Women's Basketball Scoreboard (Nov. 27)
Cleveland State 76, Morehead State 67
Oakland 71, Niagara 57
Cleveland State 76, Morehead State 67
Behind a couple of key scoring runs, the Cleveland State women's basketball team was able to come away with a 76-67 victory over Morehead State Wednesday, improving their record to 2-3 on the season.
For the fourth time this season the Vikings had three players post double-digit points, led by Kiersten Green with 21. Imani Gordon bettered her career-high with 19 points against the Eagles, while Haley Schmitt added 11. Schmitt and Green both tallied a team-high seven rebounds, while Adesuwa Aideyman and Green notched four assists each.
After letting the Eagles get out to an 11-0 run to open the contest, Cleveland State went on a 29-2 run over the next nine minutes to gain control of the contest and a lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game. The Vikings were then able to hold a double-digit lead until the final seconds of the half, when Morehead State converted a three-pointer as time expired to put the score at 33-25 going into the halftime break.
To open the second frame, CSU outscored the Eagles 14-4, gaining a 47-29 advantage with just over 13 minutes left to play. Over the next 6:13, the Vikings were able to hold at least a 12-point advantage until the 6:59 mark, when MSU closed the gap to eight points with another three-pointer. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, until the Eagles were able to come within four points at the 66-62 mark following a pair of free throws.
The Vikings answered with a 4-0 run, scoring all four points from the free throw line – two from Green and two from Gordon. With the 4-0 run, the Vikings were able to extend their lead back to eight points at 70-62 with just 1:01 left to play. Over the final minute of play, the Vikings went 6-for-6 from the free throw line holding their advantage, and ending the contest with the nine-point victory.
For the game, CSU shot 51-percent from the floor (21-41), including a .619 clip (13-21) during the first half. The Vikings were able to capitalize on 22 Morehead State turnovers – notching 27 points off of the Eagle miscues.
Oakland 71, Niagara 57
Olivia Nash finished with a team-best 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Bethany Waterworth added 14 points as the Oakland women's basketball team (1-5) used a strong first half to earn its first win of the season over Niagara (1-4), 71-57, Wednesday night in the Athletics Center O'rena.
"It's exciting to have the first win of the season the team has worked so hard and deserves it more than any other team I've been around," said head coach Jeff Tungate. "To watch how hard they play and how hard they practice, this is long over due and something I'm really proud of and happy of their performance tonight."
Nash finished with her fourth double-double of the season and Watterworth went 6-of-8 from the floor for her season-high point total. Elena Popkey added 13 points with 3 triples, while Nola Anderson and Amy Carlton added eight points each.
The Golden Grizzlies sprinted out of the gates as they went on a 12-2 run to start the game and never trailed during the contest. OU forced 11 Niagara turnovers in the opening half and held a 18-8 scoring advantage in the paint to take a 38-26 lead going into the second half.
OU built up the lead in the second half, leading by as many as 21 points as Carlton hit a 3-pointer to make the score 53-32 early in the closing half. Oakland ended the game with season-bests in assists (19) and steals (13). The Grizzlies finished with a 22-14 advantage in bench points and added 19 points off of turnovers
Niagara's Meghan McGuinness led the Purple Eagles with 15 points and Victoria Rampado added 14 points.
