MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team continued its postseason run Thursday, picking up a 66-56 victory at Middle Tennessee. With the win, the Vikings advance to the 2026 WNIT Great 8 and improve to 26-9 overall this season.

Game Stats
-Five Vikings finished the game with double-digit points, led by Colbi Maples with 19.
-Sarah Hurley added 12, Paula Pique tallied 11, while Izabella Zingaro and Macey Fegan both chipped in 10.
-Cleveland State combined for 43 rebounds on the game, including eight from Macey Fegan, seven from Izabella Zingaro and six from Sarah Hurley.
-Cleveland State shot 47-percent from the field on the game, including a .692 clip during the fourth quarter.
-The Viking defense combined for 12 steals, including five from Paula Pique and three from Macey Fegan.

Game Notes
-Sarah Hurley set a career-high with her 12 points on the night, converting four three-pointers.
-With the 12 steals, Cleveland State marked the 12^th game with double-digit takeaways this season.
-Cleveland State grabbed 40+ rebounds for the 12^th time this year.
-Thursday's win marked the 10th postseason win in program history.
-Cleveland State's next contest will mark the second straight WNIT Great 8 appearance for the Vikings.

The Game
After taking a 31-29 lead into the halftime break, the Vikings were able to extend their lead over the first part of the third quarter, as a Sarah Hurley three-pointer followed by a Colbi Maples jumper put the Vikings on top by seven points at 36-29 midway through the frame.

The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a Macey Fegan jumper extended Cleveland State's lead to nine points at 42-33 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. Middle Tennessee responded by closing out the frame with four straight points, cutting the lead to 42-38 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Vikings once again opened the scoring during the fourth quarter, with a Paula Pique layup off of a Fegan steal giving CSU a 44-38 advantage just 10 seconds into the frame.

The two teams then once again traded baskets over the next minute-plus, before a 6-0 run gave the Vikings a double-digit lead at 53-43 with 7:19 left on the clock. During this run, the Vikings got a pair of baskets from Fegan and another from Colbi Maples, helping CSU to its first 10-point lead of the game.

Despite the Blue Raiders trimming the lead to single digits on their ensuing possessions, another Hurley three-pointer gave the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 58-47 with 4:57 remaining.

The Vikings were then able to control play throughout the final part of the contest, pulling away with the 66-56 victory after closing the frame with yet another Hurley three-pointer and a Maples free throw.

Up Next
Cleveland State will await the winner of the Purdue Fort Wayne/Arkansas State game to see its Great 8 opponent.