CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team wrapped up the 2018-19 regular season Saturday afternoon, falling to Youngstown State, 74-61. Entering the 2019 #HLWBB Tournament, the Vikings stand at 10-19 overall and finished with a 7-11 mark in league play.
Youngstown State 74, Cleveland State 61 PDF Box Score | Video Highlights | Senior Day Highlights
Starting Five
· Crockett, Bautista, Slaney, White, Miller
Quick Hits
· Saturday's game marked senior day for the Vikings, as Cleveland State honored the duo of Rachel Slaney and Mariana Bautista prior to tipoff.
· Rachel Slaney finished her final game in the Wolstein Center with eight points and six boards.
· Mariah Miller and Savanna Crockett led the Viking offense, each recording 16 points on the game.
· Mariah Miller was just shy of a double-double, as she finished with a team-high nine rebounds to go along with her 16 points.
· Savanna Crockett recorded two blocked shots on the game, tying the CSU freshman class record for blocks, and cracking the top-10 on the CSU Single-Season Record Book with 43 total blocks this year.
· As a team, the Vikings forced Youngstown State into 13 turnovers, turning those miscues into 17 points.
The Game
After battling back throughout the first half to overcome a double-digit deficit, the Vikings headed into the halftime break trailing by just six points at 39-33. The Vikings started the third quarter on a 6-3 run then, pulling within three points at 42-39 at the 7:16 mark.
Although the Penguins were able to stop this run on their next possession, Cleveland State responded with a Mariah Miller three-pointer to come within two points at 44-42, and then closed the gap to just one point with a Mariah White free throw. YSU then posted eight straight points to regain control of the game, earning a nine-point lead at 52-43 with just under two minutes remaining.
The two teams then traded baskets throughout the final minutes of the third period, with YSU holding a 54-50 advantage to start the final quarter of regulation.
To begin the fourth quarter, the Vikings were able to force a YSU turnover on a Nadia Dumas steal, which resulted in a Mariah Miller layup to bring the Vikings within two points at 54-52. This would be as close as the Vikings would get though, as the Penguins pulled away late in the frame to earn the 74-61 victory in the regular season finale.
Up Next
Cleveland State will open the 2019 #HLWBB Tournament as the No. 7 seed, and will travel to second-seeded Green Bay for a quarterfinal contest on Wednesday, March 6.