CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team got back in the win column Saturday, picking up a hard fought 73-68 victory at Northern Kentucky. With the win, the Vikings improve to 12-3 overall this year, and now stand at 2-2 in Horizon League play.
Game Stats
· Mariah Miller led the Viking offense with 21 points, while Savanna Crockett and Mariah White both added 16 points for the Vikings.
· Savanna Crockett grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Mariah Miller recorded seven boards.
· The Vikings grabbed seven steals as a team, including two from Mariah White, JaMiya Braxton and Mariah Miller.
· The trio of Savanna Crockett, Nadia Dumas and Aminata Ly each recorded a blocked shot on the game.
· As a team, Cleveland State committed just six turnovers, marking a season-low for the Vikings.
· Cleveland State shot 45-percent from the field on the game (27-for-60), including a .500 clip during the second quarter (7-for-14).
Game Notes
· Mariah Miller recorded her seventh 20-point game of the season against the Norse, and eclipsed the 900-point mark for her career, ending the game with 914 total points.
· With her blocked shot at NKU, Savanna Crockett is now just three blocks shy of cracking the top-10 list in the CSU Career Record Book.
· The Vikings snapped their two-game losing skid with their five-point win at Northern Kentucky.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 73, Northern Kentucky 68
Following a Mariah Miller jumper as time was expiring in the second quarter, the Vikings were able to take a slim 35-33 advantage into the halftime break, marking the 10th time this season that CSU held the lead after the first two quarters.
The Vikings were then able to extend their lead over the opening minutes of the third quarter, as a strong defensive performance led to a 9-0 run over the first 2:21. This stretch was jumpstarted by a JaMiya Braxton three-pointer – her second of the game – and also included points from Savanna Crockett, Mariah White and Miller.
After forcing NKU to take a timeout with a 44-33 advantage at the 7:19 mark, the two teams traded baskets over the next few plays until a Jade Ely steal led to a White layup at the 2:50 mark to put the Vikings up by eight at 52-44. Despite the Norse closing the frame on an 8-2 run, the Vikings were able to take a slim 55-52 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.
Although Northern Kentucky was able to close the gap to just one point with a pair of free throws early on in the fourth quarter, the Vikings responded with four straight points to distance themselves at the 59-54 mark with 7:26 left to play. CSU was able to hold its lead thanks to a strong rebounding effort, including a pair of offensive boards from Crockett and Miller during this stretch.
Both teams once again traded baskets over the next few possessions, until back-to-back layups from Nadia Dumas and White gave Cleveland State a 70-62 advantage with 2:31 left to play.
NKU was able to climb its way back into the game over their next few possessions though, as the Norse closed the gap to 70-67 with 1:33 left on the clock. The Norse then earned a trip to the free throw line with 37 seconds left to play, but split their free throws and Crockett fought for the defensive rebound to give control back to the Vikings.
After Northern Kentucky recorded its fifth foul of the quarter on the next trip down the floor, Crockett went to the free throw line where she split her attempts to put the Vikings up by three at 71-68 with 17 seconds left on the clock.
Although NKU was able to grab the defensive board off of the Crockett miss, the Vikings forced NKU into a tough three-point shot, and a White defensive board gave the Vikings a critical possession once again.
The Vikings were then able to clinch the victory with a pair of free throws from Dumas, as she converted both of her attempts with less than one second remaining, to give Cleveland State the 73-68 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will return home for a single game next weekend, hosting Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10.
