MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Cleveland State women's basketball senior Mariah White recorded her 1,000th career point Friday afternoon after finishing with a team-high 29 at Milwaukee, as the Vikings came up just short against the Panthers, 56-52.
PDF BOX SCORE: Milwaukee 56, Cleveland State 52
Mariah White 1,000-Point Tracker
• With her third basket of the game at the 7:40 mark of the second quarter, Mariah White eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, finishing the game with 1,023 total points.
• White is the 31st Viking to reach the milestone, and the second to do so under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
Game Stats
• Mariah White led the Viking offense with 29 points, while Nadia Dumas posted 10 points.
• Cleveland State recorded 10 assists on its 20 made field goals, including five from Mariah White.
• As a team, the Vikings recorded 13 steals, including four from Isabelle Gradwell and three from Barbara Zieniewska.
• The Cleveland State defense forced Milwaukee into 31 turnovers, turning these miscues into 24 points.
Game Notes
• With her 29 points, Mariah White recorded her second 20-point game of the season and has now posted 14+ points in all six games she has played in.
• Nadia Dumas has recorded double-digit points in three of her first five games this season after finishing with 10 against the Panthers.
• Isabelle Gradwell marked a career-high with her four steals at Milwaukee.
• After converting one three-pointer against the Panthers, freshman Destiny Leo has now posted one or more three-pointers in all but one game this season.
• Cleveland State's 13 steals marked the fourth time this year that the Vikings have recorded double-digit steals.
The Game
After ending the first quarter with Milwaukee leading 14-10, the Panthers were able to extend their lead to 18-10 over the first few possessions of the second frame. Mariah White stopped the Panther scoring run at the 7:40 mark though, when she converted a driving layup for the 1,000th point of her career. White's basket brought the Vikings within six, and then a Taylah Levy three-pointer on the next possession brought the Vikings within three at 18-15.
Milwaukee responded with a 7-0 run, before White was once again able to stop the Panther scoring run with back-to-back baskets, putting the score at 25-19 with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. Nadia Dumas and White converted two straight layups to close out the first half then, putting the score at 27-23 Milwaukee at the halftime break.
Although the Panthers were able to get on the board first during the third quarter, the Vikings responded with a layup from Dumas and a fast break basket from White that she was able to convert following her first steal of the game, to keep the Vikings within five at 32-27 with 5:51 left on the clock.
Although the Vikings were able to close the gap to just four points at the 34-30 mark following a White three-pointer, Milwaukee closed out the frame with a double-digit lead at 46-33.
Cleveland State flipped the momentum over the opening minutes of the fourth quarter though, as a strong defensive performance and back-to-back three-pointers from Destiny Leo and Barbara Zieniewska closed the gap to seven points at 46-39 to force a Milwaukee timeout.
The Vikings were able to extend their scoring run to 10-2 over the first 3:24 of the fourth quarter then, putting the score at 48-43 with 6:36 left in the game. After struggling on the offensive end over the next few minutes, a white and-one play brought the Vikings within just four points at the 50-46 mark with just under four minutes left to play.
Cleveland State stayed within striking distance over the remainder of the contest, and even pulled within two points at 54-52 with just 38 seconds remaining, but a Milwaukee jumper as the shot clock was expiring put the Panthers back up by four at 56-52 with just eight seconds left on the clock.
Although the Vikings had one final possession, Milwaukee was able to come away with the 56-52 victory.
Up Next
The Vikings will close out the weekend series at Milwaukee tomorrow (Saturday, January 16) taking on the Panthers in a 12:00 p.m. EST contest.