ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team picked up its fourth straight win Saturday afternoon, using a strong second half performance to earn a 65-62 victory at St. Bonaventure.
Game Stats
· Mariah Miller led the Viking offense with 27 points, while Mariah White added 19 points.
· Mariah Miller grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Mariah White and Dana DeGraffenreid both grabbed five boards each.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded eight steals on the game, including four from Mariah White and two from JaMiya Braxton.
Game Notes
· With her 27 points at St. Bonaventure, Mariah Miller recorded her third 20-point game of the season.
· Mariah White has now recorded two or more steals in every game this season.
· The Vikings erased a nine-point halftime deficit to pick up the three-point victory at St. Bonaventure.
· Cleveland State extended its winstreak to four straight games Saturday, improving to 4-1 on the season.
· Saturday's game closed out a three-game roadswing for the Vikings, and marked their third straight game in the state of New York.
· With the 65-62 win at St. Bonaventure, head coach Chris Kielsmeier now has 430 career victories.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 65, St. Bonaventure 62
After trailing 40-31 at the halftime break, the Vikings were able to close the gap over the opening minutes of the third quarter, using a 7-4 run to put the score at 44-38 St. Bonaventure at the 7:30 mark. During this run, the Vikings had five points from Mariah Miller on a jumper and a three-pointer, and a layup from Mariah White following another Cleveland State defensive stop.
The Bonnies responded with two straight baskets to extend their lead to double-digits at 48-38, but a 9-0 run from the Vikings over a two-minute span brought CSU within one-point at 48-47 with less than a minute to play in the frame. A JaMiya Braxton three-pointer kick started this Viking run, while CSU also got points from Miller, White and Dana DeGraffenreid.
Although St. Bonaventure was able to regain a 50-47 lead over the closing moments of the third quarter, a White steal and layup on the opening possession of the fourth period brought the Vikings back within one at 50-49, and then a Miller layup gave the Vikings their first lead since the first quarter at 51-50.
Both teams then traded baskets over the next few plays, until the Viking defense was able to force a shotclock violation, which led to a Miller jumper on the ensuing possession that gave Cleveland State a two-point lead at 57-55 with 5:28 left to play in the quarter.
The Vikings were then able to control play throughout the final part of the fourth quarter, holding off the Bonnies with a strong defensive effort over the final five minutes of play to earn the 65-62 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will return to the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center on Wednesday, November 27, hosting Akron in a 7:00 p.m. contest.