CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team picked up a 72-69 victory over UIC Friday evening, led by Allison Mitchell who was playing in one of the last home games of her Viking career. Cleveland State now stands at 7-18 this season, and 4-11 in Horizon League play.
Senior Day Celebration
• Prior to tonight's contest the Vikings honored Allison Mitchell, the lone senior on the roster this year.
• Mitchell finished with nine points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Game Stats
• Ashanti Abshaw led the Vikings with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
• Khayla Livingston also notched double-digit points for the Vikings, finishing with 15 points along with four assists.
• Allison Mitchell and Adesuwa Aideyman both posted nine points.
• Shadae Bosley finished with seven boards, while Olivia Voskuhl added six rebounds.
• As a team, Cleveland State tallied 10 steals, with Brooke Smith notching a team-high four steals.
Game Notes
• This marked the second time this season that Cleveland State has won back-to-back games.
• Ashanti Abshaw marked her eighth double-double of the season and her seventh 20-point game.
• With her 23 points, Ashanti Abshaw set a program record for scoring by a freshman/redshirt freshman, and now has 396 on the season.
• The Vikings have now recorded double-digit steals in 17 games this season.
The Game
After a strong first half – in which the Vikings led throughout the entire 20 minutes - Cleveland State was able to go into the halftime break with a four-point lead at 35-31. Out of the halftime break, UIC was able to control play, opening the third quarter on an 8-3 run to gain its first advantage of the contest at the 39-38 mark.
The two teams then traded points over the next few possessions, until a 7-0 run from the Vikings put Cleveland State back up by eight points at 49-41 with 2:11 left in the frame. During this stretch Cleveland State got points from Adesuwa Aideyman, Khayla Livingston, and a three-pointer from Shadae Bosley – the first of her career.
Cleveland State was then able to close out the frame with the lead, going into the final 10 minutes of action with a 51-47 advantage.
The two teams battled during the first part of the fourth quarter, with seven lead changes and two tied scores. The Vikings were finally able to regain control of the contest for good at the 1:30 mark, when Ashanti Abshaw knocked down her third three-pointer of the game to give Cleveland State the 66-63 advantage.
Over the final two minutes of play it was a battle of free throws, as 11 of the final 16 points from both teams were scored from the free throw line. Although the Flames came within one point at the 66-65 mark, Cleveland State was able to hold onto the lead over the final 1:30, finishing the game with the 72-69 victory.
Up Next
• Cleveland State vs. Valparaiso – Monday, February 29 – 5:30 p.m. – Wolstein Center
