Nov. 9, 2008
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Freshman Janelle Adams had 13 points, three assists and two rebounds in just 10 minutes of action off the bench as Cleveland State defeated Lake Erie, 79-46, in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon in the Wolstein Center.
Kailey Klein added 11 points, while Shawnita Garland chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench as 11 of the 13 Vikings scored at least two points.
"It is a joy to finally start the 2008-09 season and play against another team," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We will always cherish last season and we are entering this year with the goal of winning the regular season championship and getting back to the NCAA tournament.
"This was a good first game for us, but there are obviously things that we need to improve on. We have a good nucleus of players and are much deeper than we were last season. I am confident in our top-nine, but we also have several other players with the ability to step in and make contributions is somebody is off.
The Vikings fell behind 5-0 2:30 into the game before a Jessica Roque three-pointer got CSU on the board. Lake Erie was able to hang tight over the first 10 minutes of the game, trailing 17-14 midway through the first half on an Alyssa Wagers layup.
But the Vikings would close the first half on an 18-8 run to take a 35-22 lead into the locker room.
CSU hit 50 percent (16-32) from the field in the first half, while holding the Storm to just 7-of-20 from the field and 13 turnovers.
"I think that our offense is much further along than it was at this point last season," Peterson Abiad said. "The bulk of our people that we are relying on are experienced players and they know and understand our offensive system."
CSU extended the lead to 19 points at the 14:25 mark of the second half on a Klein layup, but five straight points from the Storm sliced the lead back to 14 points.
However, that was as close as LEC would get as a 16-2 CSU run over the next four minutes iced the game. Adams highlighted the run with four points and two assists, while Angel Roque and Jessica Roque each had a three-pointer.
"Janelle played a very good game for us today," Peterson Abiad said. "In order for us to be successful this year, she is going to have to play at this level. She helps us out on both ends of the court. She can score, but also gets her teammates involved on offense. She also has exceptional defensive abilities and people she guards often do not score."
Lake Erie did go to the free throw line 30 times and made 18, compared to just 4-of-6 for CSU.
"It seemed like we bailed them out and sent them to the line a lot," Peterson Abiad said. "There was a stretch in the second half when we kept sending them to the line for their only looks at the basket. When that happens, we have to be able to adjust to the officiating. But I can't fault the team for their aggressiveness on defense."
CSU outrebounded the Storm, 44-24, including 11-5 on the offensive end. The Vikings also had more field goals (34-12), assists (27-9) and steals (15-7).
Ashley Christani led the Storm with 13 points.
The Vikings open the 2008-09 regular season on Friday, Nov. 14, when CSU travels to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Arizona State in an opening round game in the Preseason WNIT.
