FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team earned a spot in tomorrow's 2021 WBI Championship game, after picking up a 64-54 semifinal victory over Stetson on Saturday. With the win, the Vikings improve to 13-9 overall this season.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 64, Stetson 54
Game Stats
· Destiny Leo led the Viking offense with 21 points, while Taylah Levy added 16 points and Mariah White chipped in 13.
· Aminata Ly grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds on the day, while Barbara Zieniewska posted 11 boards and Destiny Leo recorded 10.
· As a team, the Vikings shot 42-percent from the floor (22-for-52), including a .583 clip during the fourth quarter (7-for-12).
· Cleveland State finished the game with 11 steals, including six from Taylah Levy.
· Mariah White finished with four assists, while Taylah Levy notched three.
Game Notes
· Destiny Leo notched her first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds, including a career-high tying five three-pointers.
· Barbara Zieniewska and Aminata Ly both marked career-highs with their 11 and 13 boards, respectively.
· Taylah Levy notched a career-best with her six steals on the game.
· Cleveland State's 11 steals against Stetson marked the 11th time this season that they have posted 10+ takeaways.
· This marked the first meeting between Cleveland State and Stetson.
· Saturday's win marked the third postseason victory for the Vikings in program history, as they now stand at 3-4 all-time in postseason play – including a 3-1 mark when playing the WBI.
The Game
For the second straight day the Vikings were able to take a 10-point lead into the halftime break, as Cleveland State held a 32-22 advantage after finishing the second quarter on an 8-0 run – a run that was spurred by two of Taylah Levy's five first half steals.
During the third quarter, Stetson outscored the Vikings 15-8, trimming the Cleveland State lead down to three points at 40-37 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
Although Stetson was able to carry its momentum into the fourth quarter, posting the first five points of the frame, a Destiny Leo three-pointer at the 8:24 mark stopped the Hatter run and put the Vikings back on top 43-42. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a Barbara Zieniewska layup followed by an Aminata Ly basket gave the Vikings a six-point lead at 52-46 with 4:44 left on the clock.
The two teams once again traded baskets then, with the Vikings getting three points from Mariah White to hold on to a slight advantage before another Leo three-pointer gave Cleveland State an eight-point lead at 58-50 with just over two minutes left to play.
Cleveland State was then able to hold off a late Stetson run, as a trio of free throws from Levy and Leo and a Levy three-pointer with just 18 seconds left on the clock clinched the victory for the Vikings.
Up Next
Cleveland State will now face Portland in Sunday's WBI Championship game, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
