Mickayla Perdue scores 24, Cleveland State easily beats Robert Morris 85-53
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The Vikings advance to play Horizon League rival Purdue Fort Wayne in the ‘Great 8’ on Monday.

CLEVELAND — Filippa Goula drilled a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left and Cleveland State withstood a trio of game-tying chances from Duquesne as time expired to secure a 55-52 victory in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Friday night at the Wolstein Center.

Goula finished with just eight points and was a paltry 3 of 12 from the field (2 of 10 from beyond the arc), but her clutch jumper lifted the Vikings to their second straight one-score victory of the WNIT. CSU (26-9) advances to play Horizon League rival Purdue Fort Wayne Monday night in the “Great 8.”

Destiny Leo, Sara Guerreiro, and Mickayla Perdue each led Cleveland State with 12 points, with Leo hauling in nine rebounds and Guerreiro adding seven boards and five assists. As a team, the Vikes only shot 32.8% from the field, a tick below the Dukes’ mark of 33.9%.

Jerni Kiaku had a game-high 15 points and nine rebounds for Duquesne (21-13), which led by as many as 13 in the second half. However, CSU stormed back, going ahead on Jordana Reisma’s free throws midway through the fourth quarter.

Amid a back-and-forth battle, Kiaku tied the game at 52 with 43 seconds to play before Goula hit her go-ahead 3. As time wound down, the Dukes had three opportunities to send things to overtime, but Mackenzie Blackford missed twice and Megan McConnell once from long range.

This is Cleveland State’s first appearance in the WNIT since 2015, with the tournament since being relegated to third-their status in the women’s college basketball postseason pyramid. The Vikings went 1-2 in their prior matchups with the Mastodons this year, including an 83-65 loss in the Horizon League semifinals.

Tipoff for Monday’s game is set for 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne.

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