CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened up the 2020 Horizon League Tournament Tuesday evening, picking up a convincing 84-48 victory over Youngstown State in a first round contest. With the win, the Vikings are now 20-10 overall this season and will play in a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, March 5.
Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished with double-figures, led by Mariah Miller with 27 points.
· Mariah White added 17 points for the Vikings, while Jade Ely added 12 and Taylah Levy posted 10.
· Nadia Dumas grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, while Jade Ely and Mariah Miller both added nine boards each.
· As a team, the Vikings finished with 15 total steals, including five from Mariah White and four from Jade Ely.
· Cleveland State outrebounded the Penguins 51-34, including a 12-6 advantage in offensive boards.
· The Vikings shot 45-percent (32-for-70) from the field on the game, including a .550 clip during the first quarter (11-for-20).
Game Notes
· With her 27 points, Mariah Miller recorded her 10th 20-point game of the season.
· Nadia Dumas recorded a career-high with her 12 rebounds, marking the first double-digit rebound game of her career.
· After posting five steals against YSU, Mariah White is now tied for seventh in the CSU Single-Season Record Book with 94 steals, and has posted five or more takeaways in two of the last three games.
· JaMiya Braxton returned to form from behind-the-arc, converting a trio of three-pointers, moving up to third place in the CSU Single-Season Record Book.
· Tuesday's victory marked the team's 20th win of the season, putting the Vikings at the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign and just the third time in program history.
· Tuesday's win also marked the first #HLWBB Tournament victory for the Vikings since the 2014-15 season.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 84, Youngstown State 48
The Game
Cleveland State opened the contest on a 13-0 run and never looked back, as the Vikings held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest and came away with an 84-48 victory in their #HLWBB First Round contest on Tuesday evening.
Although YSU was able to stop Cleveland State's opening run with a basket at the 4:16 mark, the Vikings responded with a 16-9 run over the final four minutes of the frame, taking a 29-11 advantage into the second quarter.
To open the second quarter, the Vikings rattled off 10 straight points, extending their lead to 40-11 at the 5:49 mark, and then held a sizeable lead throughout the rest of the frame to take a 46-19 lead into the halftime break.
The third quarter was much of the same for Cleveland State, as a JaMiya Braxton three-pointer on their opening possession sparked a 10-0 Viking run that put the Vikings at 56-19 with 7:08 left on the clock. The Vikings were then able to slowly extend their lead over the second half of the frame, as they headed into the fourth and final quarter with a 74-29 lead.
Although the Penguins were able to win the fourth quarter, the Vikings still came away with the sizeable victory, advancing to Thursday's Quarterfinal round.
Up Next
Cleveland State will now hit the road for a quarterfinal contest on Thursday, March 5, traveling to No. 3 seed Wright State.
