CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team remained perfect on the 2021-22 campaign Sunday afternoon, picking up an 87-65 victory over LIU to improve to 6-0 overall this season.

Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game with double-digit points, led by Amele Ngwafang with 20. Destiny Leo added 18 points, while Gabriella Smith tallied 13 and Nadia Dumas posted 11.
· Barbara Zieniewksa led the Vikings on the boards, grabbing 12 rebounds, while Amele Ngwafang recorded nine boards.
· The Vikings combined for 16 assists on the game, including five from Destiny Leo and four from Barbara Zieniewska.
· The Cleveland State defense notched 16 total steals, forcing LIU into 23 turnovers.
· As a team, the Vikings shot 40-percent from the field, including a .857 clip during the fourth quarter.

Game Notes
· Barbara Zieniewska tallied a CSU career-high with her 13 rebounds on the game.
· Amele Ngwafang recorded a CSU career-high with her 20-point effort against LIU, marking the fifth 20-point game of the season for the Vikings.
· Cleveland State's 16 steals marked a season-high for the Vikings.
· The Vikings finished the month of November with a perfect 6-0 record (including a forfeit win against IUPUI).
· Cleveland State has now won 12 straight games inside the Wolstein Center dating back to January 23 of last season.

The Game
After taking a 44-36 lead into the halftime break, the Vikings were able to quickly add to their lead on the first possession of the third quarter, as a Leo steal eventually led to a Brittni Moore layup gaining a 14-point advantage at 46-32 just 28 seconds into the frame.

Although LIU was able to trim the lead to six points over the next six minutes, the Vikings were able to stop the run with a Destiny Leo three-pointer at the 3:05 mark, giving Cleveland State a 54-45 lead. The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, including an LIU three-pointer as time expired in the frame, to put the score at 60-53 Cleveland State with just 10 minutes left on the clock.

The Vikings then opened the fourth quarter with a 5-2 run, including a pair of free throws from Deja Williams and a Barbara Zieniewska three-pointer, regaining a double-digit lead at the 65-55 mark with 8:15 left to play.

Cleveland State was able to hold a sizeable lead over the next few plays then, with a Gabriella Smith three-pointer at the 4:46 mark putting the Vikings up by 14 at 77-63. The Vikings then went on an 8-2 scoring run, gaining a 20-point lead at 85-65 on an Amele Ngwafang layup, before a Williams jumper extended Cleveland State's lead to 22 points at 87-65 with under a minute left to play.

The Viking defense then forced a steal on the final LIU possession, controlling play for the final 19 seconds, coming away with the 87-65 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Northern Kentucky on Friday, December 3 and Wright State on Sunday, December 5.