GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the second straight year the Cleveland State women's basketball team is heading to the Horizon League Semifinals, as the sixth-seeded Vikings held on to pick up a 69-63 quarterfinal victory at No. 3 Green Bay Tuesday evening. With the win, the Vikings are 11-8 on the season, and have won nine of their last 10 games.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 69, Green Bay 63
Game Stats
• Four Vikings finished the game in double-digits, led by Mariah White with 22. Destiny Leo added 16 points, while Barbara Zieniewska posted 12 and Isabelle Gradwell chipped in 10 points.
• The Vikings converted 11 three-point field goals on the game, including four from Destiny Leo and three from Barbara Zieniewska.
• Isabelle Gradwell grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Nadia Dumas grabbed seven boards and Aminata Ly recorded six.
• Cleveland State grabbed 11 offensive boards on the night, while posting 11 second chance points.
• Mariah White finished with a team-high eight assists.
• As a team, the Vikings posted 10 steals, including four from Barbara Zieniewska.
• The Cleveland State defense forced Green Bay into 15 turnovers, turning these miscues into 19 points.
• Cleveland State's 10 steals marked the ninth time this season that the Vikings have finished with 10+ takeaways.
Game Notes
• With Tuesday's Quarterfinal win, the Vikings are now 4-2 in #HLWBB Tournament play under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
• Tuesday's 69-63 win along with the 60-48 victory from earlier this season marks the first time in program history that the Vikings have picked up two wins against the Phoenix in the same season.
• The 11 three-point field goals marks a season-high for the Vikings.
• Mariah White recorded her eighth 20-point game of the season with 22 points against the Phoenix, and moved into 15th place on the CSU Scoring List with 1,242 points.
The Game
Cleveland State was able to end the first 10 minutes of action with a 13-11 advantage, following a Destiny Leo three-pointer and strong defensive stop – including an Aminata Ly block – late in the frame.
The Vikings were then able to extend their lead just 29 seconds into the second quarter, as another Leo three-pointer put the Vikings up 16-11. On the ensuing Green Bay possession, Mariah White was able to pick up her first steal of the game, and then converted a pair of free throws after being fouled on a breakaway layup to put the Vikings up by seven at 18-11 with 8:54 left on the clock.
The two teams then traded baskets until a White three-pointer gave the Vikings a 23-16 lead with just over three minutes left in the frame. Although Green Bay would answer with a three-pointer of its own, a Barbara Zieniewska shot from behind-the-arc on the following CSU possession put the Vikings up by seven once again at 26-19 with 1:58 left to play.
The two teams then traded three-pointers once again, with Isabelle Gradwell putting the Vikings up 29-22, before another Zieniewska three-pointer as time was expiring gave the Vikings their first double-digit lead of the contest at 32-22. Zieniewska then converted the ensuing free throw after being fouled on the play, putting Cleveland State up 33-22 heading into the halftime break.
Out of the halftime break, the Phoenix were able to put the first three points on the board, but a 10-0 run from Cleveland State put the Vikings up by 18 at 43-25 with 4:50 left in the frame. During this stretch, Zieniewska added another three-pointer, while a Leo steal on a Green Bay inbounds play led to a Ly layup.
A Green Bay three-pointer put a stop to the Viking run at the 4:27 mark, but a White layup and a Leo three-pointer off of a Zieniewska steal put Cleveland State back on top by 20 at 48-28. The Vikings were then able to close out the third quarter with a 52-31 advantage, following a Taylah Levy three-pointer with less than a minute on the clock.
To begin the final quarter, the Phoenix posted a 15-2 run, closing the gap to single digits at the 54-46 mark, but another Gradwell three-pointer put the Vikings back up by 11 at 57-46 with 4:18 left on the clock. The Vikings were then able to fight off another Green Bay run late in the frame, as the Phoenix closed the gap to single digits once again at the 60-54 mark, but back-to-back 2-for-2 trips at the free throw from Gradwell put the score at 64-54 CSU with 19 seconds remaining.
This lead wouldn't last long though, as the two teams traded three-pointers and free throws over the next few possessions, until a pair of Zieniewska free throws made it a two-possession game with just 11 seconds left on the clock. White would then put the game away for the Vikings with another pair of free throws with just four seconds remaining, as the Vikings were able to hold on for the 69-63 victory.
Up Next
Sixth-seeded Cleveland State will make its second straight trip to the #HLWBB Semifinals, as the Vikings will face top-seeded Wright State on Monday, March 8.
