Nov. 26, 2007
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio used a 29-6 run in a 14-minute span centered around halftime to open up a tight game as the Bobcats pulled away for a 70-59 victory over Cleveland State on Monday night in the Wolstein Center.
The game was decided both around the perimeter and in the lane as Ohio had decisive advantages in both three-point shooting and rebounding.
The Bobcats shot .381 from three-point in the game (8-21), including a seven-for-12 effort (.583) in the first half. The Vikings struggled from around the arc, missing their first 13 three-point attempts before finishing the night shooting .167 (3-18).
The Vikings were equally limited on the boards as Ohio had a 53-31 rebounding edge, pulling down 19 offensive rebounds.
Kailey Klein was the only Viking to score in double figures, finishing with 22 points. She hit just three-of-13 field goal attempts, but made up for it with her aggressiveness with repeated drives to the basket and trips to the foul line where she converted 15 of her 16 free throw attempts to tie the CSU school record for free throws made in a game. She equalled Deb Taylor's record set against Valparaiso on Jan. 11, 1990.
Lauren Kohn led Ohio with 27 points while Simone Redd added 15 points and Jennifer Popp 11.
"It was a frustrating game for us tonight," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We just couldn't hit shots and I think that affected us on the defensive end. We only had three turnovers at the half and as a coaching staff, we knew that we were holding onto the ball and getting looks at the basket, but were not converting.
"Ohio is a good team with some offensive weapons," Peterson Abiad said. "We are going to learn from this game and grow as a team. When we get down like we did tonight, we need to find a way to respond to the adversity and we will get better at that."
The game started out as a defensive battle with the Bobcats leading for all but 27 seconds in the opening 20 minutes.
After Ohio scored the first five points of the game, CSU came back to take an 8-7 lead with 15:58 left on an Angel Roque layup in transition off a steal by Dominique Butler.
The Bobcats answered with six straight points to regain the lead and eventually led by as many as six (18-12, 11:41) before CSU again rallied, scoring seven straight points to take a 19-18 lead with 7:58 left.
Natalie Miller keyed the run, sandwiching a pair of field goals around two free throws by Brittany Korth and one by Kailey Klein.
The lead was short-lived as Ohio countered with 10 straight points to take the lead for good, eventually leading 37-23 at the half.
A 10-2 Bobcat run to start the second half extended the OU advantage to 46-25 with 14:56 left. CSU
The deficit would eventually grow to as many as 27 (58-31, 10:44) before the Vikings found their shooting touch. CSU ran off 11 straight points, eventually closing to 62-49 with 4:18 left.
The Vikings could come no closer over the next three minutes as the Bobcats held off the CSU comeback attempt. A pair of free throws by Klein with 1:11 left closed the gap to 12 (68-56) and Angel Roque's three-pointer with four seconds remaining provided the final 11-point margin.
The game was the only home contest for the Vikings before Christmas. CSU starts a five-game road trip this weekend when it travels to Oxford, Ohio for a 2:00 p.m. matchup with Miami (OH) on Saturday, Dec. 1.
