VIDEO: Kate Peterson Abiad Postgame Comments
FAIRBORN, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team was able to remain perfect in Horizon League play Sunday afternoon, picking up a crucial 98-82 road win at Wright State. With the victory the Vikings are now 7-8 overall and 2-0 in league play, one of just three teams to hold a perfect record in Horizon League play.
The Vikings, who shot 57-percent from the floor (34-for-59) during the contest, eclipsed the 90-point mark for the first time since the 2007-08 season – with the 98 points marking the highest point total since 2002 when CSU scored 99 points in a win over IPFW.
For the second straight game the Vikings notched at least 40 rebounds, outrebounding the Raiders 42-28 – including a season-high 14 from Imani Gordon.
Along with her 14 boards, Gordon posted a career-high 30 points – the first Viking to post a 30+ point game this season and just the fifth Horizon League player to do so this year. Three other Vikings also scored in double-figures Sunday afternoon – Cori Coleman with her second 25-point performance of the year, Haley Schmitt with 13 points and Kiersten Green with 12 points – all of which came during the second half.
Adesuwa Aideyman also had a solid game for Cleveland State with nine points, five assists, and five rebounds against the Raiders.
After a back-and-forth first half which resulted in a 38-38 tie at the halftime break, Cleveland State was able to gain control of the contest in the opening minutes of the second stanza – owning a four-point lead (50-46) at the 16:00 mark following a Gordon layup. The Viking defense was then able to limit Wright State to just one field goal over the next 1:59, as they extended their lead to 54-49 with 14:12 left to play.
The Raiders responded with a mini 5-2 run of their own over the next 27 seconds, closing the gap to two points at 56-54 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the contest. This was as close as Wright State would come though, as the Vikings held at least a two-point advantage for the rest of the contest – including their largest lead of 16 points in the closing seconds of the game.
The two teams battled back-and-forth over the next 8:07, until the Vikings were finally able to distance themselves with a Coleman three-pointer at the 5:10 mark, gaining an 82-74 lead. CSU was then able to gain its first double-digit lead of the contest at the 3:53 mark (85-74), and then extended it to 14 points (88-74) following a 6-0 run.
Over the final 3:53 of the contest CSU held a double-digit lead, and closed out the contest with five straight points, earning the 16-point victory.
During the second half of play, CSU posted a .690 clip from the field (20-for-29) and went 17-for-20 (.850) from the free throw line.
The Vikings will look to stay undefeated in league play next Thursday (Jan . 16), as they finally return home to host Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. CSU will then continue its three-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 18), hosting Green Bay at 2:00 p.m.
