CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team played its first official Horizon League game of the season Saturday, earning a hard-fought 74-64 victory over UIC. With the win, the Vikings are now 5-0 overall this season and 2-0 in league play.

Game Stats
· Two Vikings finished the game with double-digit points – Destiny Leo with 22 and Isabella Geraci with 16.
· Amele Ngwafang grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Nadia Dumas finished with eight boards and Barbara Zieniewska recorded seven.
· Cleveland State recorded seven steals on the game, including two from Destiny Leo, Gabriella Smith and Isabella Geraci.
· The Viking defense forced UIC into 23 turnovers, turning these miscues into 26 points.
· Deja Williams notched a team-high three assists against UIC, while Destiny Leo and Barbara Zieniewska each tallied two.

Game Notes
· Isabella Geraci recorded a career-high with her 16 points against the Flames.
· Destiny Leo recorded her fourth straight 20-point game after notching 22 points against UIC.
· With Thursday's forfeit win against IUPUI, the Vikings are now 2-0 to start #HLWBB play for the second time under head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
· Cleveland State has now won 11 straight games inside the Wolstein Center dating back to January 23 of last season.

The Game
After trailing 23-19 after the first 10 minutes of action, the Vikings were able to quickly tie the score over the opening minute of the second frame, as an Isabella Geraci jumper and Gabriella Smith steal and layup tied the score at 23-23 with 9:15 left on the clock.

The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a pair of Deja Williams free throws gave the Vikings the lead at 27-25.

The Vikings were able to extend their lead over the next few minutes then, as a pair of three-pointers from Geraci and Smith and an Amele Ngwafang free throw put the score at 34-27 CSU with just over three minutes left in the second quarter.

Cleveland State then closed out the quarter with a trio of free throws from Destiny Leo and Isabelle Gradwell to take a 37-29 lead into the halftime break.

The Vikings would slowly add to their lead over the opening minutes of the third quarter, until a Leo and-one play gave the Vikings a double-digit lead at 44-34 with 5:27 left on the clock.

Cleveland State was able to hold a double-digit lead for the majority of the third quarter then, closing out the frame with a 55-42 advantage.

The Vikings opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets from Nadia Dumas and Geraci, gaining an 18-point lead at the 60-42 mark on a converted Geraci and-one play.

After Cleveland State extended its lead to 20 points at 66-46 on a pair of Geraci free throws at the 6:46 mark, the Flames were able to work their way back into the contest, closing the gap to single digits at 69-60 with 3:39 left to play.

Over the final minutes of the contest, the Vikings had a strong performance from the free throw line, going 5-for-6 over the last 2:17 to close out the 74-64 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will return to non-league play next weekend, hosting LIU on Sunday, November 28.