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Vikings Open League Play at Home Against Loyola
Jan. 1, 2008
Contact: Greg Murphy
Complete Release in PDF Format
GAME 13
Loyola (2-9, 0-0) at Cleveland State (6-5, 0-0) SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State is slated to open Horizon League play when the Vikings host Loyola on Thursday (Jan. 3) at 5:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center. PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE: WIth just over one third of the season complete, it is evident that Cleveland State has made huge strides from last season's 8-22 team, having already won six games and standing one game over .500 after 11 games for the first time since 1999-00. With the return of four starters, head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has experience at every position on the floor and a solid bench that she can rely on at any point during the game. Sophomore guard Kailey Klein (18.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) leads the returnees, as she is tops in the league in scoring. She is joined in the backcourt by senior Brittany Korth (8.9, 4.2, 3.8 apg) and sophomore Angel Roque (5.6, 2.5 apg), who has set the defensive tone for the Vikings this season with her ball pressure out front. Junior Dominique Butler (8.5, 6.0) and senior Robyn Hoying (5.0, 2.6) have started all 11 games in the frontcourt. CSU has received tremendous production from its bench, led by sophomore forward Stephaine Crosley (5.9, 4.0) and freshman guard Shawnita Garland (4.6, 2.5). Sophomore Jessica Roque (3.7, 1.1) has also seen minutes in the backcourt, while junior Natalie Miller (3.5, 2.1) provides depth at the wing-forward spot. Freshman Justine Hayes (0.7, 1.0) has seen limited action as she becomes accustomed to the collegiate game. THE HEAD COACH: Kate Peterson Abiad is in her fifth year as the head coach at CSU and claims an overall record of 34-92. The sixth head coach in school-history, she ranks third all-time in coaching victories at Cleveland State. Prior to arriving at CSU, Peterson Abiad spent six years as an assistant at Wisconsin, serving as the recruiting coordinator starting in 1998. While in Madison, she helped lead the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament three times and to the 2000 WNIT championship. She also worked at Eastern Illinois (1993-97) and Indiana (1991-93). A 1991 graduate of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, she earned Kodak All-America honors as a senior after setting the NCAA Division III record for three-point field goals per game (3.85). ABOUT LOYOLA: The Ramblers are 2-9 overall and have not been in action since a 67-59 win over Texas Pan-American on Dec. 21. Elyse VanBogaert leads the team with 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Maggie McCloskey is the only other Rambler to average double-figures as she posts 12.8 points per game. Keisha Collins averages 8.9 points per game and has recorded a team-leading 50 assists. BEATING THE BUZZER: Kailey Klein provided some last second heroics in Saturday's 65-63 win over American as, despite having two defenders in her facr, she drained a 17-footer from the left wing at the buzzer. It was the first time CSU won a game at the final horn since Erika Roudebush nailed an off-balance three-pointer as time expired in an 84-82 victory over Butler on Dec. 28, 2001. EASY AS 1, 2, 3: Saturday's win over American extended the Vikings modest win streak to three games. However, when glancing at the past it doesn't look very modest as it is CSU's first three-game win streak since the Vikings defeated Youngstown State, Butler and Loyola between Feb. 5-11, 2004. ONE MORE FOR FOUR: So how far back does one have to look to find the last time a CSU squad won four straight? That would be the 2001-02 season when the Vikings won road games at IPFW, Wright State and Butler before winning a home contest versus IPFW to complete a four-game win streak between Jan. 28-Feb. 4. VIKINGS GET DEFENSIVE: The 34 points CSU allowed in a 60-34 win at Colgate (Dec. 20) represented the best defensive effort by a Viking squad since a 62-24 win over Ashland on Feb. 8, 1983. It was also the second-lowest point total allowed against a Division I opponent - bettered only in a 58-27 win at Toledo on Jan. 6, 1979. CAN'T CONNECT: CSU continues to lead the Horizon League in field goal defense as opponents are hitting just .358 percent (229-640) against the Vikings. CSU has allowed only three teams (Ohio, Miami (OH), Buffalo) to shoot better than .400 from the floor this season. CSU has lost all three games. Last season, the Vikings allowed teams to shoot better than .400 on 19 occasions and better than .500 five times. ROAD SWEET ROAD: The Vikings entered the season knowing they would have to win on the road as seven of their first 10 games were away from Cleveland. It appears that CSU has figured out how to win on the road as the Vikings have posted a 4-3 mark away from the Wolstein Center this season, including a 3-2 mark on its recently completed five-game road trip (Dec. 1-20). Heading into the season, CSU was just 4-42 away from home over the last three seasons. ALL ABOUT THE "3": Since Miami (OH) hit 12-of-27 three-pointers in a CSU loss on Dec. 1, the Vikings have done a much better job of taking away the three-point arc from its opponents as CSU's five opponents have combined to go just 22-of-88 (.250). A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER: Saturday's win over American gave the Vikings a 4-2 record in December. It marked the first time since CSU went 5-3 in January of 2004 that the Vikings recorded a winning month. TWO BIG REASONS: Two big factors in determining CSU's won-loss record this season are rebounding and scoring defense. In six wins, the Vikings own a +0.2 rebounding advantage, while holding its opponents to 51.3 points and .307 shooting from the field. On the other hand, CSU has a -10.2 deficit in rebounding and gives up 76.8 points on .411 shooting in five losses this season. NOT MUCH SUSPENSE: Despite Kailey Klein's late game heroics on Saturday against American, CSU has not been giving its fans much to worry about as eight of its 11 games have been decided by double digit points. The six wins have come by an average of 13.7 points, while CSU's five losses have been by an average of 12.0 points. The lone contests not decided by double figures are an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 20), a 63-60 loss at Buffalo (Dec. 15) and Saturday's (Dec. 29) 65-63 win over American. AND WE TEND TO KNOW BY HALFTIME ...: Whether the Vikings will win or not. After all, CSU is 6-1 this season when it holds a lead after the first 20 minutes of action. CSU's lone loss when leading at the half this season was an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage when the Vikings led 24-20 at halftime. SAME `OLE ROUTINE: Head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has had the luxury of using the same starting lineup for all 11 contests this season, which in turn has allowed her to define the roles of her five bench players and establish a consistent roatation with nine players averaging double digit minutes. That is a far cry from last season when injuries forced Peterson Abiad to use six different starting lineups, including three different lineups through the first 11 contests. VIKINGS A BIT CHARITABLE: CSU has given its opponents several free scoring opportunities this season, allowing 248 free throws this season, 32 more than the Vikings have taken. However, opponents have not been able to take full advantage, connecting on just 165 free throws (.665) as CSU is outscoring its opponents, 169-165, at the line this season. KLEIN AT THE LINE: Kailey Klein has been just about automatic at the free throw line this season, leading the league with an .864 percentage (76-88). In a Nov. 26 loss to Ohio, Klein tied the school-record by hitting 15 free throws, equaling Deb Taylor's record set against Valparaiso on Jan. 11, 1990. Klein went to the line 16 times against the Bobcats, the sixth most times in a game in CSU history. In addition, Klein was a perfect 11-of-11 from the line at Colgate (Dec. 20), which tied her for the second best effort from the line in school history, trailing Taylor's 16-of-16 performance against Valparaiso. Klein has knocked down 18 consecutive free throws, marking the second time this season she has recorded a streak of 18 straight. THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: CSU continues to be the best free throw shooting team in the league, hitting 169-of-216 attempts for a .782 percentage. In fact, the Vikings, who are also ranked 13th in the nation, are shooting better from the free throw line than 24 NBA teams. CSU is on an early season pace to shatter the school-record for free throw percentage in a season, currently held by the 2000-01 squad which shot .728 (480-659) from the charity stripe. KORTH KEEPS PLAYING: Senior Brittany Korth has played in 98 career games at CSU and needs to play in 19 more to equal Juli Grant's school record of 117 career games played. Barring unforseen circumstances or injury, Korth will at least tie the record as CSU has 18 more regular season games on the schedule and will play at least one game in the Horizon League Tournament. THE BUTLER IS BACK: Dominique Butler got off to a slow start on the offensive end this season, scoring just 11 points in the first three contests. However, she has picked it up over the last seven games, averaging 10.3 points and shooting .537 (36-67) from the field, while also contributing 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. Butler's recent hot streak from the field has allowed her to move up to 10th place in the league in field goal percentage, hitting .481 (38-79) from the floor this season. GRAND THEFT: The Vikings have proven to be one of the top defensive teams in the league, ranking second in the conference with 117 steals. In addition, CSU boasts three of the top nine individuals as Dominique Butler (2.27) ranks fourth, Brittany Korth (1.91) eighth and Kailey Klein (1.82) 10th. The Vikings have swiped double-digit steals in seven contests this season, including a season-best 19 vs. Akron (Nov. 17), which were the most steals by a Viking squad since CSU recorded 19 steals against IPFW on Feb. 26, 2003. VIKINGS STAY EFFICIENT: CSU has made the most of its offensive opportunities this season, shooting just 53.9 times per game with a season-high of 59 attempts against Wisconsin in the season opener and at Buffalo on Dec. 15. In fact, CSU's opponents have taken 47 more shots than the Vikings this season, but CSU has outscored its opposition by 22 points. DISHING IT OUT: After two games, CSU ranked near the bottom of the conference with just 24 assists (12.0 apg). However, the Vikings have proceeded to record 148 assists over the past nine contests (16.4 apg) and now lead the conference (15.6). During the stretch, CSU has recorded assists on 75-percent (148-198) of its field goals. Included in that total was a 26 assist night on 32 field goals in a win over Bradley (Nov. 21). The 26 helpers are tied for the 10th most in a single game in program history. CSU also dished out 19 assists on 20 baskets in a win at IUPUI (Dec. 5). SHE CAN SCORE: A year after leading the team in scoring (11.0) as a freshman, Kailey Klein could have her sights set higher as she leads the league with an 18.8 scoring average, including a league season-high 33 point effort at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 20). Klein has scored in every way this season, hitting 60-of-141 (.426) from the field, including 11-of-34 (.324) from three-point. In addition, she has knocked down a league leading 76 free throws on a league-high 88 attempts to lead the conference in free throw percentage (.864). KLEIN HONORS: Kailey Klein has picked up several accolades this season, beginning with her selection to the Preseason All-Horizon League first team. She followed that by earning a spot on the Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team and was the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 27 for her efforts in the Great Alaska Shootout. MS. DOWNTOWN: Brittany Korth has proven to be one of CSU's deadliest outside weapons, leading the team with 30 three-pointers. Of Korth's 89 field goal attempts this season, 73 have come from behind the three-point arc. She ranks sixth all-time at CSU with 127 three-pointers and is fourth all-time with 465 attempts, 28 short of third place. DOUBLE THE EFFORT: Stephaine Crosley has been fighting through a leg injury all season, but battled her way through at IUPUI (Dec. 5) to play a season-high 25 minutes. She made every one count, finishing with CSU's first double-double of the season by posting 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end. Crosley became the first Viking to notch a double-double since Chenara Wilson tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds against Youngstown State last season on Senior Day (Feb.24). MILLER TIME: Natalie Miller has given CSU a solid lift off the bench this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting .519 (14-27) from the field. Miller had a solid all-around effort at Colgate (Dec. 20), finishing with five points, three rebounds and a career-high tying four assists. She also grabbed a career-best nine rebounds on Dec. 1 at Miami (OH) after coming into the contest with just five rebounds all season. IN HEAVEN AFTER 11: CSU has posted a 6-5 mark through 11 games this season, the best start in program history since the 1999-2000 squad opened 8-3. Here are a few more highlights from the first 11 contests of the season: • The Vikings swipe 19 steals in a 59-47 win over Akron, marking the 10th most steals in a single game by a CSU squad.
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