CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team played its first non-league game of the 2020-21 campaign Saturday, picking up an 84-56 victory over Mercyhurst. With the win, the Vikings are now 6-7 overall this season.

PDF BOX SCORE: Cleveland State 84, Mercyhurst 56

Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game in double-digits, led by Destiny Leo with 20 and Mariah White with 19. Isabelle Gradwell and Nadia Dumas both chipped in 10 points for Cleveland State.
· Isabelle Gradwell grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds on the game.
· As a team, the Vikings finished with 17 assists, including seven from Mariah White and four from Taylah Levy.
· The Viking defense recorded 15 steals on the game, with six from Mariah White and five from Isabella Geraci.
· The Vikings forced Mercyhurst into 20 turnovers, turning these miscues into 24 points.
· Cleveland State shot 44-percent from the floor on the game, including a .588 clip (10-for-17) during the second quarter.

Game Notes
· Destiny Leo recorded her second 20-point game of the season against Mercyhurst.
· Isabelle Gradwell posted her second straight double-digit rebounding game after finishing with 12 against the Lakers, and has combined for 25 boards over the last two games.
· With Saturday's win, the Vikings have now won four straight heading into the final two weeks of #HLWBB regular season play.

The Game
After a slow start to the contest during the opening quarter, the Vikings rebounded during the second frame, as they went on a 15-2 run over the first 4:57 to gain a 19-point lead midway through the quarter. This run was capped by a Taylah Levy three-pointer, that put the Vikings up 25-6.

The Vikings were then able to hold this advantage throughout the rest of the quarter, and even extended their lead to 21 points with just over two minutes left, before closing out the frame with a 35-20 advantage.

Cleveland State was able to withstand a mini Mercyhurst run over the opening portion of the third quarter then, as the Lakers were able to close the gap to just 11 points before Mariah White posted back-to-back baskets to put the Vikings up by 15 at the 49-34 mark. The Vikings then closed the frame with nine straight points, as they held a 58-36 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Vikings maintained control of the contest throughout the fourth quarter then, as they held at least a 20-point lead during the final 10 minutes of play, coming away with the 84-56 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will host Purdue Fort Wayne next weekend in the final regular season homestand of the year, hosting the Mastodons on Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13.