Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Despite the ninth double-double of the season from Shalonda Winton, the Cleveland State women's basketball team fell short Thursday evening, dropping a 56-54 contest to Butler in their final non-league contest. The loss, which snapped a seven-game win streak for the Vikings, drops CSU to 8-5 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 8-6.
Winton recorded her double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Imani Gordon was one-point shy of her career-high as she added 13 points and three boards. Kiersten Green also tallied double-digits for the Vikings, notching 11 points on a 5-for-9 performance from the field, while Cori Coleman added seven points and Haley Schmitt posted six.
Through the first eight minutes of the contest Butler was able to gain a 14-7 advantage, but the Vikings responded with an 8-2 run over the next 4:39 - including four points from Gordon - putting the score at 16-15 Bulldogs. A Schmitt three-pointer at the 6:09 mark tied the game at 18-18, and another pair of three-pointers from Schmitt and Winton gave CSU its first lead of the contest (24-23) with 3:38 left in the first half. Kiersten Green closed out the first frame, converting a layup with 31-seconds left to send the Vikings into the halftime break with a 27-25 lead.
The Vikings opened the second half with back-to-back layups, extending their lead to six points at 31-25, but Butler answered with a 6-0 run that tied the game for the fourth time with 16:57 on the clock. The two teams traded baskets once again over the next 3:19 before CSU was able to post a 12-6 run that gave the Vikings another six-point lead (50-44) with 8:33 left to play.
Butler then went on a 7-0 run of its own, gaining a lead at 51-50 for the first time since the 3:51 mark of the first half. During this span Cleveland State was forced into two turnovers and six missed shots, as the Vikings gave up the advantage for the first time in over 19 minutes.
Cori Coleman converted a free throw and a three-pointer during a span of 1:22, giving the Vikings a one-point advantage (54-53) with 1:26 left to play, but the Bulldogs were able to convert a layup at the 1:09 mark to regain the lead. The Vikings then had two shots in the final 47-seconds which would have given them the lead, but a strong Butler defense held CSU off the board in the final moments, giving the Bulldogs the 56-54 victory.
For the first time in seven games the CSU offense was held below 40-percent from the field, as the Vikings shot just 34-percent from the floor (20-for-58).
Cleveland State will now open up Horizon League play next Wednesday, traveling to UIC for a 5:30 p.m. EST contest. The game at UIC will be the first road contest in over three weeks for the Vikings, as they look to get back in the win column.
