Contact: Renee Adam
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VALPARAISO, Ind. - The Cleveland State women's basketball team was able to erase a 14-point first half deficit and tie the contest at the end of regulation, but the Vikings came up short in overtime falling to Valparaiso, 92-84. Saturday's loss against the Crusaders drops CSU to 10-10 overall this season and 2-5 in league play, while Valparaiso improves to 8-12 (3-4).
All five starters scored in double-digits for Cleveland State - marking the second time this season that the Vikings have had five players reach the double-digit mark in the same game. Shalonda Winton led CSU with 28 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 performance from the free throw line.Kiersten Green tallied 18 points along with six rebounds, five steals and four assists, while Imani Gordon tallied her second double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Honesty King chipped in 14 points and Cori Coleman notched 11 after converting three shots from behind the arc.
After going on a 17-7 run over the first 5:02 of the second half, the Vikings were able to erase a 14-point first half deficit and gain their first lead of the contest at 46-44 on a King three-pointer. The Crusaders then regained control of the contest until the 7:02 mark, when Green scored five straight points for CSU to tie the game at 60-60.
Cleveland State held strong over the next six minutes, trading baskets with Valparaiso and tying the game twice more before eventually taking the lead again on a Green jumper with 1:02 left in the contest (75-73). A solid Viking defense held the Crusaders scoreless over the next 60-seconds, until Gina Lange converted an open layup with just two seconds remaining to force the overtime period.
Valparaiso was then able to control play throughout the entire overtime stanza, taking the lead 37-seconds in and holding the advantage for the remainder of the game. A three-pointer from Winton at the 2:31 mark brought CSU within one point (81-80), but three straight Crusader points gave them a four-point lead that they would hold for the next 2:17, eventually earning the eight-point victory.
Winton's 28 points marked her 12th 20-point game of the season, while Green has tallied double-digit points for four straight games and tied her career-high with the five steals against Valparaiso.
As a team, the Vikings were 18-for-21 from the free throw line (.857), including a perfect 8-for-8 performance during the first half. CSU notched 27 points off of 20 Valparaiso turnovers, while recording 14 steals.
Cleveland State will now return home to face Wright State on Thursday, Feb. 7. Thursday's contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip in the Wolstein Center.
