CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened up the 2021-22 campaign Tuesday evening, picking up an 81-54 victory over ETSU.

Prior to tipoff, the Vikings held a banner ceremony honoring last year's WBI Championship team, which marked the first-ever postseason title in program history.

Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, led by Destiny Leo with 24. Brittni Moore finished with 13, Isabelle Gradwell tallied 11 and Nadia Dumas posted 10.
· The Vikings had a well-rounded rebounding effort on the game, with eight of the nine players that saw action picking up at least one board, led by Isabelle Gradwell with eight.
· As a team, the Vikings picked up eight steals, including four from Brittni Moore.
· Cleveland State posted a .396 field goal percentage (21-for-53) and a .429 clip from behind-the-arc (9-for-21).
· The Vikings combined to go 30-for-41 from the free throw line on the night, including a perfect 7-for-7 effort from Destiny Leo.
· Cleveland State forced ETSU into 17 turnovers, turning these miscues into 22 points.

Game Notes
· Destiny Leo tallied a career-high with her 24 points against ETSU, while her five three-pointers tied a career-high.
· Brittni Moore, Amele Ngwafang, Gabriella Smith, and Deja Williams made their Cleveland State debuts Tuesday evening.
· Tuesday's win improved the Vikings to 2-2 in season openers under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
· Cleveland State has now won eight straight games at the Wolstein Center dating back to January 23 of last season.
· Cleveland State is now 2-0 against ETSU all-time.

The Game
After taking a 32-29 lead into the halftime break, the Vikings were able to extend their lead to 35-29 on a trio of Leo free throws after she was fouled on a three-point attempt just 30 seconds into the third quarter. The Vikings then quickly extended their advantage to double-digits, as a 6-2 run put the Vikings up by 10 at the 41-31 mark on an Isabelle Gradwell jumper.

The Vikings were able to maintain a sizeable lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter then, ending the frame with a 56-44 lead after a Leo three-pointer with just six seconds left on the clock.

Over the first 2:38 of the fourth quarter the Vikings extended their lead to 17 points following a 7-2 run that included a Brittni Moore three-pointer and a Gradwell layup.

Cleveland State's defense kept ETSU off the board over the next 2:19, gaining a 23-point advantage at the 69-46 mark following a pair of Moore free throws. Although the Bucs responded with a pair of their own free throws, a Barbara Zieniewska three-pointer 20-seconds later put the Vikings up 77-48 with just under five minutes left in the frame.

The Vikings would go on to hold this lead for the rest of the contest, earning the 81-54 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will continue the 2021-22 campaign with a pair of games this weekend, hosting St. Bonaventure on Saturday, November 13 and Quincy on Sunday, November 14.