VIDEO: Highlights
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Behind a strong second half surge, the Cleveland State women's basketball team kept its win streak alive Saturday afternoon, defeating Detroit, 79-74. The Vikings are now 13-11 overall, and 8-3 in Horizon League games.
"I'm really happy to come away with two wins this week, both of our games this week were tough for us, and I think we really showed a lot of growth in our team coming away with two victories," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We are playing with a lot of confidence in the final minutes of games, which has allowed us to stay strong and come away with victories that we would not have been able to get last year."
Cleveland State was led by Imani Gordon who notched her eighth double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Adesuwa Aideyman posted a team-high 17 points. Kiersten Green and Cori Coleman also tallied double-digit points, Green with 15 and Coleman with 14.
The Vikings struggled during the first half, as they went into the halftime break trailing, 42-31.
"After not shooting well during the first half, we were finally able to make shots during the second half which really helped us on both ends of the court. Sometimes it seems as if our offense is our best defense, and when we are hitting shots it helps us stay solid on the defensive end. This year we are finding ways to win games and not give it away in the final minutes," Peterson Abiad said.
To open the second half Cleveland State went on a 7-0 run, closing the gap to just four points at the 42-38 mark with 17:45 left on the clock. The Titans responded with a matching run of their own, extending their lead back to eight points (48-40), and held the advantage for the next 5:40.
At the 11:01 mark the Vikings were finally able to tie the score, as Aideyman converted an and-one play to put the score at 56-56. Detroit would once again regain control over the next three minutes, but an Olivia Voskuhl layup at the 7:49 mark knotted the score at 60-60 – just the second tie of the contest.
The Titans were able to answer with a three-point basket on the following possession, but a Voskuhl three-pointer off of a Gordon steal on CSU's next possession put the score at 63-63 with 6:04 left to play.
The Vikings then went on a 6-0 run, including five points from Coleman, gaining their first lead of the contest with 5:39 remaining. After Cleveland State was able to gain a 71-65 advantage at the 4:25 mark, the Titans battled their way back, coming within two points at the 73-71 mark. This would be as close as they would get though, as Cleveland State outscored Detroit 6-3 in the closing minutes for the five-point victory.
After struggling offensively during the first half, CSU rebounded and shot 51-percent from the floor during the second stanza (17-for-33), and shot 40-percent from the field for the game (27-for-67).
The Vikings were also able to capitalize on 16 Detroit turnovers, turning them into 22 Cleveland State points. On the other hand, Cleveland State made just five turnovers throughout the contest - their lowest turnover total this season.
After spending three weeks at home, the Vikings will hit the road next weekend, traveling to Green Bay (Friday, Feb. 21) and Milwaukee (Sunday, Feb. 23).
