Jan. 31, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jessica Roque scored a season-high 20 points and Kailey Klein added 20 as Cleveland State concluded the first round of Horizon League play with a 68-60 win over UIC on Saturday evening in the Wolstein Center.
CSU, which won for the fifth time in the last six games, improved to 12-9 overall and concluded the first round of Horizon League play tied for third place with Wright State at 6-3.
The Vikings and Wright State are one game behind second place Butler (7-2) and three back of league leader Green Bay (9-0).
"I am very proud of the way we performed today," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "I feel that UIC is one of the best teams in the league and we knew coming in that this would be an important game for us. It is games like this that define you as a team. We never lost our composure, stayed focused and pulled through. That is the sign of a mature, experienced team."
Shawnita Garland added 14 points and six assists as CSU hit 9-of-19 (.474) from three-point just two days after knocking down a season-high 11 trifectas in a win over Loyola.
UIC slipped to 11-8 overall and 5-4 in league play, tied for fifth place with Valparaiso.
UIC also became just the second of nine league teams to score more than 55 points against the Vikings this season.
Both teams were hot from the field in the first half, as the Flames took a 35-34 lead into the locker room. UIC hit 16-of-27 (.593) shots in the first stanza, while the Vikings were not to shabby themselves, going 13-of-28 (.464).
CSU also hit 6-of-11 (.545) from three-point, including two each from Garland, Klein and Roque.
With the good shooting percentages, the half featured five ties and four lead changes with the Vikings jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Roque and Garland.
However, UIC responded with a 12-2 run to assume a 14-8 lead with 14:38 to play on a Jasmine Bailey layup. But that would be the largest lead either team would hold during the first half.
A Klein three-pointer from the top of the key with 26 seconds to play capped the first half scoring and helped the Vikings slice their deficit to just one point (35-34) at the half.
"I thought we got better as the game went on," Peterson Abiad said. "They hurt us with some things in the first half, but we were able to make some adjustments. I thought Jessica Roque played a fantastic all-around game, especially on the defensive end against a great offensive threat in Jess Miller.
There were five more ties in the second half and neither team had a lead larger than two points until the Vikings pulled away late.
With the score tied 56-56 with 5:54 to play, Roque hit a pair of jumpers sandwiched around a Janelle Adams baseline jumper to give CSU a six point advantage (62-56) with 2:35 to play.
The lead eventually swelled to as many as 10 points when Roque hit a pair of free throws with 1:01 left.
"UIC is one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league and I was proud with our defensive effort," Peterson Abiad said.
Miller led the Flames with 16 points, while Cassie Johnson had 12 points and nine boards.
CSU outrebounded its opponent for the eighth straight game, holding a 38-34 advantage on the glass. CSU also had just 13 turnovers, compared to 18 assists on their 25 baskets.
The Vikings will be back in action for a pair of games in Wisconsin next week, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. CST contest at Milwaukee on Thursday, Feb. 5. The Vikings will also play at Green Bay on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3:00 p.m. CST.
