CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team was able to earn its 25th win of the 2022-23 campaign Thursday evening, capturing a 57-56 win over Northern Kentucky. With the win, the Vikings improve to 25-3 overall this year, and 15-2 in Horizon League action.
GAME STATS
· Destiny Leo led the Vikings with 17 points on the game, while Brittni Moore added 13 points.
· Brittni Moore grabbed a team-high 16 rebounds, while Amele Ngwafang recorded 10 boards.
· Cleveland State held the 49-38 edge in rebounding over Northern Kentucky.
· The Vikings combined for 10 assists on the game, including three from Barbara Zieniewska.
· The Cleveland State defense recorded eight steals, forcing NKU into 13 turnovers.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded eight blocked shots on the night, including two each from Brittni Moore, Amele Ngwafang, and Jordana Reisma.
GAME NOTES
· Brittni Moore recorded her third double-double of the season – and second straight – with 13 points and 16 rebounds against NKU.
· The 16 boards marked a career-high for Moore.
· Amele Ngwafang recorded double-digit rebounds for the second straight game after finishing with 10 boards.
· With 17 points on the game, Destiny Leo moved into a tie for 12th place on the CSU Scoring List with 1,323 career points.
· The eight blocked shots against the Norse marked Cleveland State's fifth game with 8+ blocks this season.
· With the win, the Vikings have now recorded 25 wins for the first time in program history.
THE GAME
Despite Cleveland State taking a one-point lead into the halftime break at 26-25, Northern Kentucky was able to control much of the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 17-15 during the frame to take a slight 42-41 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.
The Norse then extended their lead over the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, gaining a 46-41 lead less than two minutes into the frame, before a Deja Williams layup at the 7:22 mark stopped the scoring run and brought the Vikings within three points.
Another Williams layup less than a minute later closed the gap to 46-45, while a pair of three throws – also from Williams – finally put the Vikings back in the lead at 47-46 with 6:02 left on the clock. Following the 6-0 run from Williams, the Norse answered with a 4-0 run of their own to regain the advantage at 51-47, and then went on to hold the edge over the next few possessions, until a Destiny Leo three-pointer at the 2:06 mark tied the contest at 53-53, and put the momentum back into the Vikings' favor.
On the ensuing Northern Kentucky possession a Jordana Reisma block kept the Norse off the board, while a Reisma layup on the other end of the court gave the Vikings a two-point lead at 55-53 with just 1:18 left to play.
The lead wouldn't last long though, as a Northern Kentucky three-pointer with just eight seconds left on the clock put the advantage back on the Norse's side with a 56-55 lead.
With the clock winding down, Leo was able to earn a trip to the free throw line with just four seconds left on the clock on the next Cleveland State possession, and put both free throws away to regain a one-point edge for the Vikings at 57-56.
The Vikings then had a strong defensive stop on the final NKU possession, as Barbara Zieniewska was able to block the inbounds pass, clinching the one-point win for Cleveland State.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will host its final regular season game inside the Wolstein Center on Saturday, February 18, welcoming Wright State for Senior Day at 2:00 p.m.
