FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team continued postseason play Monday, picking up a 76-65 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne in the WNIT Great 8. With the win, the Vikings earned a spot in the Fab 4 and will play at Buffalo on Wednesday, April 2.

Game Stats
-Destiny Leo posted a team-best 22 points, while Mickayla Perdue finished with 21 and Sara Guerreiro added 19.
-Jordana Reisma grabbed 13 rebounds, while Sara Guerreiro recorded 11 boards.
-Cleveland State shot 51-percent from the field on the night, including a .600 clip during the fourth quarter.
-The Vikings finished with 13 assists on the game, including three from Jordana Reisma and Mickayla Perdue.

Game Notes
-With 21 points on the night, Mickayla Perdue recorded her 20^th 20-point game of the season.
-Destiny Leo tallied her second 20-point performance of the year with 22 points on the night and eclipsed 1,950 points for her career, ending the night with 1,961 total points.
-Sara Guerreiro tallied her sixth double-double of the year with 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Mastodons.
-Jordana Reisma moved into sole possession of fifth place in the CSU Career Record Book after finishing with 121 total blocked shots on the night.
-Sara Guerreiro made her 100^th appearance in a Cleveland State uniform on Monday.
-Monday's win marked the third victory in WNIT play for the Vikings, and the eighth postseason victory overall.
-This marks Cleveland State's third appearance in the semifinals of a postseason tournament (2021 WBI, 2022 WBI).

The Game
After a back-and-forth start to the contest, the Vikings used a Destiny Leo three-pointer and Sara Guerreiro jumper on back-to-back possessions to gain a 24-18 lead late in the first quarter, before heading into the second frame with a 24-20 advantage.

Although Purdue Fort Wayne was able to open the scoring during the second quarter, a 9-0 run from the Vikings capped off by a Guerreiro layup extended Cleveland State's lead to 31-23 just over two minutes into the quarter. The Mastodons were once again able to stop the CSU scoring run, but the Vikings responded with a pair of baskets from Mickayla Perdue and Leo to gain a double-digit lead at 37-26 midway through the frame.

The Mastodons then ended the frame on a 7-0 run, putting the score at 37-33 Cleveland State heading into the halftime break.

Purdue Fort Wayne came out strong during the third quarter then, regaining a slim 40-39 lead early on in the frame, before 14 straight points from the Vikings put the momentum back in Cleveland State's favor and gave CSU a 53-40 lead late in the frame. The Vikings then went on to hold a double-digit lead for the remainder of the quarter, taking a 57-47 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.

Although the Mastodons were able to trim the lead to single digits over the first part of the final quarter, a Perdue jumper at the 4:20 mark put the Vikings back up by 10 points at 67-57. Purdue Fort Wayne responded by trimming the lead back to singles once again over the next few minutes, until a Leo three-pointer gave the Vikings a 72-61 lead with just over one minute left to play.

A perfect 4-for-4 effort from Perdue at the free throw line over the final 49 seconds iced the game for the Vikings then, as Cleveland State pulled away with the 76-65 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will travel to Buffalo for the WNIT Fab 4 on Wednesday, April 2. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.