Cleveland State women hold off late NKU rally, pull out 70-65 victory at BB&T Arena

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Khayla Livingston and Ashanti Abshaw combined for 48 points as the Cleveland State women’s basketball team held off a late Northern Kentucky University rally and posted a 70-65 win at BB&T Arena on Monday night.

NKU had battled back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter and trailed 68-65 in the closing seconds, but the Norse gained possession with a chance to tie with a 3-pointer. Following a timeout, NKU’s Mikayla Terry drove the lane and attempted a contested layup with six seconds left, but the shot missed and was rebounded by Cleveland State.

Rachel Slaney sealed the win for the Vikings by making a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining.

Livingston drained seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points for Cleveland State, which improved to 12-6 overall, 4-3 in the Horizon League. She also dished out six assists.

Abshaw added 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field, while Olivia Voskuhl scored 10 points and finished with six assists and two blocks.

Molly Glick and Grace White each netted 18 points to lead NKU, which is 4-13 overall, 2-4 in the Horizon League. Glick buried five 3-pointers, while White grabbed six rebounds and collected a pair of assists.

Norse freshman Kailey Coffey recorded the first double-double of her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Terry added eight points for NKU, which shot 35.1 percent from the field.

NKU won the rebounding battle by a 44-28 margin, with 24 of those boards on the offensive glass. The Norse pulled down 16 offensive rebounds during the second half to stay in the game.

Cleveland State shot 55.6 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 47.4 percent. The Vikings outscored NKU 30-20 in the paint and held a 13-0 advantage in fast-break points.

NKU plays host to Horizon League-leading IUPUI on Friday at BB&T Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

NORSE NOTES: White’s 18 points marked a career best for the freshman guard…NKU finished with a 19-8 advantage in second-chance points…Livingston attempted 14 shots from beyond the arc for Cleveland State and made seven…Cleveland State was 9-for-25 from 3-point range.