Jan. 22, 2008

Contact: Greg Murphy

Complete Release in PDF Format

SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State concludes its brief three-game homestand and puts a five-game home win streak on the line when the Vikings host Youngstown State on Saturday, Jan. 26, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center. The Vikings enter the week tied for second place in the Horizon League with YSU at 4-2, with both teams trailing Green Bay and Milwaukee, who are tied for first place with 5-1 records.

PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE: Cleveland State has made huge strides from last season's 8-22 team, having already surpassed that win total (10-7) and standing three games over .500 after 17 games for the first time since 1999-2000. 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 (17.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg) leads the returnees, as she is second in the league in scoring. She is joined in the backcourt by senior Brittany Korth (9.6, 4.6, 4.0 apg) and sophomore Angel Roque (6.2, 2.3 apg), who has set the defensive tone for the Vikings this season with her ball pressure out front. Junior Dominique Butler (9.8, 6.1) and senior Robyn Hoying (5.6, 3.0) have started all 17 games in the frontcourt. CSU has received tremendous production from its bench, led by sophomore forward Stephaine Crosley (5.6, 4.2) and freshman guard Shawnita Garland (4.4, 2.1). Sophomore Jessica Roque (3.5, 1.8) has also received minutes in the backcourt, while junior Natalie Miller (3.0, 1.6) provides depth at the wing-forward spot.

THE HEAD COACH: Kate Peterson Abiad is in her fifth year as the head coach at CSU. She claims an overall record of 38-94 and 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). DOING SOMETHING WRIGHT: The Vikings improved to 27-22 all-time against Wright State following a win over the Raiders on Saturday. WSU is one of just two teams in the Horizon League that the Vikings have a winning record against with Loyola (19-10) being the other.

BEYOND THE ARC: The Vikings 9-for-14 (.643) effort from three-point range against Detroit on Thursday, Jan. 17, equaled the school-record for the best percentage by a CSU team. CSU also went 9-for-14 against Green Bay on Jan. 2, 2003.

DOUBLE UP: It's too bad the Viking basketball programs can't play all doubleheaders as the teams have combined to win all four twinbills this season. It is the first time in school history that the men's and women's basketball programs have won four consecutive home doubleheaders. The teams are scheduled to share just two more home dates, Feb. 7 and Feb. 9, this season.

HOME WIN STREAK INTACT: The Vikings extended their home win streak to five straight with Saturday's win over Wright State. CSU, which is 6-2 at home this season, has not won six straight at home since the end of the 1998-99 season and beginning of the 1999-2000 campaign. The Vikings have already equaled their home win total from a season ago (6-9).

TALE OF THE TURNOVER: One of the biggest factors in CSU's two wins last week was the turnover total as the Vikings forced a total of 48 turnovers and made 28 steals. CSU proceeded to score 57 total points off those turnovers, including 35 points off 25 Wright State miscues on Saturday (Jan. 19).

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: CSU is the best free throw shooting team in the league, hitting 253-of-322 attempts for a .786 percentage, a far cry from last season's .684 (425-621) percentage from the line. In fact, the Vikings, who are also ranked fifth in the nation in free throw percenrage, are shooting better from the free throw line than all but four NBA teams. CSU is on 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). .700 CLUB: The Vikings have had just three seasons (out of 34) in which they have finished with a free throw percentage better than .700. The last time it happened was the 2003-04 season when CSU hit .709 (406-573). The other two seasons were 2000-01 (480-659; .728) and 2001-02 (442-617; .716).

LIVING AT THE LINE: CSU has dominated from the free throw line in its six league games this season, hitting 84-of-106 (.792). In contrast, opponents have attempted just 84 total free throws in league play against the Vikings, the same number of makes CSU has in conference play.

FREE THROWS ARE A TEAM EFFORT: The Vikings have made it a true team effort to lead the league in free throw percentage as eight players are shooting better than .700 from the line. However, only Kailey Klein ranks among the league leaders in free throw percentage, ranking third at .850 (102-120). No other player has made the minimum of 2.0 free throws per game to be ranked among the leaders. Dominique Butler has made the second most free throws on the team (25).

A PERFECT 10: Saturday's win over Wright State improved the Vikings to 10-7 overall, allowing CSU to surpass last season's win total (8-22). It also marks the first time CSU has reached double-digit wins since 2003-04, when the Vikings finished 12-16 in Kate Peterson Abiad's first season at the helm.

... AND ONE MORE LEAGUE WIN: Would allow the Vikings to match their Horizon League win total from a season ago (5-11).

WHAT A START: Following a 63-60 setback at Buffalo on Dec. 15, the Vikings were just 3-5, but since that time, CSU has rattled off wins in seven of its last nine games to improve to 10-7.The start equals CSU's best since the 1999-2000 team also opened 10-7. The last time a Viking team began the season with a better record was 1983-84 (12-5).

DEFENSIVE MINDED: The Vikings continue to be one of the top defensive teams in the league, ranking first in opponent field goal percentage (.382) and steals (11.0) and second in scoring defense (61.9). The Vikings have allowed only four teams to shoot better than .400 from the field and have held four teams under 50 points. Last season, CSU allowed teams to shoot better than .400 on 19 occasions and better than .500 five times, while holding just three teams under 50 points.

MOVING ON UP: Brittany Korth continues to move up the all-time list for career three-pointers made and attempted. After going 6-for-10 from three-point last week, Korth is now fourth in school-history with 140 career makes and third with 499 attempts. She is 11 makes shy of third place and 44 attempts short of second place. Korth is also ninth on the all-time assist list with 290, three shy of eighth place and needing 11 to take over seventh place.

THE BUTLER DID IT: Dominique Butler recorded nine steals in two games last week and ranks first in the Horizon League with 47. Butler, who led the league in steals in each of her first two seasons, has swiped 175 career steals, needing nine more to move into 10th place on the all-time list at CSU.

AN ANGEL AMONG US: Sophomore Angel Roque has picked up her play during the league schedule, averaging 7.2 points per game, while shooting .435 (10-23) from three-point. After going just 1-for-6 in the first two conference games, Roque has gone on to hit nine of her last 17 three-point attempts (.529).

SOMETHING ABOUT DETROIT: Kailey Klein must be glad to see Detroit on the opponents jersey as it seems like the Titans bring out the best in her. Klein, who is averaging 24.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game in three games against Detroit, scored a career-high 33 points in a win at UDM last season.

WHO NEEDS BATMAN...: When you have Robyn, as in Viking senior Robyn Hoying. The Minster, Ohio native had her best game in a Viking uniform on Jan. 10 at Green Bay, setting career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (10) for her first career double-double. Hoying hit 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point. In addition, she knocked down all seven of her free throws.

NO MORE WISCONSIN: The Vikings are probably glad that their annual trip to Wisconsin is complete as CSU is just 1-20 all-time in Green Bay and 4-11 all-time in Milwaukee. CSU is also 0-4 in games played in Madison against Wisconsin.

BUTLER MAY MISS IT THOUGH: One player who may wish CSU made another trip to Milwaukee is junior Dominique Butler, a native of the city. In three career games in her hometown, Butler has averaged 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, while shooting .487 (18-37) from the field. Butler scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in Saturday's loss.

ROAD SWEET ROAD: The Vikings entered the season with a 4-42 record away from the Wolstein Center over the last three seasons. But it appears that CSU has figured out how to win on the road as the Vikings have posted a respectable 4-6 mark away from Cleveland this season. In fact, CSU had its modest two-game road win streak snapped on Jan. 10 at Green Bay. It was the Vikings first two-game road win streak since 2004.

TWO BIG REASONS: When looking at the statistics, it is easy to see there are two big factors in determining when the Vikings win and when they lose. Those factors are rebounding and field goal defense. In eight wins, the Vikings own a +1.4 rebounding advantage, while holding its opponents to 51.9 points and .340 shooting from the field. On the other hand, CSU has a -8.4 deficit in rebounding and gives up 76.3 points on .435 shooting in seven losses this season.

KLEIN AT THE LINE: Kailey Klein has been just about automatic from the free throw line this season, ranking third in the league in free throw percentage (.850), which would also rank as the third best for a single season in school history. Deb Taylor currently holds that honor, hitting .855 (106-124) in 1989-90. Klein has moved up to fourth place on the career free throw percentage list at CSU (208-269; .773). Klein has had two near record-setting games this season. In a Nov. 26 loss to Ohio, she tied the school-record by hitting 15-of-16 free throws to equal Taylor's record of free throws made set against Valparaiso on Jan. 11, 1990. 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.

KORTH KEEPS PLAYING: Senior Brittany Korth has played in 103 career games and needs to play in 14 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 13 more regular season games on the schedule and will play at least one game in the league tournament.

NOT MUCH SUSPENSE: CSU has not been giving its fans much to worry about as 13 of its 17 games have been decided by double digit points. The 10 wins have come by an average of 14.3 points, while CSU's seven losses have been by an average of 13.9 points. The only games not decided by double figures are an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 20), a 63-60 loss at Buffalo (Dec. 15) a Dec. 29 win over American (65-63) and a Jan. 5 win over UIC (66-58).

AND WE TEND TO KNOW BY HALFTIME ...: Whether CSU will win or not. After all, the Vikings are 10-2 this season when holding a lead after the first 20 minutes of action. CSU's two losses when leading at the half this season were an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage when the Vikings led 24-20 at halftime and Saturday's 63-52 loss at Milwaukee when the Vikings held an eight-point (30-22) lead at intermission. The Vikings are 0-5 when trailing or tied at the half.

SAME `OLE ROUTINE: Head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has had the luxury of using the same starting lineup for all 16 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 four through 16 games.

DISHING IT OUT: The Vikings have been extremely generous in sharing the basketball this season, ranking second in the conference with 15.0 assists per game. CSU has recorded an assist on 68-percent of its baskets this season, including a season-high 26 assists (on 32) baskets in a win over Bradley (Nov. 21). The 26 assists are tied for the 10th most in a single game in program history.

...AND TAKING IT, TOO: The Vikings are tops in the Horizon League with 187 steals. In addition, CSU boasts three of the top seven individuals as Dominique Butler (2.8) ranks second, while Kailey Klein (2.0) is sixth and Brittany Korth (2.7) seventh. The Vikings have swiped double-digit steals in 11 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.

SHE CAN SCORE: A year after leading the team in scoring (11.0) as a freshman, Kailey Klein ranks second in the league with a 17.2 scoring average this season, including a league season-high 33 point effort at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 20). Klein, who trails Milwaukee's Traci Edwards (19.6) in the scoring race, has scored in every way this season, hitting 87-of-212 (.410) from the field, including 16 three pointers. In addition, she has knocked down a league leading 102 free throws on 120 attempts to rank third in the conference in free throw percentage (.850).

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. Most recently, Klein was selected as the Horizon League Player of the Week on Dec. 31 for her efforts against American. She was also selected as the CSU Athlete of the Month for December.

BEATING THE BUZZER: Kailey Klein provided some last second heroics in the Dec. 29 win over American as, despite having two defenders in her face, 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.

VIKINGS GET DEFENSIVE: The 34 points CSU allowed in a 60-34 win at Colgate (Dec. 20) represented the lowest scoring output by a Viking opponent 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.

JUMP SHOTS: CSU has posted a 9-7 mark through 16 games this season, the best start in program history since the 1999-2000 squad also opened 9-7. Here are a few more highlights from the first 16 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.
• Kailey Klein ties her career-high with 33 points in a loss at Alaska Anchorage (11/20) in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout. It is the most points scored by a Horizon League player this season.
• Shawnita Garland is named the Player of the Game in the consolation game of the Great Alaska Shootout after setting career highs in points (19), rebounds (8), assists (5) and steals (5) against Bradley (11/21).
• CSU shoots a season-best .552 (32-58) and scores a season-high 82 points in a victory over Bradley in the consolation game of the Great Alaska Shootout (11/21).
• Kailey Klein ties a school-record by knocking down 15 free throws (out of 16 attempts) in a loss to Ohio (11/26).
• Dominique Butler connects on 9-of-10 (.900) field goals in a loss at Miami (OH) (12/1). It is the second best effort from the field in CSU history.
• Stephaine Crosley notches CSU's first double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 60-49 win at IUPUI (12/5).
• CSU has been near automatic from the free throw line this year, hitting on .796 (222-279) from the charity stripe to rank among the top-10 teams in the nation.

UP NEXT: CSU will conclude the first round of league play with a pair of road games next week. The Vikings will play at Butler on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7:00 p.m. before heading to league newcomer Valparaiso on Saturday, Feb. 2, for a 2:35 p.m. contest.