March 5, 2012

Final Stats

Contact: Renee Adam

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The trio of Cori Coleman, Shalonda Winton and Honesty King combined for 45 points to lead the Cleveland State women's basketball team to a 59-56 victory over Youngstown State in the first round of the Horizon League Championship. The Vikings will now face second-seeded Detroit in a 7:00 p.m. quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday (March 7) in Detroit, Mich.

Along with her 13 points King tallied 10 rebounds to notch the first double-double of her career. Winton added nine rebounds and two blocks, while Coleman tied her career-high with four steals and set a career-best with two blocks.

Youngstown State led for the majority of the opening stanza, but the Vikings were able to outscore the Penguins, 9-3 over the final 5:11 to head into halftime with a two-point lead at 23-21.

The two teams traded baskets over the opening minutes of the second half, with YSU tying the contest for the fifth time at 25-25 at the 18:24 mark. The Vikings went on a 6-0 run over the next minute though, including four points from Takima Keane to gain a six-point advantage (31-25), which they would hold for the remainder of the contest.

Youngstown State was able to come within one point (36-35) at the 14:37 mark with back-to-back three-pointers, and closed the gap to two points three more times throughout the game, but that would be as close as the Penguins would get.

Over the final 13 minutes of the second half the Vikings converted three shots from behind the arc, with two coming from Winton and were 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. With 24 seconds left in the contest, CSU held a four-point lead (58-54), before YSU was able to convert a layup closing the gap to two points before King posted a free-throw to extend CSU's lead to three.

The Penguins made it interesting over the final 16 seconds, as they had three attempts to tie the game following consecutive offensive rebounds and three-point shots. Despite Youngstown State's last second efforts, the Vikings were able to hold on for the three-point victory.

For the contest, Cleveland State shot 36-percent from the floor (23-63), while the Penguins shot 30-percent (21-69). The Vikings notched 43 rebounds, the seventh time this season that CSU has posted at least 40 in a contest, while they also tallied 11 steals and seven blocks.

Cleveland State will now take on No. 2 Detroit in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on Wednesday, March 7. Wednesday's contest is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start at Calihan Hall on the Detroit campus.