CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team clinched a home game in the Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinals next week after picking up a 67-55 victory over Milwaukee Thursday evening. Along with earning a bye into the #HLWBB Quarterfinals, the win also improved the Vikings to 19-6 overall this season and 14-5 in league play.

Game Stats
· Nadia Dumas led the Viking offense with 16 points on the game, while Gabriella Smith and Amele Ngwafang each recorded 12 points.
· Amele Ngwafang grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Nadia Dumas and Barbara Zieniewska each recorded five boards.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 15 steals on the game, including six from Destiny Leo and four from Gabriella Smith.
· The Viking defense forced Milwaukee into 25 turnovers, turning these miscues into 36 points.

Game Notes
· With the 16 points against Milwaukee, Nadia Dumas has now tallied double-digit points in 14 of the last 17 games.
· Destiny Leo notched a career-high with her six steals on the game.
· Gabriella Smith has now tallied 10+ points in four straight games after finishing with 12 against Milwaukee.
· The 15 steals marked the third time this season that Cleveland State has recorded 15+ takeaways.
· The Vikings extended their win streak to four straight games following Thursday's victory, while it also put the Vikings at 10-3 when playing at the Wolstein Center this season (excluding forfeit wins).
· Thursday's win gave Cleveland State the season sweep over the Panthers after picking up a 66-57 victory in Milwaukee earlier this year.

The Game
After holding a 15-8 advantage after the first quarter, the Vikings were able to quickly extend their lead to double digits over the first few plays of the second frame, as a Destiny Leo jumper and a pair of Amele Ngwafang free throws put the score at 19-8. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a 6-0 Viking run extended Cleveland State's lead to 34-19 with just under two minutes left in the frame.

Although Milwaukee was able to close the frame on an 8-4 run, the Vikings were still able to take a double-digit lead into the halftime break at 38-27.

The Panthers were then able to trim the CSU lead to single digits over the first part of the third quarter then, but a Gabriella Smith three-pointer at the 5:09 mark put the Vikings back up by 10 points at 44-34. On the ensuing possession, Leo was able to force a steal, and then converted an and-one play on the offensive end to give Cleveland State a 47-34 lead with 4:49 left in the quarter.

The Vikings capped off their 8-0 scoring run with a pair of Nadia Dumas free throws, gaining a 49-34 advantage midway through the frame.

Cleveland State was able to maintain its lead over the next few minutes then, including a Smith steal and layup off of a Milwaukee defensive rebound, that put the score at 52-38 CSU, before the Vikings closed the frame with a 55-42 advantage.

The Vikings then carried their momentum into the fourth quarter, as a 6-2 run extended the CSU lead to 61-44 just over three minutes into the frame.

Despite a late run from the Panthers over the final minutes of the game, a pair of layups from Dumas and Smith and two free throws from Smith sealed the 67-55 victory for the Vikings.

Up Next
The Vikings will close out regular season play on Saturday, February 26, hosting Green Bay at 2:00 p.m. Saturday's game will serve as Senior Day for the Vikings, with Senior Recognition taking place following the contest.