HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team dropped just its second Horizon League contest of the season Sunday, falling at Northern Kentucky 73-69. The Vikings now stand at 17-3 overall this year and 8-2 in #HLWBB play.

GAME STATS
· Brittni Moore led the offense with 20 points, while Destiny Leo added 17 and Jordana Reisma chipped in 12.
· Sara Guerreiro grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, while Barbara Zieniewska recorded six boards.
· The Vikings recorded 14 assists on the game, including three from Deja Williams and Sara Guerreiro.
· Cleveland State combined for eight blocked shots, with six coming from Jordana Reisma.

GAME NOTES
· Brittni Moore posted her second 20-point game of the season after finishing right on the number against NKU.
· Jordana Reisma recorded a season-high with her six blocked shots against the Norse.
· Friday's game at Wright State marked the second of four straight road games for the Vikings to close the month of January.

THE GAME
After trailing by seven at the halftime break, the Vikings slowly chipped away at the Northern Kentucky lead throughout the third quarter, as an 11-2 run over a stretch of 2:05 brought Cleveland State within two points at the 46-44 mark following a pair of Brittni Moore free throws.

The Vikings would then tie the game at 48-48 a few possessions later with two free throws from Jordana Reisma, but Northern Kentucky responded with a mini 5-0 run to regain a lead that they would take into the final 10 minutes of play.

With the score at 58-53 NKU to start the fourth quarter, the Vikings once again worked their way back into the contest, going on a 9-2 run over the first 2:37 to gain a 62-60 advantage following back-to-back baskets from Reisma and Moore. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few minutes then, until Destiny Leo and Moore combined to go 5-for-5 from the free throw line to give Cleveland State a 69-66 lead with just 2:27 left on the clock.

Despite the Vikings having a strong defensive effort on the next two Norse possessions, Northern Kentucky was able to eventually convert back-to-back baskets, regaining a 71-69 edge with just four seconds left on the clock.

The Norse were then able to force the Vikings into a turnover on their next possession, and then converted a pair of free throws to clinch the 73-69 victory.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the month of January on the road next weekend, traveling to Detroit Mercy on Thursday, January 26 and Oakland on Saturday, January 28.