CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team wrapped up its final regular season homestand Saturday, picking up a 71-61 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne, marking its sixth straight victory. With the win, the Vikings improve to 8-7 overall this season and 7-7 in Horizon League play.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 71, Purdue Fort Wayne 61
Game Stats
· Mariah White led the Vikings with 27 points, while Destiny Leo added 18 points and Nadia Dumas chipped in 11.
· Nadia Dumas and Barbara Zieniewska both posted a team-high six rebounds, while Isabelle Gradwell grabbed five boards.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 15 assists on the game, including six from Mariah White and five from Barbara Zieniewska.
· Barbara Zieniewska recorded a team-high six steals against Purdue Fort Wayne, while Mariah White added two takeaways.
· Cleveland State forced the Mastodons into 18 turnovers, and turned those miscues into 22 points.
· As a team, the Vikings shot 47-percent from the field (26-for-55), and posted a .467 clip from behind-the-arc (7-for-15).
Game Notes
· Mariah White notched her sixth 20-point game of the season Saturday, and moved into 18th place on the CSU Scoring List with 1,170 career points.
· With her two steals on the game, Mariah White also moved into eighth place in the CSU Career Record Book with 206 total takeaways.
· Barbara Zieniewska recorded a career-best with her six steals on the day.
· Destiny Leo was 4-for-7 from behind-the-arc Saturday, converting four or more three-pointers for the fifth time this season and the third time over the last four games.
· This marked Cleveland State's third weekend sweep of the season, while they also improved to 4-0 against Purdue Fort Wayne this season.
The Game
After beginning the third quarter trailing by four points at 43-39, the Vikings were able to quickly flip the script, as they went on a 7-0 run throughout the first part of the frame to gain a three-point advantage at 46-43 following a Taylah Levy layup. Although the Mastodons responded with back-to-back baskets to regain the advantage over the next two minutes, Cleveland State was able to knot the score at 48-48 following a pair of Mariah White free throws.
The Vikings then regained the advantage over the final minutes of the third quarter, as back-to-back three-pointers from Destiny Leo and a Nadia Dumas layup put the Vikings up by eight at 56-48 heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
Over the opening minutes of the final quarter the Vikings were able to sustain their lead, and even extended their advantage to double-digits at 66-55 following a White layup that put the Vikings up by 11 points. The Vikings then controlled play throughout the remainder of the contest, as they closed the game with four straight points to earn the 71-61 victory.
Up Next
The Vikings will close out the regular season next weekend, traveling to Youngstown State for a pair of games on Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20.
