HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Behind a career-high 32 points from Ashanti Abshaw – including a last-second game-winning jumper – the Cleveland State women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 64-62 victory at Northern Kentucky Saturday evening. The Vikings finish the regular season with a 9-19 overall record a 6-12 mark in Horizon League play.
Game Stats
· Ashanti Abshaw led the Vikings with 32 points on 12 made field goals, including a pair of three-pointers.
· Olivia Voskuhl tallied 15 points on a 6-for-13 effort from the field, which included a trio of three-pointers.
· Ashanti Abshaw collected a team-high 14 rebounds, while Olivia Voskuhl notched seven and Khayla Livingston grabbed six boards.
· As a team, Cleveland State grabbed 10 steals, with Brooke Smith and Ashanti Abshaw each notching three.
· Khayla Livingston had a team-high five assists.
Game Notes
· Ashanti Abshaw notched a career-high with her 32-point performance – the first 30-point game of her career.
· Ashanti Abshaw tallied her 10th double-double of the season with 32 points and 14 rebounds.
· Olivia Voskuhl recorded double-digit points for the seventh time out of the last nine games.
· Saturday's win against Northern Kentucky locked the Vikings into the No. 8 seed for the upcoming Horizon League Tournament.
The Game
After going into the halftime break trailing by nine points at 35-26, the Vikings closed the gap to just two points over the start of the third quarter, going on an 11-4 run to put the score at 39-37 with 5:16 left on the clock. During this run, all 11 points came from Olivia Voskuhl and Ashanti Abshaw.
The Norse responded with a 6-1 run of their own to regain a seven-point lead at 45-38, but an Allison Mitchell three-pointer at the 3:59 mark, stopped the Norse run and put the score at 45-41. The two teams then traded points over the final minutes of the frame, until the Vikings posted three straight points on a Khayla Livingston free throw and an Abshaw layup to put the score at 50-48 Northern Kentucky going into the final 10 minutes of play.
Over the first part of the fourth quarter the two teams traded baskets, with Northern Kentucky owning a 62-56 advantage at the 6:32 mark. During the first four minutes of the frame, all of Cleveland State's eight points came from Abshaw. After a defensive battle on both ends of the court over the next four minutes, Nicolete Newman converted a jumper at the 2:51 mark, to bring the Vikings back within four points at the 62-58 mark.
An Olivia Voskuhl jumper then brought the Vikings back within two points at the 2:19 mark, and a strong defensive stance on the next NKU possession allowed a Smith layup to tie the score at 62-62 with 1:41 left on the clock. The Viking defense was strong once again on the next trip down the court, as a Newman steal gave the Vikings possession of the basketball over the final moments of the game.
With the clock winding down, the Vikings were able to run one final play, which ended in Abshaw driving to the basket and converting a jumper as time expired to give Cleveland State the 64-62 victory.
Up Next
· Horizon League Tournament – Thursday, March 10 – Sunday, March 13 – Green Bay, Wis.
