Vikings Head to Top-Seeded Green Bay for Semifinal Contest

Will Be CSU's Third Straight Appearance in Semifinals

Shalonda Winton had 14 points in CSU's win over UIC in the quarterfinals.

March 11, 2010

Contact: Greg Murphy

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME #31

2010 Speedway Horizon League Championship

No. 4 Cleveland State (17-13) at No. 1 Green Bay (27-3)
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Site: Kress Events Center (4,018) - Green Bay, Wis.
TV: Live video streaming available online through the HLN.
Radio: WHKW 1220 AM (David Wilson)
Series: UWGB leads, 47-4
Last Mtg: @UWGB 68, CSU 58 (3/6/10)
Tickets: Available at site

SETTING THE SCENE: Following a 78-72 win over UIC in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night, fourth-seeded Cleveland State continues play in the Speedway Horizon League Championship when the Vikings travel to top-seeded Green Bay for a semifinal match-up on Friday (March 12) at 9:00 p.m. EST in the Kress Events Center. The Vikings enter the game at 17-13 overall and have won five of their last six games. The lone setback was a 68-59 loss at Green Bay in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon. Green Bay is 27-3 overall and advanced to the semifinals with a 72-48 quarterfinal win over Milwaukee on Wednesday.

PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE: With four starters and eight letterwinners back from last year's 19 win team, seventh year head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has her most experienced squad to date. Headlining the list of returnees is senior guard and the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, Kailey Klein (18.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg). Joining her in the starting backcourt are senior Jessica Roque (5.9, 2.7, 2.9) and junior Shawnita Garland (12.6, 4.9, 3.3), who joined Klein on the preseason all-league first team. Senior Angel Roque (7.0, 2.4, 2.3) gives the Vikings an experienced point guard, while freshman Honesty King (3.4 ppg) continues to work her way into the rotation after redshirting last season. Sophomore Janelle Adams (5.2, 3.9) is an athletic wing-forward who is being counted on to fill a bigger role this season and sophomore guard Takima Keane (2.5, 0.7) is beginning to receive more minutes as a wing-forward combo. Senior Stephaine Crosley (7.4, 5.7) is the most experienced post player on the roster and is joined in the starting frontcourt by freshman Shalonda Winton (6.5, 5.2). Sophomore Destinee Blue (2.0, 2.0) and freshman Kaila Montgomery (0.3, 0.5) provide CSU with a low post presence and solid interior defense off the bench.

KLEIN NAMED TO ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM: Kailey Klein was named to the All-Horizon League first team for the third straight season after leading the league in scoring at 18.1 points per night, more than two points per game better than the second place scorer. In addition, she ranked sixth in rebounds (7.2), defensive rebounding (5.1) and blocked shots (0.7), while also checking in at seventh in offensive rebounding (2.3) and ninth in three-pointers made (1.4). Klein became just the eighth player in league history to earn first team all-league honors in three different seasons.

GARLAND ALSO PICKS UP LEAGUE HONORS: Shawnita Garland earned a spot on the postseason All-Horizon League second team for the second straight season, as well as garnering a spot on the league's all-defensive team for the second consecutive year. Garland ranked ninth in the league in scoring (12.6) and 10th in assists (3.3), while leading the league in steals with 92 (3.1 spg).

LUCKY NO. 4?: Perhaps the Vikings have luck on their side heading into the Horizon League Championship as the No. 4 seed. After all, the last time CSU was seeded fourth in 2008, the Vikings went on to capture their only league title in program history. CSU defeated Butler in the quarterfinals (79-68), won at Green Bay in the semifinals (90-66) and topped Wright State (70-56) in the championship game. The Vikings have been seeded fourth four times in school history and claim an all-time record of 4-3 at the tournament's No. 4 seed.

THE ONLY TWO: Cleveland State is one of two teams in the Horizon League to reach the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship in each of the last two seasons, joining Green Bay. CSU won the title in 2008, while UWGB claimed it last season.

CSU IN HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNEY: Wednesday's game marked the 15th year that Cleveland State has taken part in the Horizon League Championship with the Vikings owning a 10-14 record after the 78-72 win over UIC.

IN ALL TOURNAMENT PLAY: CSU has posted an 11-20 all-time record in 21 years of conference tournament play. CSU has won one postseason tournament title (2008) and has played in the title game twice, a 79-72 loss to Green Bay in 2000, and a 70-55 win over Wright State in 2008. This will be CSU's seventh appearance in the semifinals.

T.G.I.F.: There is something about Friday's with the Vikings this year as CSU has won both games it has played on the day to start the weekend. CSU opened the season with a 58-34 victory over Ohio on a Friday and also claims a win over Iona (64-58) in the Caribbean Challenge on a Friday.

QUITE A SENIOR CLASS: The senior class of Stephaine Crosley, Kailey Klein, Angel Roque and Jessica Roque were honored prior to the Wright State game on Feb. 27 prior to playing their final regular season home game. The quartet, who committed to CSU after the Vikings won just four games in 2005-06, have helped turn the program around, leading CSU to 63 wins over the last four seasons, including the 2008 Horizon League Championship and CSU's first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. The 63 victories are the second most by a senior class in school history, trailing the 65 wins by the seniors on the 1982-83 squad.

NCAA STATS: The most recent NCAA statistics were released on Monday (March 8) and the Vikings rank 35th in assists (15.3), 57th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.88), 80th steals (9.5), 90th in rebound margin (2.8) and 101st in turnover margin (1.48). Individually, Kailey Klein is ranked 46th in the country in scoring (17.8) and 168th in rebounding (7.4), while Shawnita Garland checks in at 17th in steals (3.0).

2K FOR K2: Kailey Klein moved into second place on the all-time scoring list in Horizon League history last weekend and enters the league semifinal game with 2,058 career points. Former Milwaukee standout Traci Edwards (2005-09) is the all-time leading scorer in league history with 2,340 points, while former Butler great Julie VonDielingen (1989-93) is the only other player in league history to reach the mark (2,018).

KLEIN ADDS TO CAREER SCORING MARK: Kailey Klein's 29 points against UIC on Wednesday night allowed the Cherry, Ill., native to extend the all-time scoring mark in CSU history. Klein, who now has 2,058 points in her career, broke Dianne Foster's (1979-81; 82-84) 26-year old record of 1,851 points against Loyola on Feb. 6. The record setting basket was a left-handed layup in the paint off a pass from senior Angel Roque with 11:08 to play in the first half.

SHE'S A STEAL: Shawnita Garland has made a Horizon League most 92 steals this season, the eighth most in a single season at CSU. Garland, who ranks 17th in the nation in steals per game (3.1), made a league single-game high nine thefts at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 29), tying her for the fourth most steals in a game in school history. She has picked up her defense of late, making 41 steals over the last nine games (4.6 spg) and has multiple steals in 24 of the 30 games this season.

KLEIN & ROQUE TO EXTEND SCHOOL RECORD: Seniors Kailey Klein and Jessica Roque will extend their school record for career games played on Friday when they take the court at Green Bay for their 124th career game.

... AND START NO. 112 NEXT FOR KLEIN: When Kailey Klein is announced as a starter for Friday's game at Green Bay, she will move within one game of tying the CSU career record for games played. Klein, who will be playing in her 112th career start, will need to play one more game to tie Juli Grant's school record of 113 career starts.

GAME 100 NEXT FOR CROSLEY: Stephaine Crosley will take the court for the 100th time in her career on Friday night in Green Bay. Crosley has battled numerous injuries and ailments in her career, missing a total of 29 games during her career. She has averaged 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds during her career and recently became the 15th player in school history to reach 500 career points and 500 career rebounds.

500 ... 500 ... 500: Kailey Klein became the first player in school history to score 500 points in three different seasons last weekend. Klein scored 654 points as a sophomore, the highest single season total in school history, added 542 points last season, the sixth highest total in CSU history, and has scored 544 points this season, tied for the fourth most in a single season.

KLEIN AT THE LINE: Kailey Klein holds the CSU career record for free throws made (590) and attempted (746), while her .791 percentage ranks fourth all-time. So it was a bit of a surprise when she was shooting just 60-percent (30-50) at the line at the conclusion of non-league games. However, since the Vikings began Horizon League play, Klein has been near automatic, hitting 107-of-127 (.843) from the charity stripe, allowing her to improve to 77-percent (137-177) this season.

11 IN THE LEAGUE: Cleveland State's win at Milwaukee on March 4 allowed the Vikings to win their 11th league game, the second most in a season in school history. CSU has now won at least 10 league games in three straight seasons, a school record. The streak began with 10 wins in 2007-08 (the third highest total in school history) and continued last year when CSU won a school-record 12 league games.

ON THE GLASS: CSU is tops in the league in rebounding margin at +2.9, putting the Vikings on pace to finish with a positive rebounding margin for just the seventh time in program history, including the second straight season. The only other time CSU had a positive rebounding margin in back-to-back seasons came in 1978-79 and 1979-80.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: CSU has excelled at offensive rebounding this season, as the Vikings lead the league with 13.9 per game. CSU has grabbed at least 10 offensive boards in 24 of 30 games, including 22 at Eastern Michigan and 21 against Ohio and Kent State. Individually, Stephaine Crosley ranks fourth in the Horizon League in offensive rebounds (2.6), while Shalonda Winton and Kailey Klein are tied for ninth (2.3) in the league statistics.

ANOTHER WINNING SEASON: CSU's win at Milwaukee on March 4 allowed the Vikings to clinch their third consecutive winning season, a first in school history. The streak started with the Vikings going 19-14 in 2007-08 and continued with CSU's 19-13 record last season.

CROSLEY ON THE MARK: Stephaine Crosley leads CSU in field goal percentage at .536 (89-166), ranking fourth in the league. She is attempting to become just the 11th player in school history to shoot better than 50-percent from the field in a season. Should she do it, it would mark the third straight season that a CSU player has shot 50-percent of better from the field, joining Dominique Butler (.500; 140-280) in 2007-08 and Shawnita Garland (.527; 150-290) last season.

ANOTHER GRAND: Kailey Klein continues to lead the Horizon League in minutes played (36.2) and went past the 1,000 minute mark last week in Wisconsin. Klein, who has logged 1,086 minutes this season (5th all-time at CSU), is the only player in school history to play 1,000 minutes in three separate seasons. She has played a school-record 3,974 minutes in her career.

... AND GARLAND GETS 1,000 TOO: After playing all 40 minutes against UIC on Wednesday night, Shawnita Garland joined Kailey Klein as the only players in school history with multiple 1,000 minute seasons. Garland, who has played 1,017 minutes this year, logged 1,002 minutes as a sophomore.

HOME SWEET HOME: CSU's win over UIC on Wednesday allowed the Vikings to finish their home slate at 11-3, tying the school record for most home wins in a season. The 2008-09, 1988-89 and 1980-81 teams also won 11 home games. In addition, the 22 home wins over the last two seasons represent the best two-year stretch in school history.

KLEIN HITS 30: Kailey Klein's 32 point effort versus Detroit on Feb. 25 extended her school-record of career 30-point games to eight. Klein, who has two 30-point games this season, hit 8-of-17 from the field and 15-of-16 at the free throw line. Her 32 point outburst against Detroit is the highest point total by a Horizon League player this season, while her 31 point effort against Loyola (Feb. 6) is the second highest.

LOTS OF POINTS: The 82 point outburst at Valparaiso (Feb. 11) represented a season-high for the Vikings, bettering the old mark of 81 set in a win against Butler (Jan. 14). The Vikings have won eight straight contests in which they have reached the 80-point mark. The last time CSU lost a game when scoring 80 points was a 93-80 seback at UIC (3/6/08).

KLEIN MAINTAINS SCORING LEAD: Kailey Klein continues to lead the Horizon League in scoring at 18.1 points per game, holding a 2.5 ppg edge over Butler's Melanie Thornton (15.6). Klein, who has finished as the runner-up for the league scoring title in each of the last two seasons, is attempting to become the third scoring champion in school history and the first since 2001-02 when Erika Roudebush averaged 18.2 per game.

... KLEIN NEARS A TRIPLE DOUBLE: Kailey Klein flirted with a triple-double before finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high tying eight assists against Butler (Jan. 14). Earlier this season, Klein had 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a win at Niagara (Dec. 15). There have been five triple-doubles in program history with Ashley Schrock recording the last one with 13 points, 13 boards and 10 assists vs. Wright State (2/15/03).

VIKINGS BUST BCS: CSU's win over Indiana (Dec. 19) was its first over a Bowl Championship Series Conference opponent since Dec. 30, 1996, when the Vikings knocked off Syracuse, 79-77. CSU defeated Louisville, 79-68, on Dec. 18, 2003, but the Cardinals were then a member of Conference USA. Prior to the win over Indiana, CSU had lost 18 straight to BCS schools, or those with major college football.

WINTON DOUBLES UP: Freshman Shalonda Winton put together one of her best all-around efforts to date in the Jan. 22 win over Youngstown State, notching her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, adding a career-high tying three steals. Her 13 rebounds were one shy of her career-high of 14 vs. Indiana (Dec. 19).

UNDER 40: When CSU held Youngstown State to 38 points on Feb. 20, it marked the second time this season that CSU held an opponent under 40 points. CSU defeated Ohio in the season opener, 56-34. It is the first time since 1978-79 that the Vikings held two opponents under 40 points in the same season. The 34 points vs. Ohio were the fewest given up by CSU since a 62-24 win over Ashland on Feb. 8, 1983.

NICE COMEBACK: CSU trailed Valpo at the half, 44-36, when the two teams met at the Wolstein Center on Jan. 16, but rallied for a 71-68 victory. It marked just the second time this season that the Vikings won a game when trailing at the half and the largest halftime deficit overcome this year. The only other games CSU has won when trailing at the half was against Indiana (Dec. 19) when the Vikings went into the locker room down 34-33 and won 77-75 in overtime, and Wednesday's 78-72 win over UIC when the Vikings were down at halftime, 37-31.

VIKINGS LIKE THE A.R.C.: CSU continued its torrid shooting at Valparaiso's Athletics & Recreation Center on Feb. 11, shooting a season-best .537 (29-54) from the field. Over the last three seasons, the Vikings have combined to shoot .562 (86-153) from the field in three wins on the Crusaders home court. Last year, CSU shot. 581 (25-43) from the field, the third best percentage in a single game in school history.

KLEIN NAMED CSU ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY: Kailey Klein earned the Female Athlete of the Month Award at CSU in February after averaging 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, helping the Vikings go 5-2. Klein had four double-doubles in, including a 32 point, 10 rebound effort in a win over then first place Detroit on Feb. 25. In addition, she became the all-time leading scorer in CSU history against Loyola (Feb. 6) and was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Week selection in February.

... AND JANURAY: Kailey Klein was named the CSU Female Athlete of the Month for January after averaging16.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine games, helping CSU to a 5-4 mark. She had double-doubles at Loyola and at UIC, including 28 points with 11 rebounds against the Ramblers. Her performances in Chicago helped Klein earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors. In addition, Klein added a double-double of 19 points and 12 boards in win over Butler.

... AND GARLAND GETS IT IN DECEMBER: Shawnita Garland picked up CSU's Female Athlete of the Month honor in December after averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals in five December games. She recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at Niagara and then played a career-high 44 minutes, scoring 15 points in a win over Indiana. Garland also flirted with a rare quadruple-double at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 29, finishing with 14 points, nine steals, seven assists and six boards.

NINE IS FINE FOR KLEIN: Kailey Klein's selection as the Horizon League Player of the Week on March 1 extended her school record to nine career selections and moved her into a tie for second place for the most awards in league history with Nicole Soulis of Green Bay. Milwaukee's Traci Edwards holds the record with 10 career awards.

A HELPING HAND: Despite having her streak of scoring in double figures snapped at nine at UIC (Jan. 9), Shawnita Garland had a huge effect on the game, dishing out a career-high eight assists. More impressive was that she did not have a turnover.

ROQUE EN FUEGO IN MEXICO: Jessica Roque did a majority of her damage against Iona (Nov. 27) from behind the three-point line, connecting on a school-record tying seven three's in eight attempts. Roque's .875 (7-8) percentage from beyond the arc was a CSU single game record and the seventh best by a Divison I player this season.

UP NEXT: A win on Friday night would send the Vikings to the Horizon League Championship game on Sunday (March 12) at 1:00 p.m. EST against the winner of Friday's first semifinal between second-seeded Butler and third-seeded Detroit. The championship game will be televised live on ESPNU.