Dec. 19, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kailey Klein was due to breakout. Unfortunately for Indiana, it came against them.
The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year recorded the seventh double-double of her career with 28 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Vikings to a come-from-behind 77-75 victory over Indiana on Saturday afternoon in the Wolstein Center.
It was also Klein's driving layup with 3.1 seconds left in regulation that sent the game into overtime.
The win improved the Vikings to 4-5 this season, while the Hoosiers fell to 7-4.
It was CSU's first overtime game since an 80-72 setback at Alaska Anchorage in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 20, 2007). It was also the Vikings first overtime win since Mar. 10, 2000, when the Vikings defeated Wright State, 72-68, in the semifinals of the MCC Tournament.
Shawnita Garland finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Shalonda Winton just missed a double-double with nine points and a career-best 14 rebounds.
"I am just so proud of the way the girls battled the whole game tonight," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "Some of the situations that we have faced earlier this season really helped us down the stretch. We had been there before and never backed down. We refused to lose tonight.
"There was so much energy in the arena that was carried over from the men's game and it really carried over to our pre-game talk. We never lost the intensity or energy all night.
"This is as big a win at home that we have had since I have been here. It was a total team effort and will give us a lot of positive reinforcement as we move toward our league schedule in a few weeks."
The Hoosiers appeared to be in complete control, leading 66-59 with 1:02 to play in regulation. However, Angel Roque knocked down a three-pointer and after an IU turnover, Garland sliced the lead to two (66-64) with a jumper. Another Hoosier turnover gave the ball back to the Vikings and after a timeout, Klein drove down the right side of the lane for the game-tying layup with 3.1 seconds on the clock.
"Kailey was huge for us tonight," Peterson Abiad said. "She came through for us at crunch time when we needed baskets and got her hands on so many loose balls to keep them alive. The bigger the game, the better she is and she proved it tonight."
A Klein jumper with three minutes left in the extra session gave CSU a 71-68 lead, but a 7-2 IU run allowed the Hoosiers to take a 75-73 lead with 1:10 left.
Klein followed with two free throws to knot the game at 75-75, the 10th and final tie of the night, and after a Hoosier turnover, Winton broke free for a layup to give the Vikings a 77-75 lead.
Jamie Braun missed a three-pointer with nine seconds left and forced to foul, the Hoosiers sent Adams to the line. Adams missed both attempts, giving Indiana one last chance, but a desperation three-pointer by Ashlee Mells came up short and the Vikings came away with the win.
"We have played our best basketball of the season against the three majors that we have played," Peterson Abiad said. "But now we have to continue to play that way every time we take the court."
After a jumper from IU's Jamie Braun opened the scoring, the Vikings rattled off 10 straight points to take a 10-2 lead at the 15:05 mark. The lead was extended to 12 points (16-4), CSU's largest of the afternoon, on a Janelle Adams layup with 11:05 to play in the first half.
However, the Hoosiers battled all the way back, using a 24-10 run over the next seven minutes to take a 28-26 lead on a Sasha Chaplin layup.
CSU came right back, using a jumpers from Jessica Roque and Klein and a Klein three-pointer to regain a 33-29 lead with 2:14 left in the half. But once again, the Hoosiers responded, scoring the final five points of the half and went to the locker room with a 34-33 lead.
The Hoosiers were able to maintain the lead throughout the first 14 minutes of the second half, mainly behind the play of Chaplin, their 6-foot-3 sophomore who scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half and overtime.
However, Indiana could not shake the Vikings loose as CSU's full court pressure kept them in the contest, eventually tying the game (56-56) for the when Adams spilt a pair of free throws with 5:49 to play.
Indiana answered with five straight points and seemed to be in complete control with its seven point lead with 1:02 left. However, the Vikings had other ideas, mounting the comeback.
CSU held a 53-45 advantage on the boards, while also forcing 23 turnovers.
The Vikings conclude their pre-holiday schedule with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Lake Erie on Wednesday, Dec. 23, in the Wolstein Center.
