CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team used a strong second half performance and a 28-point effort from Mariah White to pick up a 66-62 victory over Northern Kentucky Thursday evening. With the win, the Vikings improve to 17-6 overall this season, and now stand at 7-5 in Horizon League play.
Game Stats
· Mariah White led the Viking offense with 28 points, while Mariah Miller added 14 points.
· Jade Ely grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds, while Mariah Miller added eight boards.
· As a team, the Vikings notched 14 assists, with four coming from Jade Ely and Mariah White.
· The Vikings recorded 10 steals on the game, including five from Jade Ely.
· The CSU defense forced Northern Kentucky into 20 turnovers, turning these miscues into 17 points.
· Cleveland State shot 41-percent from the floor on the game (27-for-65), including a .632 clip during the third quarter (12-for-19).
Game Notes
· Jade Ely earned a spot in the starting lineup for the first time this season against NKU, finishing with seven points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
· Mariah White recorded her third 20-point game of the season and was one-shy of tying her career high after finishing with 28 points against NKU.
· With her pair of three-pointers against the Norse, JaMiya Braxton eclipsed 100 three-pointers for her career, finishing the game with 101.
· This marked the 10th time this season that Cleveland State has recorded 10+ steals on a game, and the fifth time during #HLWBB play.
· The Vikings outscored NKU 30-9 during the third quarter, with the 30 points marking a single-quarter high for the Vikings this season.
· Thursday's win gave the Vikings the season sweep over Northern Kentucky, as they also picked up a 73-68 victory during the first matchup this season.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 66, Northern Kentucky 62
The Game
After going into the halftime breaking trailing by 15 points at the 32-17 mark, the Vikings used a 13-0 run over the first part of the third quarter to pull within two at 32-30 following a Mariah White jumper at the 6:40 mark. During this span, the Vikings got nine points from White and two from Mariah Miller and Jade Ely, overcoming a double-digit deficit.
After holding Northern Kentucky scoreless over the first 3:40 of the frame, the Norse finally got on the scoreboard at the 6:20 mark, as they were able to extend their lead back to six points following five straight points.
The Vikings responded with an 11-3 run of their own over the next three minutes, as they gained a 41-39 advantage on a White jumper – their first lead since the 3-2 mark early in the first quarter.
Cleveland State then closed out the frame with a six-point lead at 47-41, after outscoring Northern Kentucky 30-9 during the frame.
The Vikings extended their lead over the first few possessions of the fourth quarter then, as a White layup and an Ely three-pointer put the CSU lead at 52-41 with 8:05 left on the clock. Cleveland State was then able to hold a sizeable lead over the next 6:52, until an 11-3 NKU run brought the Norse back within four points at 62-58.
Cleveland State was then able to stop the NKU run on its ensuing possession, as a Miller offensive rebound and putback with just 36 seconds left on the clock put the Vikings back up by six, at 64-58. The Vikings were then able to hold on to their lead throughout the final seconds of the contest, coming away with 66-62 victory to improve to 17-6 overall this year.
Up Next
Cleveland State will close out the weekend on Saturday, February 8, hosting Wright State at 2:00 p.m.
