By the end of the game Cleveland State had just three players on the court.

The Cougars had six to start the game, but three were fouled out in the fourth quarter, and first place Chattanooga State (18-1, 8-1) held off Cleveland State (6-7, 4-4) in the end 76-60.

"Tough loss tonight, but I thought we played better this time against Chattanooga" head coach Lisa Phillips said. "Obviously finishing a game with three players isn't ideal, but we handled it well and finished strong."

Cleveland State was down 24-13 after the first quarter, but kept it close the remainder of the game and were only outscored by five points in the fourth quarter despite starting with four players and ending with only three in the final few minutes of the game.

Shooting and rebounding were the big differences in the game with the Tigers making 47.5 percent of their shots compared to the Cougars 35.8, and Chattanooga State brought down 13 more boards.
 
"We could have done a better job on the boards and been more efficient on offense," Phillips said.

Derriona Salter was a bright spot for Cleveland State scoring a game high 21 points. Latisha Parris also scored in double figures putting in 14. Jordan McCullough finished one point and one rebound shy of a double-double.

Chattanooga State had five different players score in double figures with Silkiari Vazquez-Troche finishing two assists shy of a triple-double.

Next up for the Cougars is a road game at Southwest Tennessee (7-7, 2-6). This will be their second time meeting this season.

In their first game Cleveland State took a 66-57 home win with four players scoring in double figures led by Jarnyria Maddox putting in a game high 18 points.

Tip-off is scheduled for this Saturday at 3 p.m.