LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the WBI Championship game Sunday evening, falling to Saint Mary's, 80-73. The Vikings finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 23-9 overall record.
Game Stats
· Destiny Leo led the Viking offense with 32 points, while Gabriella Smith added 16 points and Nadia Dumas chipped in 10 points.
· Nadia Dumas and Brittni Moore both grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Isabelle Gradwell notched six boards.
· The Cleveland State defense recorded nine steals on the game, including four from Brittni Moore.
· The Vikings forced Saint Mary's into 16 turnovers, while committing just six of their own.
Game Notes
· Destiny Leo notched a career-high with her 32 points against Saint Mary's, marking her 12th 20-point game of the season.
· With her 10 points on the game, Nadia Dumas posted her 20th double-digit point game of the year.
· Cleveland State's six turnovers marked a season-low.
· After finishing with 23 wins on the year (including two forfeit wins), the Vikings notched their fourth 20-win season in program history.
· Cleveland State was making its second straight postseason appearance, and second straight appearance in the WBI.
· Sunday's game marked the first-ever meeting between Cleveland State and Saint Mary's
The Game
After trailing 42-29 at the halftime break, the Vikings slowly worked their way back into the contest throughout the third quarter, closing the frame on an 8-2 run to head into the final 10 minutes of action with the score at 61-50 SMC.
Although the Gaels were able to extend their lead over the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Cleveland State used an 8-3 run over a span of 1:33 to close the gap to single digits at 70-61 with 4:36 left to play.
Saint Mary's responded with a basket on their ensuing possession, but seven straight points from the Vikings brought Cleveland State within four points at 72-68 with 2:23 left on the clock. During this stretch, the Vikings got five points from Destiny Leo and two from Amele Ngwafang.
After trading baskets on the next few possessions, the Vikings were able to close the gap to just two points on a Deja Williams layup, but this would be as close as Cleveland State would get, as Saint Mary's closed the contest by posting the final five points.
Throughout the final few minutes of the contest, the Viking defense was able to pressure the Gaels, recording two of their nine steals over the final 1:25.
