17-2 run, regaining control of the contest and holding the Vikings scoreless over a 6:15 span. Cleveland State was able to end its scoring drought with a pair of free throws from Mitchell at the 13:24 mark, and extended this to a 6-0 run to come within one point of the Eagles at the 51-50 mark.
The Vikings were then able to regain the advantage with a Mitchell three-pointer at the 10:58 mark, putting the score at 55-52 CSU. The Vikings held the advantage over the next four minutes, until a pair of Morehead State free throws gave the lead back to the Eagles at 64-63 with 6:25 left on the clock.
Less than a minute later, Eckles tied the contest for the 10th time after splitting a pair of free throws, knotting the score at 64-64 with just under six minutes to play. On the next Viking possession, Green knocked down her fourth three-pointer of the contest, giving CSU a 67-64 lead with 5:23 left to play.
The Vikings would go on to hold the lead for the remainder of the contest then, extending the advantage to eight points multiple times over the final five minutes. Over this stretch, the Vikings went 9-for-9 from the free throw line – combining for a season-best 23-for-25 effort from the charity stripe on the contest.
As a team, CSU shot 41-percent from the floor (25-for-61), while they grabbed a season-high 45 rebounds. Once again the Vikings were able to spread the ball around, posting 20 assists on their 25 made field goals.
The Vikings will now take an eight-day break from competition, returning to action at Ohio University on Monday, Dec. 29. The contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip with links for live stats and live video available on the women's basketball schedule page at CSUVikings.com.
