Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan women's basketball team extended its win steak to three games, defeating Cleveland State, 93-79, at University Arena.
The Broncos got out and running from the beginning of the game, sparked in the first half by sophomore point guard Tiera DeLaHoussaye. Collecting seven steals, DeLaHoussaye was able to push the ball up the court, resulting in a flurry of fast-break buckets for the Broncos. Several of those she took herself, as all 13 of her points came in the first half, on 6-of-8 shooting. When she wasn't taking the ball to the hoop, she was kicking it off to teammates, recording six assists on the evening.
Never trailing in the game, Western Michigan (4-6) built as much as a 25-point advantage in the first period, and took a 51-31 lead into halftime.
“Tiera's play was what really got us going tonight,” WMU head coach Ron Stewart said. “Her quickness allowed us to play an up-tempo game and led to that big first half.”
DeLaHoussaye added another swipe in the second half, racking up a career-high eight steals on the night, to tie the third-best single-game effort in WMU history.
Seniors Lindsey Brown and Carrie Moore also had big nights, combining for 53 points. Brown tallied nine points at the charity stripe and connected on seven shots from the floor for 23 points. Moore dropped in five three's for the third game this season, producing a game-high 30 points. Moore has accounted for over half of WMU's three-pointers this season, recording 28 of the team's 53.
With the big lead in the second half, Western Michigan's bench saw plenty of action and all 14 Broncos were able to enter the game. Cleveland State (2-8) took advantage of some of that inexperience and chipped away on the scoreboard, pulling to within nine with 5:38 remaining. The Broncos converted on six free throws over the next two minutes and sealed the game with a Moore three-point basket, closing out the night with a 14-point win.
For the third-straight game, WMU made more free throws than its opponent attempted, cashing in on 29-of-40 trips to the line. Cleveland State made it to the line just 18 times total, hitting on 13 of those chances.
Kailey Klein led the Vikings with 28 points and Stephanie Youdath recorded a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Western Michigan will look to push its win streak to four on Saturday, hosting IUPUI at University Arena at 2 p.m.
