Contact: Renee Adam
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Despite a career-high 14 points from Haley Schmitt and 24 from Shalonda Winton, the Cleveland State women's basketball team came up short at Milwaukee Saturday afternoon, falling to the Panthers 73-72. The Vikings now stand at 12-13 on the season and 4-8 in league play, while Milwaukee improves to 6-16 (2-8 HL).
Schmitt's career-high 14 points came on a 7-for-7 performance from the field, while she also notched two steals and two rebounds. Winton tallied her 17th 20-point game of the season on 10 made field goals, including a 3-for-7 showing from behind the arc. Imani Gordon and Kiersten Green also tallied double-digit points for Cleveland State, each posting 12 points against the Panthers.
The Vikings were able to go into halftime with a two-point lead at 35-33, following a 13-point performance from Winton and eight points from Schmitt during the first half. The panthers then opened the second frame on a 12-5 run, gaining a seven-point advantage at 47-40 with 16:43 left to play. Six straight Winton points closed the gap to one (47-46) over the next 1:30, and an Honesty King three-pointer at the 14:10 mark tied the contest at 49-49.
The Panthers were able to once again extend their lead over the next 3:03, posting a 12-5 run to gain a seven-point advantage at 61-54. The Vikings responded with an 8-0 run of their own, including four points from Green to take their first lead since the beginning of the second half at 62-61 with 7:37 left on the clock. A 7-3 run, which included a Coleman three-pointer, extended CSU's lead to five at 69-64, before Milwaukee was able to post five straight points to tie the game at 69-69 with 3:42 remaining.
After Milwaukee was able to take a two-point lead (71-69) with a layup at the 1:42 mark, Imani Gordon converted an and-one play at the other end to give the lead back to Cleveland State, 72-71, with just 24-seconds left to play.
The Panthers were then able to convert a layup on their next possession to take a 73-72 lead - a lead that they would hold for the remainder of the contest. A strong Milwaukee defense kept the Vikings off the board during the final seconds of the contest, as the Panthers earned the one-point victory.
As a team, Cleveland State shot 48-percent from the floor (30-62), while they outrebounded Milwaukee 36-32. The Vikings notched 17 assists, while recording 10 steals and forcing 15 Panther turnovers.
Next up for Cleveland State is a 7:00 p.m. contest at Youngstown State next Thursday (Feb. 21).
