CLEVELAND, Ohio - For the first time in program history, the Cleveland State women's basketball team has captured the 2023-24 Horizon League Regular Season Championship after picking up an 81-69 victory over Northern Kentucky Saturday. With the win, the Vikings finished the regular season with a 27-4 overall record, including an 18-2 mark in league play.

Game Stats
-Mickayla Perdue led the Viking offense with 25 points, while Colbi Maples and Sara Guerreiro both added 18 points.
-Sara Guerreiro grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds, while Carmen Villalobos recorded seven boards.
-As a team, the Vikings shot 56-percent from the floor, including a .700 clip during the second quarter.
-Cleveland State combined for 12 assists on the game, including four from Sara Guerreiro.

Game Notes
-With 18 points and 10 rebounds against Northern Kentucky, Sara Guerreiro recorded her third double-double of the season.
-Mickayla Perdue recorded her 13th 20-point game of the season after finishing with 25 points on the day.
-With the win Saturday, Cleveland State claimed its first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Championship.
-The Vikings remained perfect at home this season, improving to 16-0 on the year.

The Game
After taking a 10-point lead into the halftime break at 37-27, the Vikings were able to withstand an early run from Northern Kentucky over the first few possessions of the third quarter, with a Sara Guerreiro layup at the 7:04 mark putting the Vikings back up by double-digits at 43-33.

Cleveland State followed that up a Mickayla Perdue basket and free throw to extend the lead to 13 points at 46-33, while the Vikings gained an 18-point lead late in the frame at 55-37 following back-to-back baskets from Perdue and Guerreiro.

The Vikings then held a sizable advantage throughout the rest of the frame, taking a 62-47 lead into the fourth quarter.

Cleveland State carried its momentum into the fourth quarter then, as a Perdue three-pointer on the first possession of the frame put the Vikings up 65-47 just nine seconds into the quarter.

Colbi Maples gave Cleveland State a 21-point lead at the 7:16 mark, as a three-pointer followed by a layup put the Vikings up 74-53, while the Vikings controlled play throughout the rest of the game, coming away with the 81-69 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will begin Horizon League Tournament play with a quarterfinal contest on Thursday, March 7, hosting an opponent to-be-determined at 7:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center.