GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened up the ECU Pirate Thanksgiving Tournament with a win Saturday, earning a 63-56 overtime victory against IUPUI. With the win, the Vikings are now 3-3 on the season, while the Jaguars fall to 5-3.
Imani Gordon led the Vikings with her second double-double in the last three games, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds against IUPUI, while Kiersten Green and Haley Schmitt each added 12 points. Along with her double-double, Gordon also notched a career-high seven assists and career-best five steals.
Entering the halftime break the Vikings trailed by one, 24-23 after Green sank her second three-pointer of the game as time was expiring. IUPUI then opened the second half on an 8-4 run, before the Vikings were able to close the gap back to one-point at 32-31 following a Schmitt layup and a pair of Gordon free throws with 14:43 left to play. The Jaguars then regained control the game, gaining their largest lead at the 46-36 mark before Cleveland State made another run to get the momentum back on their side.
Over the next 4:16, the Vikings posted a 12-2 run, including six straight points to end the run, tying the game at 48-48 – the third tie of the game – with 4:15 left to play. The Vikings then extended their lead with a Cori Coleman layup and a Gordon jumper to put the score at 52-48 with 2:39 remaining. The Jaguars weren't out of the contest though, as they closed out regulation on a 4-0 run, knotting the score at 52-52 heading into the overtime period.
The Vikings then controlled play throughout the overtime period, outscoring the Jaguars, 11-4. Adesuwa Aideyman was able to put the Vikings on the board first during the extra five minutes, converting her first three-pointer of the game at the 2:57 mark. The Jaguars were then able to close the gap to one point on the next possession, but the Vikings closed out the frame on an 8-2 run, including a 4-for-5 performance from the free throw line, for the seven-point overtime victory.
In the first overtime contest of the season, the Vikings posted a 40-percent clip from the floor (25-62), and notched 21 points off of 30 IUPUI turnovers. CSU notched 15 assists on its 25 made field goals, and grabbed 34 rebounds.
The Vikings will close out the ECU Pirate Thanksgiving Tournament tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 1), facing the host, East Carolina at 2:30 p.m. Links for live stats and live video are available on the women's basketball schedule page on CSUVikings.com.
