CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened play in the 2023 Barbasol Horizon League Tournament Thursday, picking up a 65-52 victory over Milwaukee. The Vikings, who are playing as the No. 2 seed in the #HLWBB Tournament, improved to 28-4 overall this year with Thursday's win.

GAME STATS
-Brittni Moore led the Viking offense with 17 points, while Gabriella Smith added 13 and Deja Williams chipped in 10.
-Jordana Reisma grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Brittni Moore recorded seven boards.
-The Vikings combined for 11 steals on the game, including three from Gabriella Smith.
-Cleveland State forced Milwaukee into 17 turnovers, turning these miscues into 17 points.

GAME NOTES
-Cleveland State will be advancing to the #HLWBB semifinals for the fourth straight season.
-With the win, the Vikings improved to 3-0 over Milwaukee on the year.
-The Vikings are now 7-4 in #HLWBB Tournament play under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
-The 11 steals marked the 13th time this season that the Vikings have tallied double-digit steals.

THE GAME
Following a Deja Williams and-one over the final seconds of the second quarter, the Vikings were able to take an eight-point lead into the halftime break, as Cleveland State started the third frame with a 38-30 advantage.

The Vikings were able to extend their lead back to double-digits over the opening minutes of the third quarter then, as a Gabriella Smith three-pointer at the 7:01 mark put the Vikings up 43-31. Cleveland State's scoring run continued over the next few possessions, as an Amele Ngwafang free throw and a Smith layup put the Vikings up 46-31 midway through the quarter.

A Williams three-pointer just over a minute later gave the Vikings a 49-31 edge, before the Panthers closed out the frame on a 6-2 run to close the gap to 51-37 Cleveland State heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Milwaukee carried its momentum into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter then, as the Panthers were able to trim the lead to single-digits, before a pair of Brittni Moore free throws at the 3:33 mark put the Vikings back up by 10 points at 58-48.

The Panthers answered with a layup just two possessions later, but a Moore three-pointer with less than one minute on the clock put the score at 61-50, before the Panthers once again responded on their ensuing possession to trim the lead to 61-52 with 49 seconds left to play.

A pair of free throws from Moore and Smith over the final minute of the contest sealed the victory for the Vikings then, as Cleveland State pulled away with the 65-52 victory to earn a trip to the #HLWBB Semifinals.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will head to Indianapolis for the #HLWBB Semifinals on Monday, March 6 with an opponent to be determined.