CLEVELAND, Ohio – Despite a career-high 33 points from junior Jade Ely, the Cleveland State women's basketball team came up just short at San Diego Friday, falling 83-82. With the loss, the Vikings fall to 3-3 on the young season.
San Diego 83, Cleveland State 82 PDF Box Score
Starting Five
· Crockett, Slaney, Ely, White, Miller
Game Stats
· Jade Ely led the Viking offense with 33 points on 13 made field goals, while Mariah Miller added 20 and Savanna Crockett tallied 15.
· Savanna Crockett led the Vikings on the boards, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 10 steals on the game, including three from Jade Ely and two from JaMiya Braxton.
· Mariah White led the Vikings with three assists, while Jade Ely and Mariah Miller both posted two.
· The Vikings finished with four blocked shots on the game, one each from Savanna Crockett, Rachel Slaney, Isabelle Gradwell, and Nadia Dumas.
· Cleveland State shot 50-percent from the floor against San Diego.
· The Viking defense forced San Diego into 15 turnovers during the game, turning those miscues into 19 points.
Game Notes
· Friday's game marked the first matchup between San Diego and Cleveland State in program history.
· Jade Ely notched a career-high with her 33-point performance against San Diego, marking the first 30-point game of her career.
· Savanna Crockett recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds against USD.
· This marked the fourth game this season that Cleveland State has shot 40-percent or better from the field, and the second time that they have eclipsed the .500 mark.
· Cleveland State's 82 points against San Diego marked the second time that the Vikings have eclipsed the 80-point mark this season.
The Game
Despite getting off to a slow start to begin the contest, the Vikings were able to close the first quarter on an 11-7 run, which put the score at 20-12 after the first 10 minutes of action. The Vikings then opened the second period with six straight points on a pair of Jade Ely baskets and a Mariah Miller jumper, closing the gap to 20-18 and forcing a USD timeout at the 9:04 mark.
The Toreros were able to stop the Viking run with a layup at the 8:37 mark, but Miller responded with a 5-0 run of her own to give the Vikings their first lead of the contest at 23-22 with 7:49 left on the clock. The two teams then traded baskets throughout the rest of the second quarter, with the Toreros taking a 38-35 advantage into the halftime break.
During the second period, the Vikings were able to outscore San Diego 23-18.
The Vikings were able to regain the lead over the opening minutes of the third quarter then, posting five straight points to gain a 40-38 advantage at the 8:31 mark. San Diego stopped the Viking run with a jumper on the next possession, and then went on to hold the advantage for the rest of the third frame, taking a 60-56 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
After San Diego was able to extend its lead to nine points throughout the first part of the fourth quarter, the Vikings chipped away at the USD advantage, going on a 9-0 run over a span of 1:22 to tie the contest at 70-70 with six minutes left to play. During this run, the Vikings got seven points from Ely and two from Mariah White. The two teams once again traded baskets over the next five minutes, until a pair of USD free throws put the Toreros up by five at 81-76.
The Vikings were able to cut the lead to three following an offensive rebound and put-back by Savanna Crockett at the 16-second mark, and then Crockett brought the Vikings within two at 81-79 after converting her free throw on the and-one.
San Diego was able to convert a pair of free throws on the next trip down the floor to put the score at 83-79, but an Ely three-pointer with just two seconds left on the clock closed the gap to one point once again at 83-82. The Vikings were then able to force a San Diego turnover on the inbounds play following Ely's three-pointer, giving Cleveland State the ball under its own basket with just one second remaining.
The Vikings were able to get a good look on the ensuing inbounds play, but the shot fell just short, as San Diego was able to come away with the slim 83-82 victory.
Up Next
The Vikings will close out their California trip with a 5:00 p.m. EST game against Tulane tomorrow (Saturday, November 24).