NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y – The Purple Eagles women's basketball team fell at home on Friday night to the Cleveland State Vikings, 70-61.

Game Summary
Final Score: Cleveland State 70, Niagara 61
Leading Scorers: Victoria Rampado (18 points), Kaylee Stroemple (16 points)
Records: Cleveland State (5-2, 0-0 Horizon League), Niagara (1-6, 0-0 MAAC),
Location: Gallagher Center- Niagara University, N.Y.

Game Recap

• While Cleveland State maintained possession for the majority of the first quarter, the game was tied early on at eight apiece halfway through the quarter. From there, Rampado drove to the lane on the next Niagara possession and sunk a layup to give the Purple Eagles the lead, 10-8. Cleveland State went on a 9-4 run to close out the quarter to give the Vikings a 17-14 lead.
• Cleveland State dominated in the second quarter and led the Purple Eagles 42-27 going into halftime.
• After an early 8-2 run by the Vikings to open the third quarter, Niagara bounced back strong. Going on a 7-0 run, Niagara was able to force Cleveland State to burn a timeout, cutting the Cleveland State lead down to 12, 48-36. In the waning seconds of the quarter, Maggie McIntyre found Dagny Davidsdottir who hit a jump shot off the glass to beat the buzzer, cutting back into the lead as Niagara trailed by 11 going into the fourth, 55-45.
• In the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, Davidsdottir and Stroemple hit back-to-back jump shots to cut the lead down to seven, 55-48. That was as close as Niagara was able to make the game for the rest of the evening, with Cleveland State able to maintain their lead throughout the remainder of the quarter to defeat the Purple Eagles by a final score of 70-61.

Coach's Corner

• "I'm really proud of our fight in the second half," said head coach Jada Pierce. "It's tough to come out of those deficits, but it was really good to see our team really fight back and try to cut that lead and put ourselves in a position to win the game, so that is something that was a positive tonight."

Inside the Numbers

• Rampado led the Purple Eagles in scoring with 18 points. She also brought down eight rebounds.
• Stroemple recorded 16 points and six rebounds, including a season-high five offensive rebounds. Stroemple also led the Purple Eagles in assists with four.
• Davidsdottir tied a career-high in points with eight against the Vikings, and had a career-high in rebounds with nine, which led the Purple Eagles.

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles are back on the road this Sunday to face Hartford at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for women's basketball updates at @NiagaraWBB. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.