CLEVELAND — Destiny Leo had 17 points and nailed two clutch free throws in the final seconds as Cleveland State beat Northern Kentucky Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Trailing by one with just eight ticks left in regulation, Leo went for the winning bucket but was fouled by the Norse's Emmy Souder. Both of her attempts from the charity stripe were good, giving the Vikings (25-3, 15-2 Horizon League) a half-game lead in the conference standings.
Both teams had a rough night shooting, with CSU making just 30.8% of their field goal tries and NKU not much better at 33.9%. However, the Vikes dominated the glass 49-38, with Brittni Moore hauling in 16 rebounds and Amele Ngwafang adding 10 more.
Lindsey Duvall scored a game-high 27, and Kailee Davis' 3-pointer with eight seconds to go put Northern Kentucky (15-11, 9-8) up by one. Davis had another chance to win it following Leo's free throws, but missed from beyond the arc as time expired.
Just three games remain in the regular season, and Green Bay will be at Robert Morris Friday evening with a chance to tie Cleveland State in the Horizon League. The Vikings will host Wright State Saturday afternoon on Senior Day, with six players set to be honored at the Wolstein Center.