Dec. 30, 2011
Contact: Renee Adam
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Game 12
Cleveland State (5-6) at Youngstown State (6-5)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011
Time: 2:05 p.m.
Site: Beeghly Center - Youngstown, Ohio
Series: Youngstown State leads, 31-23
Last Meeting: Cleveland State 76, Youngstown State 71
Tickets: Available on Site
CSU Game Notes 
SETTING THE SCENE
Cleveland State will open its Horizon League schedule this weekend, as the Vikings travel to Youngstown State for a 2:05 p.m. contest on Saturday (Dec. 31). The Vikings, who finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 5-6 mark, are coming off a 62-48 victory over Lake Erie, while YSU enters the contest with a 6-5 record on the year. The 2011-12 season marks the 18th year that CSU will be competing in the Horizon League, while Saturday's game will be the 55th meeting between YSU and the Vikings. Youngstown State holds a 31-23 edge in the overall series, but the Vikings have been victorious in the past eight contests.
PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE
Following an up-and-down non-conference schedule, the Cleveland State women's basketball team is set to begin Horizon League play under ninth year head coach Kate Peterson Abiad. The Vikings, who have three players averaging double-figure points, are led by the trio of Destinee Blue (14.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Shalonda Winton (12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.8 apg) and Takima Keane (12.1 ppg, 2.9 apg). Joining those three in the starting lineup have been senior Janelle Adams (6.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.1 apg) and junior Honesty King (9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Due to injuries, Peterson Abiad has had to rely her bench this season, which includes returning letterwinners Kaila Montgomery (1.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg), Ondrea Hughes (1.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg), Brandee Kelly (1.0 ppg) and Haley Schmitt (0.8 ppg) and freshmen Cori Coleman (3.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg), Kiersten Green (2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg), Imani Gordon (2.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Tess Zufall (0.7 ppg).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!:
Saturday's game at Youngstown State will be the eighth time that the Vikings have played on New Year's Eve, with CSU holding a 4-3 mark in those contests. Saturday's game will be just the second time that the Vikings have played away from home on New Year's Eve, as they also did so last season, playing at UIC. Following is a list of games that CSU has played on New Year's Eve...
Dec. 31, 1982-WAYNE STATE-W, 82-43
Dec. 31, 1983-vs. Cal State Fullerton-W, 75-65
Dec. 31, 1984-vs. New Hampshire-L, 76-67
Dec. 31, 1992-AUSTIN PEAY-W, 89-76
Dec. 31, 1997-VANDERBILT-L, 91-72
Dec. 31, 2005-DETROIT-W, 76-67
Dec. 31, 2010-at UIC-L, 65-59
CSU IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE // 2010-11
Last season CSU finished with a 12-6 mark in the Horizon League, which tied the 2008-09 team for most league wins in a season. Under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, the Vikings have tallied 10 or more league wins during four seasons. The Vikings also finished the regular season tied for second place in the league standings, the best finish in program history.
...VIKINGS IN HORIZON LEAGUE OPENERS
CSU is 6-11 all-time in Horizon League openers, with the last win coming against Loyola during the 2007-08 season. Saturday's contest will mark the 10th season that the Vikings will open league play on the road, and just the third time that CSU will open against Youngstown State.
NON-Conference Recap
Wednesday's 62-48 victory over Lake Erie marked the final non-conference game of the regular season for the Vikings, as CSU enters league play with a 5-6 record. During the early portion of the schedule, Cleveland State claimed victories over Tennessee State (74-56), Western Michigan (72-66 OT), Ohio (66-56) and Murray State (68-61 OT) along with Lake Erie. CSU's losses throughout the first seven weeks of play came against Illinois (72-42), Fordham (52-43), Cornell (79-59), Akron (84-74), Toledo (81-42) and Ole Miss (74-63).
COLEMAN CATCHES FIRE
In just her third career start, freshman Cori Coleman led the Vikings with 14 points, two assists, two steals and two rebounds against the Lake Erie Storm. Coleman's 14 points marked the first time that she has scored in double-figures, while it makes her the sixth Viking to do so this season.
BLUE NOTCHES FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF 2011-12
Destinee Blue, who now has 10 double-doubles for her career, notched her first of the 2011-12 season against Lake Erie (Dec. 28), as she posted 14 points and 12 rebounds. Blue joins Shalonda Winton as the only Vikings to tally a double-double this season.
...BLUE CONTINUES TO LEAD CSU
Blue, who leads the Vikings with 156 points this season, has now posted double-digit points in seven consecutive games after posting 14 in the victory over Lake Erie (Dec. 28). Blue leads the Horizon League with a .588 field goal percentage (60-102), while she also ranks sixth in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per contest.
KING SETS CAREER-HIGH
Honesty King recorded a career-high 20 points at Ole Miss during the Magnolia Classic (Dec. 21) earlier this year, and became the third Viking to record a 20-point game this season. King's 20 points against the Rebels came after an 8-for-13 night from the field (.615), including a 4-for-7 mark from behind the arc (.571). King, who has 12 three-pointers on the season, has now posted at least four in a contest three times throughout her career.
...KEANE TIES CAREER-HIGH
Takima Keane, who also posted 20 points at Ole Miss (Dec. 21), tied her career-high with the 20 point effort. Keane has now tallied 20 points three times throughout her career, including against Akron (Nov. 30) earlier this season. Against the Rebels, Keane was 6-for-12 from the field, including a 3-for-5 performance from three-point.
VIKINGS IN OVERTIME
After not playing any overtime contests last season, the Vikings have already played extra time twice throughout the first 10 games of the 2011-12 season after defeating Murray State, 68-61 in overtime at the Magnolia Classic (Dec. 20). Earlier this season the Vikings forced overtime at Western Michigan (Nov. 25) and came out on top, 72-66, to improve to 18-15 all-time in overtime contests.
WINTON CLIMBS CSU RECORD LIST
Shalonda Winton continues to climb the CSU all-time career rebounds list, as she currently ranks 15th all-time with 562. Winton needs just five more rebounds to move into 14th place, which is held by Karyn Woloszynek (2000-04) who posted 566. Winton also ranks ninth in defensive rebounds with 368 and is just nine reboulds shy of making the top-10 in offensive rebounds (194).
WINTON CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Junior Shalonda Winton is closing in on 1,000 career points at Cleveland State, as she enters Saturday's contest with 747. This season Winton is averaging 12.0 points per game, while she averaged 12.5 points per game as a sophomore and 6.1 as a freshman.
...BLUE AND ADAMS REACH 600 CAREER POINTS
Destinee Blue and Janelle Adams both reached the 600-point milestone against Lake Erie, following a 14-point and 10-point effort, respectively. Blue now has 601 points on her career, while Adams has 602.
VIKINGS WITH THE ASSIST
So far this season the Vikings have recorded 156 assists on 234 field goals, with the duo of Takima Keane and Shalonda Winton leading the way. As a team CSU ranks second in the Horizon League, averaging 14.2 assists per game, while Keane ranks 10th (2.9) and Winton ranks 11th (2.8).
VIKINGS MARK HORIZON LEAGUE GAME-HIGH
With 10 blocked shots against Ohio (Dec. 5) earlier this season, the Vikings set a game-high among the Horizon League schools in the category this year. As a team, CSU ranks second overall averaging 3.8 blocks per game, while Shalonda Winton and Destinee Blue each rank in the top-10 individually in the category. Winton ranks fifth averaging 1.2 blocks per game and Blue is 10th averaging 0.9.
HEAD COACH Kate Peterson ABIAD
Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson Abiad is in her ninth season at the helm of the Vikings, and ranks second on the all-time wins list at CSU. Peterson Abiad became the third coach in program history to record 100 career victories last season, and currently has 111, needing just five more to take over first place on the all-time wins list. Peterson Abiad has led the Vikings to four straight 19-win seasons, including a 21-12 record last year, the second most wins in program history.
CSU TABBED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
Cleveland State was picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, receiving 238 points. The Vikings finished behind preseason favorite Green Bay, who received 29 first place votes and 299 points. Wright State (212 points), Butler (197) and UIC (186) rounded out the top five. Detroit was the only other team to collect a first place vote, as they finished seventh with 141 points behind Milwaukee who placed sixth with 177 points. The Titans were followed by Loyola (88), Valparaiso (64) and Youngstown State (48).
WINTON NAMED PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE
Junior Shalonda Winton was named to the 2011-12 Preseason All-Horizon League first team in voting conducted by the league's 10 head coaches, sports information directors and select media. Last season Winton ranked sixth in the league in rebounding (9.1), seventh in blocks (0.8), ninth in field goal percentage (.462; 146-316) and 15th in scoring (12.5). She also became the fourth player in school history to grab at least 300 rebounds in a season, ending right on the number.
CSU VS. TEAMS IN 2011 POSTSEASON
The Vikings are set to play six more games against teams that advanced to the postseason last year, including Green Bay who reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Cleveland State's first contest against a team that reached the postseason came at Toledo (Dec. 10), as the Vikings fell to the 2011 WNIT champions, 81-42. CSU will now face Green Bay twice, as well as Butler who played in the WNIT and Wright State who played in the WBI.
CSU HOOPS LUNCHEON RETURNS
This season marks the third annual CSU Hoops Luncheon Series, with Viking basketball fans having the opportunity to get monthly updates from CSU basketball head coaches Kate Peterson Abiad and Gary Waters throughout the 2011-12 season. The luncheon will take place beginning at 11:30 a.m. on the fifth floor Viking Loge of the Wolstein Center annex. The next luncheon will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 7, with the final luncheon to be held on Monday, Feb. 13. Reservations can be made by calling (216) 687-5454.
VIKINGS ADD TWO DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Cleveland State signed two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 16, as Jasmine Flanagan (Corona, Calif./Centennial) and Nafeshia Holifield (Milwaukee, Wis./Milwaukee Vincent) will join the Vikings for the 2012-13 season. Flanagan, a 5-foot-5 combo guard, comes to CSU after earning first team all-league honors as a sophomore and junior. The two-time Team MVP averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game as a junior, and set the Roosevelt High School record with 62 three-pointers made in a season. Holifield is a 6-foot power forward who averages 10.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Milwaukee Vincent, which is the same high school as current Viking Destinee Blue, has won the state championship three times out of the past five years.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will continue their three-game road swing with a pair of Horizon League contests at Valparaiso and Butler. CSU will face the Crusaders on Thursday, January 5 at 8:05 p.m. EST and will then face the Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7.
