CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's basketball team remained perfect at home this season after picking up a 74-53 victory over Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. With the win, the Vikings improved to 14-3 overall this year and 5-1 in Horizon League play.

Game Stats
-Mickayla Perdue led the Viking offense with 25 points, while Colbi Maples added 12 and Brooklynn Fort-Davis chipped in nine.
-Carmen Villalobos grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, while Sara Guerreiro recorded seven boards.
-As a team, the Vikings combined for 13 assists, including four from Mickayla Perdue.
-The Viking defense recorded 16 steals, forcing Detroit Mercy into 28 turnovers.
-Colbi Maples finished with five steals, while Carmen Villalobos added three.
-The Vikings shot 87-percent from the free throw line, going 21-for-24 on the game.

Game Notes
-Mickayla Perdue tallied her team-best sixth 20-point game of the season after finishing with 25 against Detroit Mercy.
-Cleveland State grabbed 15+ steals for the second straight game after notching 16 against the Titans.
-For the second straight game and the fifth time this season the Viking defense held its opponent to single digits during the opening quarter, as UDM tallied just six points in the first frame.
-With Wednesday's win, the Vikings are now 9-0 when playing at home this season.

The Game
Through the first 10 minutes, the Vikings were able gain a sizable lead, holding a 17-6 advantage heading into the second quarter. During the opening frame, 15 of Cleveland State's 17 points came from Mickayla Perdue - as she notched the first 15 points of the contest for the Vikings - while the CSU defense notched seven steals and held Detroit Mercy to just two field goals on a .182 clip from the floor.

The Vikings then held off an early run from the Titans during the second quarter, as a 7-0 run midway through the frame put Cleveland State back up by double-digits at 29-15 on a Filippa Goula layup. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a pair of three-pointers from Carmen Villalobos and Perdue over the final 1:12 gave the Vikings a 39-21 lead heading into the halftime break.

Cleveland State was able to maintain its lead throughout the third quarter, holding a 59-41 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

During the fourth quarter the Vikings used a 6-0 run early in the frame to gain a 20+ point advantage at 65-44, before back-to-back layups from Perdue and Jordana Reisma gave the Vikings a 69-44 lead with 4:44 left on the clock. The Vikings then extended their scoring run to 13-0, gaining a 72-44 edge with a Shadiya Thomas basket with just under three minutes left to play.

The Vikings then held on for the 74-53 victory, picking up their third straight win to open 2024.

Up Next
The Vikings will close out their current homestand on Saturday, January 13, hosting Purdue Fort Wayne at 1:00 p.m.