Nov. 20, 2007
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Cleveland State's Kailey Klein tied her career-high with 33 points, but the Vikings fell to Alaska Anchorage in overtime, 80-72, in an opening round game of the 2007 Carrs/Great Alaska Shootout on Tuesday night in Sullivan Arena.
With the loss, the Vikings will play in the consolation game on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m. EST against the loser of Tuesday's other opening round game between Bradley and Santa Clara. UAA, which won the tournament last season, advances to Wednesday's championships and will play the winner of Tuesday's other semifinal at 9:00 p.m. EST.
"Alaska is a very good team with a lot of weapons," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We had a chance to win the game in regulation, but had two defensive breakdowns and that really cost us a chance to win down the stretch. And once we got into overtime, they hit some shots and knocked down their free throws.
"We need to make better decisions when the game is on the line," Peterson Abiad said. "But that is all part of the learning process and we'll get better as the season goes on."
Klein, played only eight minutes and scored just six points in the first half due to foul trouble. However, she picked things up in the second half and finished 10-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and 9-of-11 at the charity stripe.
"Kailey is the player that we rely on night in and night out," Peterson Abiad said.
Robyn Hoying was the only other Viking to reach double-figures as she scored a career-high 15 points. Dominique Butler added seven points and a game-best eight rebounds.
UAA connected on 10-of-28 from three-point land, including 5-of-11 from Maria Nillson who finished with 21 points. Kalhie Quinoines added 16 points, while Jennifer Salazar chipped in 14 points and eight boards for the Seawolves.
CSU took a 61-57 lead with 1:09 to play in regulation following a pair of free throws by Klein. However, Rebecca Kielpinski responded with a layup with 42 seconds to play to cut the Seawolf deficit to two points and following a Viking turnover, UAA's Jennifer Salazar hit a layup with 10 seconds to play to knot the score at 61-61.
The Vikings had a chance to win the game in regulation, but could not get off a shot.
Butler hit a pair of free throws for the first two points in overtime, but UAA would go on a 12-1 run to assume a 73-64 lead with 1:03 to play and the Vikings could not overcome the deficit.
CSU led by as many as eight points in the first half (20-12) following two free throws by Hoying with 6:30 to play. However, the Seawolves slowly chipped away and cut the deficit to four points, 24-20, at halftime.
UAA scored the first five points of the second half to take a 25-24 lead, but CSU rebounded with a 12-6 run to take its biggest lead of the second half, 36-31, with 16:30 to play. However, the lead was short-lived as CSU went cold from the field and UAA scored the next eight points to regain a three point lead (39-36) with 11:47 left in regulation.
Neither team would lead by more than three points the rest of the second half as the teams were tied eight times the rest of the way, including at the final buzzer of the second half.
