CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team opened up postseason play with a win on Monday, picking up a 74-68 victory over Monmouth in the second round of the WNIT. With the win, the Vikings are now 25-9 overall this season.

Game Stats
-Colbi Maples finished with a team-best 39 points, while Izabella Zingaro added 23.
-Izabella Zingaro grabbed nine rebounds, while Sarah Hurley recorded eight boards and Macey Fegan grabbed six.
-Cleveland State shot 43-percent from the floor on the night, including a .533 clip during the first and fourth quarters.
-The Vikings recorded 10 steals on the night, forcing Monmouth into 16 turnovers.

Game Notes
-Colbi Maples notched a career-high with her 39 points on the night, and finished just one point shy of the CSU single-game scoring record.
-Izabella Zingaro recorded her 12^th 20-point game of the season after finishing with 23 on the night.
-Cleveland State's 10 steals marks the 11^th time this season that the Vikings have recorded double-digit steals.
-The Vikings are now 18-1 when playing at home this season.
-Monday's win marked the ninth postseason win in program history.
-Thursday's contest will mark the second straight WNIT Super 16 appearance for the Vikings.

The Game
After a back-and-forth first half that saw Cleveland State hold a 33-31 edge at the halftime break, Monmouth was able to open the third quarter with three straight points to regain the lead, before a Colbi Maples layup put the Vikings back on top at 35-34 early in the frame.

The two teams then traded baskets over the next few minutes, until an 8-0 run from the Vikings put the score at 43-39 CSU following an Izabella Zingaro free throw. Although Monmouth was able to stop the scoring run, a pair of Macey Fegan free throws once again put the Vikings up by two possessions at 45-41, while a Maples three-pointer extended the CSU lead to 48-43 with less than one minute in the quarter.

Despite Monmouth closing the gap to just one point at 48-47 heading into the final frame, a Paula Pique three-pointer opened the scoring for the Vikings in the fourth quarter, putting CSU up 51-47 less than 30 seconds into the frame.

The Vikings were able to hold the lead throughout the first part of the fourth quarter then, until Monmouth regained the advantage with a three-pointer at the 5:04 mark. Zingaro answered with a layup to knot the score at 59-59, while the two teams traded baskets – and leads – over the next four possessions.

With the score tied at 63-63, a Maples and-one put the Vikings back on top with just 2:15 left to play, with Cleveland State going on to hold the advantage for the remainder of the contest.

After Monmouth closed the gap to 66-65 on its next possession, the Vikings went on a 6-0 run with four points from Zingaro and two from Maples, gaining a 72-65 lead with just nine seconds left on the clock.

Monmouth was able to convert a trio of free throws to come within four points at the 5-second mark, before a 2-for-2 effort from Maples iced the game and the 74-68 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will hit the road for the Super 16, traveling to Middle Tennessee on Thursday, March 26.