CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team dropped its first contest of the 2021-22 campaign Tuesday, coming up short in a 66-52 decision against Loyola (Ill.). With the loss, the Vikings now stand at 9-1 on the season.

Game Stats
· Nadia Dumas and Destiny Leo led the Viking offense with 16 points each.
· Gabriella Smith grabbed a team-high eight boards, while Nadia Dumas added six rebounds and Amele Ngwafang posted five.
· Brittni Moore recorded three steals on the game, while Gabriella Smith and Amele Ngwfang both added two.
· Gabriella Smith and Deja Williams both notched three assists on the game.

Game Notes
· With her 16 points against Loyola, Nadia Dumas has now posted 15+ points in two straight games.
· Destiny Leo has now tallied 15+ points in all seven games she has played in this year after finishing with 16 against the Ramblers.
· Gabriella Smith picked up her second straight start for the Green & White.
· Tuesday's game marked the first meeting between the two teams since the 2012-13 season.

The Game
After going into the halftime break trailing 35-22, the Vikings were able to get on the board first during the third quarter with a Nadia Dumas layup that put the score at 35-24 Loyola.

The two teams traded points over the next few plays then, until back-to-back baskets from Destiny Leo and Deja Williams closed the gap to eight points at 39-31 with 2:36 left on the clock. Although a Loyola basket on the next trip down the floor stopped the Viking run, a pair of Williams free throws with just over a minute left in the frame, put the score at 41-33 heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Over the first part of the fourth quarter Loyola was able to extend its lead with an 11-2 run, gaining a 52-35 advantage at the 6:53 mark. A Gabriella Smith three-pointer at the 6:02 mark snapped the Rambler run, before an 8-4 run from the Vikings closed the gap to 58-46 on a Leo layup with just under four minutes left to play.

Loyola was able to control play throughout the rest of the frame then, as the Ramblers came away with the 66-52 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will return to Horizon League play after the Holiday, traveling to Robert Morris on Thursday, December 30 and Youngstown State on Saturday, January 1.