INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team's run in the 2021 Horizon League Tournament came to an end on Monday, as the Vikings dropped a 73-62 contest against top-seeded Wright State in the semifinals.
PDF BOX SCORE: Wright State 73, Cleveland State 62
Game Stats
· Mariah White led the Viking offense with 24 points, while Isabelle Gradwell added 13 and Taylah Levy and Destiny Leo both chipped in eight points.
· The trio of Barbara Zieniewska, Destiny Leo and Aminata Ly all grabbed five rebounds on the game.
· Mariah White finished with a team-best two steals, while Taylah Levy and Nadia Dumas also posted a steal.
· Cleveland State shot 87-percent from the free throw line on the game (21-for-24), including perfect performances from Taylah Levy (4-for-4) and Isabelle Gradwell (6-for-6).
Game Notes
· Monday's game marked the second straight season that the Vikings have advanced to the #HLWBB Semifinals.
· Mariah White posted her third straight 20-point performance Monday, moving into 14th place on the CSU All-Time Scoring List with 1,266 total points.
· With her 13 points on the day, Isabelle Gradwell posted her third straight double-digit scoring game.
· The Vikings now own a 4-3 record in #HLWBB Tournament play under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
The Game
After a back-and-forth first half, the Vikings trailed by just two points at the halftime break, 37-35. Cleveland State was able to quickly even the score out of the halftime break then, as a pair of Taylah Levy free throws knotted the score at 37-37, before Wright State was able to once again gain a two-point advantage on their next possession.
The Vikings responded with a layup from Mariah White on the next trip down the floor, once again tying the score at 39-39 with less than a minute off the clock in the third quarter.
Over the next two minutes, the Raiders went on an 8-2 run to regain a 47-41 advantage, before a Destiny Leo jumper at the 6:19 mark stopped the WSU scoring run and pulled the Vikings within four at 47-43.
Although Wright State was able to extend its lead to six points on the next possession, six straight points from the Vikings knotted the score at 49-49 on an Isabelle Gradwell layup. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until the Raiders were able to post the final six points of the frame to head into the final 10 minutes of action with a 59-53 lead.
Midway through the fourth quarter the Raiders were able to extend their lead to double-digits, and went on to control play throughout the remainder of the contest to come away with the 73-62 victory.
