FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team won its third game in as many days Sunday, posting a 67-64 victory over Portland to capture the 2021 Women's Basketball Invitational Championship.
Sunday's victory over Portland gives Cleveland State its first postseason title in program history, while the Vikings are the third Horizon League team to capture the WBI title (Detroit Mercy, UIC).
Cleveland State finished the shortened 2021 campaign with a 14-9 overall record, including a perfect 3-0 record in WBI play this weekend.
PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 67, Portland 64
Game Stats
· Mariah White led the Vikings with 24 points, while Destiny Leo added 15 points and Isabelle Gradwell chipped in 13.
· Aminata Ly grabbed a team-best 14 rebounds, while Isabelle Gradwell posted 10 boards and Taylah Levy added eight.
· As a team, the Vikings finished with 10 total steals, including six from Mariah White and two from Taylah Levy and Destiny Leo.
Game Notes
· Mariah White posted her 10th 20-point game of the season after finishing with 24 against Portland, while she finished the year as one of 13 Vikings all-time with 1,300+ points on their career, finishing with 1,320.
· With her six steals against Portland, Mariah white moved into sixth place in the CSU Record book with 230 total steals.
· Aminata Ly recorded a career-high 14 rebounds on the game, posting her third straight double-digit rebound game.
· Isabelle Gradwell notched her second double-double of the season on Sunday, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
· Head coach Chris Kielsmeier has now captured two postseason titles during his career, as he also led Howard Payne to the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship.
· This marked the first meeting between Cleveland State and Portland.
· Sunday's win marked the fourth postseason victory for the Vikings in program history, as they now stand at 4-4 all-time in postseason play – including a 4-1 mark when playing the WBI.
The Game
Following an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter – which included a pair of three-pointers from Destiny Leo and Taylah Levy – the Vikings were able to take a 34-28 lead into the halftime break.
Throughout the first part of the third quarter the Vikings were able to extend their lead to nine points following a Mariah White three-pointer at the 43-34 mark, but a 10-2 Portland run over the next 2:33 trimmed the CSU lead to just one point at 45-44 with 4:00 left in the frame.
The Vikings were finally able to stop this run with an Aminata Ly layup on their next possession, putting the score at 47-44 CSU with 3:49 left on the clock. To close out the frame, an Isabelle Gradwell and-one play put the Vikings up 50-44, but a pair of Portland baskets over the final minute put the score at 50-48 CSU going into the final 10 minutes of action.
Over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter Portland was able to go on an 8-4 run, gaining their first lead since midway through the second quarter. A White layup on the ensuing possession put the Vikings back on top, but the lead wouldn't last long though, as the two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes until Portland was able to gain a three-point advantage at 62-59 with just over two minutes left to play.
Out of a Portland timeout, White was able to grab one of her team-leading six steals, and converted on the other end of the court, closing the gap to just one point at 62-61 with 1:00 left to play. White then converted her free throw on the and-one attempt, knotting the score at 62-62.
Although Portland went to the free throw line on its ensuing possession, the Pilots missed both free throws and a Levy rebound put the Vikings back in control with just 41 seconds remaining.
After a Cleveland State timeout to advance the ball, Leo knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the game, putting the Vikings back on top 65-62 with just 20 seconds left to play.
The Pilots were able to convert a layup to close the gap to just one point on the next play, but they were forced to foul on the Cleveland State inbounds, putting Gradwell at the line. Gradwell then converted both free throw attempts, clinching the three-point victory for the Vikings as Cleveland State captured the 2021 WBI title.
