CLEVELAND, Ohio (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive third-quarter surge, the Cleveland State Vikings avenged a loss from earlier this season by pulling away from the Fort Wayne Mastodons for a 73-56 victory in Horizon League women’s basketball action Saturday at Wolstein Center.

The contest, played before an announced crowd of 678, saw the home-standing Vikings improve to 18-8 overall, while Fort Wayne slipped to 15-10. The result flipped the script from the teams’ meeting just over two weeks prior, when the Mastodons secured an 80-70 win on their home floor.

For much of the first half, the game was a tightly contested, albeit sloppy, affair. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm, combining for 32 turnovers before the break. Fort Wayne, behind the scoring of Hillary Offing, managed to build a narrow lead, entering halftime with a 34-32 advantage after leading by as many as seven points in the second quarter.

The most important part of the game arrived decisively in the third quarter. Cleveland State emerged from the locker room with renewed defensive intensity and offensive purpose. The Vikings opened the period on a 13-3 run, transforming their two-point deficit into a 45-37 lead they would never relinquish. They outscored Fort Wayne 22-12 in the quarter, holding the Mastodons to just four made field goals while forcing seven turnovers.

The Vikings’ interior duo of Macey Fegan and Izabella Zingaro proved overwhelming during this pivotal stretch and throughout the game. Fegan, a 5-foot-11 guard from Bentley, Michigan, filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, controlling the game on both ends. Zingaro, a 6-foot-4 force from Bolton, Canada, was equally dominant, recording a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while altering numerous shots at the rim.

While the Mastodons’ offense sputtered, shooting just 34.6% from the field for the game and a frigid 15.8% from three-point range, Cleveland State found a more efficient groove. The Vikings shot 44.6% from the floor and capitalized on their opportunities at the free-throw line, making 18 of 24 attempts.

Fort Wayne was led by Offing, a 5-foot-11 guard from Irmo, South Carolina, who scored a game-high 21 points. Alana Nelson added 11 points and five rebounds, and Jordan Reid contributed 12 points. However, the Mastodons could not sustain their first-half momentum, managing only 22 points in the entire second half as Cleveland State’s defense tightened.

Colbi Maples provided crucial scoring support for the Vikings, leading all players with 27 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including three three-pointers. Jada Leonard orchestrated the offense with four assists and three steals.

The victory was a bounce-back performance for Cleveland State, which had lost two of its last three games, including a defeat at IU Indy on Wednesday. For Fort Wayne, the loss snapped a two-game winning streak and continued a pattern of road struggles within the conference.

Cleveland State finished the game with advantages in several key categories, including points off turnovers (14-10), second-chance points (11-6), and bench scoring (15-9). The Vikings also won the rebounding battle 42-35, with 11 of those boards coming on the offensive glass.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cleveland State with a 55.30 percent probability to win, a forecast the Vikings exceeded with their strong second-half performance. The win solidifies Cleveland State’s position in the upper tier of the Horizon League standings as the regular season enters its final weeks.

Cleveland State will look to build on this momentum when it hosts Green Bay on Wednesday. Fort Wayne, meanwhile, will aim to regroup before hitting the road to face Detroit next Saturday.