CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team hosted its lone exhibition of the 2017-18 season Wednesday evening, picking up a 65-55 victory over Muskingum. The Vikings will officially open the 2017-18 season next Saturday (November 11), when they host Ball State at 1:00 p.m.

Cleveland State vs. Muskingum Box Score

Game Stats
· Ashanti Abshaw and Jade Ely both finished with a team-high 17 points, while Khayla Livingston and Mariah Miller added 11 points each.
· Olivia Voskuhl grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, while Ashanti Abshaw and Mariah Miller both grabbed six boards.
· Khayla Livingston dished out six assists on the game, while Jade Ely posted four assists and Olivia Voskuhl notched three.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 10 steals, with four from Jade Ely and two from Olivia Voskuhl and Ashanti Abshaw.
· Cleveland State shot 37-percent on the game, including a .533 clip during the second quarter.

Game Notes
· Wednesday's game was the lone exhibition of the 2017-18 season for the Vikings.
· Junior transfer Rachel Slaney appeared in her first Cleveland State contest, recording two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 12 minutes of action.
· Mariah White and Anyia Pride played in their first collegiate games Wednesday, White playing 15 minutes with two points and four rebounds and Pride playing seven minutes.

The Game
After taking a two-point lead into halftime, the Vikings went on a 6-2 run to open the second half, gaining a 44-38 advantage with 6:37 left in the third quarter. Cleveland State was then able to hold its lead for the rest of the frame, taking a 51-43 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Vikings were able to extend their lead to double-digits just over one minute into the final frame on a Mariah Miller layup, and then posted six of the next 10 points to gain a 59-47 advantage with 6:37 left to play.

Muskingum was able to close the gap to 59-52 over the next few minutes, but the Vikings responded with a pair of baskets from Ashanti Abshaw, regaining an 11-point advantage at 63-52 with just under three minutes left to play. The Vikings were then able to hold on to their advantage over the closing minutes of the contest, coming away with the 65-55 victory.

Up Next
· Cleveland State will officially kick off the 2017-18 season on Saturday, November 11 when they host Ball State at 1:00 p.m.