Nov. 10, 2006

Final Stats

CLEVELAND - Miami's Jenna Schone made a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds left to allow the RedHawks to outlast Cleveland State, 86-84, in the Wolstein Center on Friday night (Nov. 10).

The Vikings had appeared to rally from five points down with 2:19 to go and force overtime when freshman Jessica Roque buried a three-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to tie the game at 84-84, but a foul on the inbounds sent the RedHawks to the line for the deciding free throws.

CSU had one last chance to even the game, but the Vikings could not get off a shot before the buzzer sounded.

"This is a very young team and we're going to ask them to make big plays for us all year long," CSU head coach Kate Peterson said. "If we can bring this intensity and focus every night, then we'll do good things this year."

Senior Nicole Thomas led five Vikings in double figures with a career-high 22 points, adding a game-high 12 rebounds while sophomore Dominique Butler added 14 points. Amanda Jackson paced the RedHawks with 31 points and six steals with Schone scoring 12 points and handing out nine assists.

It was the freshmen trio of Stephaine Crosley (15 points, nine rebounds), Jessica Roque (12 points, five rebounds & five assists) and Angel Roque (10 points, five rebounds & five assists) who provided the spark for the Vikings all night long.

"I thought our posts did a nice job of turning things around in the second half," Peterson said. "They played solid defense, rebounded the ball well and were a force offensively."

With the freshman class leading the way, Cleveland State bore no resemblance to the Vikings squads the combined to win just eight games over the last two years. With the Roque sisters pushing the ball, CSU exhibited an opportunistic fast break offense that enabled the Vikings to score their second-highest single game point total in the four seasons under head coach Kate Peterson. The 84 points trailed only the 88-point outburst at home against Youngstown State in 2003-04 and was 26 points above last year's scoring average of 58.5 points a game.

The game was nip-and-tuck all night, featuring 11 ties and 12 lead changes.

The Vikings led for most of the first half as Butler scored four straight points to break a 4-4 tie early. CSU would lead by as many as eight (23-15 with 9:34 left) before the RedHawks rallied, outscoring the Vikings, 27-11 over the remainder of the half to build a 42-34 halftime lead.

The Miami lead would grow to 10 (44-34) when Schone made a jumped just four seconds in the second half.

Cleveland State stormed right back, scored 11 straight points, including baskets by four different players, to take a 45-44 lead with 17:22 left. Butler finished off the run with back-to-back baskets in the lane.

Miami would eventually hold a 52-49 lead with 15:40 left before Angel Roque knotted the game at 52-52 on a three-pointer with 15:26 left.

After the teams traded baskets, Nicole Thomas scored five straight points to give the Vikings a 59-54 lead with 12:57 remaining.

CSU was able to hold onto the lead for the next seven minutes, leading again by five (71-66 with 7:50 left) before the RedHawks would charge back. Schone and Jackson scored four points each during an 8-0 Miami run that put the RedHawks ahead, 74-71 with 4:42 left.

Although CSU would not lead again, the Vikings refused to quite. Crosley made a pair of free throws with 22 seconds to pull CSU to within 83-81. Jackson was fouled on the ensuing inbounds, making one-of-two free throws to push the lead to 84-81 with 19 seconds left.

The Roque twins team up on the apparent overtime-forcing three-pointer -- Jess ica feeding Angel on the left wing for the three-pointer to even the game at 84-84. Out of timeouts, Miami in-bounded and Angel Roque was called for a reaching foul, sending Schone to the line for the winning free throws.

It was appropriate that the game was decided at the foul line because the RedHawks only distinctive statistical edge was at the line where they made 29-0of-35 attempts (.829), including a 17-for-20 effort in the second half (.850). CSU made 15-of-21 charity tosses (.714).

The Vikings led everywhere else, holding a 47-34 lead on the boards, including 22 offensive rebounds. CSU handed out 21 assists (on 32 baskets), shooting .451 from the field (32-71). Miami managed just .433 from the field (26-60) and committed 17 turnovers.

The loss spoiled a brilliant performance by Thomas, who obliterated he previous career scoring high of 13 points, which she accomplished one time in each of the last two seasons. Thomas was nine-for-13 from the field and four-for-five from the line, pulling down six offensive and six defensive rebounds for her third career double-double.

The Vikings continue the short season-opening two-game homestand on Sunday (Nov. 12) when they host Niagara beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center.