AMES, Iowa – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened up the 2022-23 campaign Monday afternoon, falling at No. 8 Iowa State, 87-54.

GAME STATS
· Gabriella Smith led the Viking offense with 16 points – including a trio of three-pointers – while Brittni Moore added nine points and Destiny Leo chipped in eight.
· Amele Ngwafang grabbed a team-best six rebounds, while Gabriella Smith recorded five boards.
· The Vikings combined for seven blocked shots on the game, including two from Amele Ngwafang and Jordana Reisma.
· Amele Ngwafang and Sara Geurreiro both grabbed a pair of steals on the game.

GAME NOTES
· After sitting out the 2021-22 campaign due to injury, Aminata Ly returned to the lineup for the Vikings, playing 13 minutes at Iowa State.
· The group of Sara Guerreiro, Faith Burch, Jordana Reisma, Shadiya Thomas, and Carmen Villalobos all made their Cleveland State debuts on Monday.
· Monday's game marked a homecoming for head coach Chris Kielsmeier, as he was returning to his home state of Iowa and alma mater.
· This marked the third meeting between the Cleveland State and Iowa State.

THE GAME
During the opening quarter, the Vikings were able to keep the game close until midway through the frame when Iowa State used a 10-0 run to extend its lead to 21-6 just over five minutes into the contest. Although a Sara Guerreiro three-pointer on the next possession put a stop to the ISU scoring run, the Cyclones were able to end the first 10 minutes of action with a 24-11 edge.

The Vikings were then able to open the scoring during the second frame, as a pair of Aminata Ly free throws put the score at 24-13 less than one minute into the quarter, but the Cyclones answered with an 8-1 run that extended their lead to 32-14 with 7:10 left in the frame. Iowa State then controlled play throughout the remainder of the quarter, heading into the halftime break with a 56-20 lead.

Although the Vikings were able to put some more offense on the board during the third quarter – including nine points from Gabriella Smith – Iowa State held its sizeable lead throughout the frame, finishing the third quarter with a 75-42 advantage.

The fourth quarter was much of the same then, with Iowa State capturing the 87-54 victory in the 2022-23 season opener.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will open the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, November 12, hosting Hofstra at 12:30 p.m. inside the Wolstein Center.