Dec. 3, 2008

Final Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

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AKRON, Ohio - Cleveland State outscored Akron, 42-23, in the second half, pulling away down the stretch to earn a 70-54 win over the Zips in nonconference action on Wednesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

CSU improved to 4-3, while Akron fell to 2-4 with the setback.

Dominique Butler finished with a game-high 20 points, hitting 10-of-14 from the field. Butler, who scored a majority of her points on layups with cuts to the basket, added six rebounds in just 24 minutes of action as she was saddled with foul trouble in the first half.

Stephaine Crosley added 11 points, while Kailey Klein, Angel Roque and Jessica Roque chipped in 10 points apiece.

"I was very pleased with our defensive effort tonight," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "I thought we did a great job of rotating and identifying their plays. We also did a great job crashing the offensive boards and limiting their opportunities to run and get easy baskets in transition."

CSU outrebounded the Zips, 36-27 and had assists on 18 of their 25 baskets. The Vikings also had a 44-26 advantage in points in the paint and scored 21 points off 20 Zip turnovers.

The first half was close throughout, featuring six ties and 11 lead changes with neither team leading by more than five points.

The Vikings started quickly, using a pair of baskets from Butler and a bucket by Angel Roque to assume a 6-2 lead just 2:18 into the contest. However, that would be the biggest lead CSU could muster in the first 20 minutes of action.

Neither team could find much rhythm on the offensive end as both teams played good, tight defense. The Vikings hit 12-of-28 (.429) from the floor, while holding the Zips to a paltry .393 (11-28) effort. The teams combined to go just 3-for-19 from three-point.

CSU took its final lead of the first half with 3:54 left on a Stephaine Crosley three-pointer. But from there, the Zips closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 31-28 lead at intermission.

The Vikings used a quick 5-1 burst to start the second half and reclaim a 35-32 lead on a Crosley layup. CSU would not trail the rest of the way, but Akron remained close, keeping the game within one point (44-43) midway through the second half on a Victoria Arndt layup.

However, CSU used a 13-2 run to take a 57-45 lead with 3:43 left. Butler started the spurt with a layup and scored six points in the run, while Klein added four.

"I thought we were playing well in the first half," Peterson Abiad said. "And I told them at halftime that we were going to make a run and take control of the game. We were able to get easy baskets on our first two possessions of the second half and did a great job of making a few adjustments."

Akron scored the next four points to slice the lead back under double digits (57-48) with 3:25 to play and elected to start fouling.

CSU responded by hitting 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

"We are a very good free throw shooting team and I expect them to knock them down in key situations," Peterson Abiad said. "They started fouling Angel down the stretch because she has missed a few early this season, but I told her that the ball is going to be in her hands. She is our points guard and a very good free throw shooter."

Jolene Tamboue led the Zips with 13 points, while Kyle Baumgartner was the only other Akron player to reach double figures, finishing with 10.

CSU returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 6, when the Vikings host Kent State beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center. It will be CSU's final contest before the Vikings have a week off for final exams.