Vikings Fall to Marquette, 69-66, in Caribbean Challenge

CSU To Play Iona at 2:30 EST on Friday

Shawnita Garland scored a game-high 17 points against Marquette.

Nov. 26, 2009

Final Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

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CANCUN, Mexico - Cleveland State placed four players in double figures, but could not overcome a hot-shooting Marquette squad as the Vikings fell, 69-66, on Thursday afternoon at the Moon Palace Resort in the Caribbean Challenge.

CSU slipped to 1-3 with the loss, while the Golden Eagles improved to 4-1.

"I am proud of the effort that we showed today, but we have to find a way to get a game like this and get some confidence moving forward," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We were so close at Wisconsin and so close today, we need to find a way to get over the hump."

Shawnita Garland led the Vikings with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. Jessica Roque added 15 points and five assists, while Kailey Klein (14) and Shalonda Winton (12) also reached double figures. Winton also added seven boards.

The Vikings were hurt by their 16-for-26 (.615) effort at the free throw line.

"We are a better free throw shooting team than that and it come back to haunt us," Peterson Abiad said. "We need to do a better job of converting our chances at the line."

A Winton free throw opened the scoring, giving CSU a 1-0 lead 31 seconds in. It proved to be the only Viking lead of the afternoon.

With the score tied at 6-6, Marquette used a 17-5 to assume a 23-11 lead with 6:37 to play, eventually pushing the lead to 13 points (29-16) with 3:35 to play.

However, Garland converted a three-point play and followed that with a four-point play, pulling CSU within 29-23 with 1:59 left in the half before the Golden Eagles settled on a seven point advantage (34-27) as the teams went to the locker room.

A three-pointer by Lauren Thomas Johnson opened the second half scoring, pushing the Golden Eagle lead back to 10 points, but the Vikings refused to fold, battling all the way back to tie the contest at 57-57 on a Garland layup with 7:14 to play.

Marquette had still led by 10 points (52-42) with 12:20 left before the Viking run.

However, Paige Fiedorowicz hit a layup and Tatiyana Morris made a three-pointer, pushing the lead back to five pooints (62-57) with 5:51 left.

The lead would swell to eight (66-58) on a Jessica Pachko layup, but the Vikings had one final run left in them, using a layup, three-pointer and two free throws from Klein and a free throw from Winton to pull withing two points (68-66) with 48 seconds left.

Thomas-Johnson split a pair of free throws after being fouled, extending the lead to three points (69-66) with 22 seconds left, giving the Vikings one final chance.

However, Klein's three-pointer from the left wing did not fall as the Golden Eagles escaped with the win.

"We ran Kailey off a staggered screen and got her a decent look to tie the game," Peterson Abiad said. "We were able to get the offensive rebound, but the clock ran out before we could get it back to the three-point line."

Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds as CSU forced 28 turnovers.

Janelle Harris led four Golden Eagles in double figures with 13 points and eight rebounds.

CSU will conclude play in the Caribbean Challenge on Friday (Nov. 27) when the Vikings play Iona at 2:30 EST/1:30 CST at the Moon Palace Resort.