DETROIT, Mich. – Cleveland State women's basketball head coach Chris Kielsmeier picked up his 500th career head coaching win Thursday, as the Vikings earned a 107-65 victory at Detroit Mercy. With the win, the Vikings are now 18-3 overall and 9-2 in Horizon League play.
GAME STATS
· Five Vikings finished in double-digit points, led by Destiny Leo with 31. Amele Ngwafang added 16, Brittni Moore and Gabriella Smith both added 11 points, and Jordana Reisma chipped in 10.
· Amele Ngwafang grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
· As a team, the Vikings shot 61-percent from the floor, including a .538 clip from behind-the-arc.
· The Vikings recorded 15 assists on the game, including four from Barbara Zieniewska.
· Cleveland State finished with 14 steals at Detroit Mercy, including four from Sara Guerreiro and three from Destiny Leo and Carmen Villalobos.
· The Vikings forced Detroit Mercy into 25 turnovers, turning these miscues into 37 points.
GAME NOTES
· Destiny Leo notched her second 30-point game of the season after finishing with 31 at Detroit Mercy, including 23 points during the first half.
· Cleveland State eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second time this season after finishing with 107 against the Titans.
· This marked the second time this season that Cleveland State shot 60-percent or better from the field.
· Cleveland State's 14 steals marked the ninth double-digit steal game of the year.
· Thursday's win gave the Vikings the season sweep against Detroit Mercy.
· Thursday's game at Detroit Mercy marked the third of four straight road games for the Vikings to close the month of January.
THE GAME
The Vikings were once again able to get out to a fast start against the Titans, opening the contest on an 18-2 run to gain a sizeable advantage that they would go on to hold for the remainder of the contest.
Despite a Detroit Mercy scoring run midway through the first quarter Cleveland State was able to close out the frame with a 31-17 lead following five straight points from Amele Ngwafang over the last 1:20.
The Ngwafang scoring run extended into the second quarter then, as she posted the first two Cleveland State points on a pair of free throws at the 8:20 mark. After trading baskets over the next few possessions, back-to-back three-pointers from Gabriella Smith and Destiny Leo would put Cleveland State up 41-22 midway through the frame. The Vikings then went on to hold their advantage throughout the rest of the frame, taking a 52-33 lead into the halftime break.
The Vikings carried their momentum into the third quarter then, as a 7-3 run to open the frame put Cleveland State up 59-36 with a Barbara Zieniewska three-pointer less than one minute into the quarter.
After once again trading baskets with the Titans over the next few possessions, the Vikings were able to rattle off 15 straight points late in the frame, extending their advantage to 78-45 on a Leo layup. Although the Titans were able to stop the CSU scoring run on their next possession, the Vikings held their advantage throughout the rest of the frame, taking an 87-55 lead into the final quarter following a Deja Williams jumper in the final seconds.
Cleveland State then held the advantage throughout the fourth quarter, coming away with the 107-65 victory.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will close out the weekend on Saturday, January 28, traveling to Oakland for a 2:00 p.m. contest.
