CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center for the first time in nearly a month Thursday evening, picking up an 85-59 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne. With the win, the Vikings improve to 11-3 overall this season and 6-2 in Horizon League play.

Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, led by Nadia Dumas with 19 points. Destiny Leo added 15 points, while Amele Ngwafang chipped in 12 and Barbara Zieniewska finished with 11.
· Nadia Dumas and Barbara Zieniewska each grabbed seven rebounds on the game.
· Destiny Leo finished with five assists, while Isabelle Gradwell added three.
· The Vikings shot 49-percent from the floor, including a .647 clip during the third quarter.
· Cleveland State finished the game with 14 steals, including four from Barbara Zieniewska and three each from Brittni Moore and Amele Ngwafang.
· The Viking defense forced Purdue Fort Wayne into 25 turnovers, turning these miscues into 32 points.

Game Notes
· Nadia Dumas tied her career-high with 19 points against the Mastodons.
· Barbara Zieniewska set a season-high with a trio of three-pointers against Purdue Fort Wayne.
· The 14 steals marked the fifth 10+ steal game of the season for the Vikings.
· This marked the third time this season that the Vikings have shot 49-percent or better from the field.
· The Vikings are now 8-1 when playing at home this season (including a forfeit win over IUPUI).

The Game
After taking a 32-28 lead into the halftime break, the Vikings were able to add to their lead on their first possession of the third quarter, as a Gabriella Smith three-pointer put the Vikings up 35-28. Although Purdue Fort Wayne responded with a pair of baskets, the Vikings went on an 11-0 run, capped off by a Nadia Dumas and-one play, to gain a 14-point advantage at 46-32 with just over six minutes remaining in the frame.

The Mastodons were able to snap the CSU scoring run with a three-pointer at the 5:37 mark, but Barbara Zieniewska answered with a three-pointer of her own on the next trip down the floor, putting the Vikings up 49-35.

The two teams traded baskets on their next two possessions then, before back-to-back layups from Smith and Destiny Leo gave the Vikings a 19-point lead at 56-37 with 3:27 left on the clock.

The Vikings were then able to gain a 20-point lead over the final minutes of the third quarter, as a pair of Brittni Moore free throws and a Zieniewska steal and layup gave the Vikings a 62-40 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Cleveland State was able to extend its lead over the first part of the fourth quarter then, as an Isabella Geraci three-pointer at the 6:16 mark put the Vikings up 80-46.

The Vikings then went on to hold a sizeable lead throughout the rest of the contest, as they closed out the game with an 85-59 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will play Purdue Fort Wayne again on Saturday, January 22, facing the Mastodons in Fort Wayne, Ind.