MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Following four three-pointers against Milwaukee Saturday afternoon, senior Kiersten Green set a Cleveland State single-season record, converting 69 shots from behind-the-arc this season. Despite Green's record setting performance, the Cleveland State women's basketball team came up short against the Panthers, falling 76-69.
The loss drops CSU to 16-11 overall this season and 8-6 in league play, while Milwaukee improves to 9-17 overall and 5-9 in league action.
Brooke Smith tied her career-high against the Panthers, leading Cleveland State with 17 points. Green and Alexis Eckles each notched 16 points for the Vikings, while Cori Coleman finished with 12 – giving CSU four starters with double-digit points.
The Vikings played a solid first half, going into the halftime break with a six-point advantage at 29-23. Cleveland State at one point held an 11-point advantage over the Panthers, as Green tallied a team-high 10 points during the first stanza.
The Vikings recorded 10 steals during the first 20 minutes of action, forcing Milwaukee into 13 turnovers and turning those turnovers into 14 points.
After holding the six-point advantage at the halftime break, the Vikings were able to hold onto the lead over the first 9:51 of the second frame, until a Panther three-pointer tied the contest at 42-42 with 10:09 left to play. The Vikings were then able to regain the advantage for a brief 2:17, but a 7-0 run that ended at the 6:57 mark gave Milwaukee its first lead of the contest at 49-46.
The Panthers were able to hold the advantage for the remainder of the contest then, and extended their lead to double-digits twice during the final seven minutes of play. After controlling play for the final part of the second half, Milwaukee was able to come away with the seven-point victory.
For the contest, Milwaukee shot 46-percent from the floor (24-for-52), while the Vikings shot just 34-percent from the field (26-for-75).
The Vikings will now return home to close out the regular season, hosting Youngstown State (Wednesday, March 4) and UIC (Saturday, March 7).
