March 13, 2010

 

Contact: Greg Murphy

Complete Release in PDF Format

Game #32

2010 Speedway Horizon League Championship Game

No. 4 Cleveland State (18-13) vs. No. 2 Butler (23-8)

Date: Sunday, March 14, 2010
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST (12:00 p.m. CST)
Site: Kress Events Center (4,018) - Green Bay, Wis.
TV: ESPNU (Jim Barber & Renee Montgomery)
Radio: WHKW 1220 AM (David Wilson)
Series: Butler leads 24-11
Last Mtg: @BU 72, CSU 66 (2/13/10)
Tickets: Available at site

SETTING THE SCENE: For the second time in the last three seasons, Cleveland State will play in the Horizon League Championship following Friday's 83-75 overtime win over top-seeded Green Bay. The Vikings, who defeated UIC in the quarterfinals, will face second-seeded Butler, who defeated Detroit (69-55) in Friday's other semifinal, at 1:00 p.m. EST in the Kress Events Center on the campus of Green Bay. The game can be seen live on ESPNU with Jim Barber and Renee Montgomery on the call. Butler leads the all-time series with CSU, 24-11, with the teams splitting their two games this year with each winning on their own home floor.

PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE: With four starters and eight letterwinners back from last year's 19 win team, seventh year head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has her most experienced squad to date. Headlining the list of returnees is senior guard and three-time first team All-Horizon League selection Kailey Klein (18.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 apg). Joining her in the starting backcourt are senior Jessica Roque (5.8, 2.6, 2.9) and junior Shawnita Garland (12.9, 4.9, 3.3), a second team all-league pick. Senior Angel Roque (7.2, 2.5, 2.4) gives the Vikings an experienced point guard, while freshman Honesty King (3.4 ppg) continues to work her way into the rotation after redshirting last season. Sophomore Janelle Adams (5.2, 3.9) is an athletic wing-forward who is being counted on to fill a bigger role this season and sophomore guard Takima Keane (2.4, 0.7) is beginning to receive more minutes as a wing-forward combo. Senior Stephaine Crosley (7.4, 5.6) is the most experienced post player on the roster and is joined in the frontcourt by freshman Shalonda Winton (6.3, 5.1). Sophomore Destinee Blue (2.0, 2.0) and freshman Kaila Montgomery (0.3, 0.5) provide CSU with a low post presence and solid interior defense off the bench.

KLEIN NAMED TO ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM: Kailey Klein was named to the All-Horizon League first team for the third straight season after leading the league in scoring at 18.5 points per night, more than three points per game better than the second place scorer. In addition, she ranks sixth in rebounds (7.2) and defensive rebounding (4.9), seventh in blocked shots (0.7) and ninth in three-pointers made (1.5) and 10th in offensive rebounding (2.3). Klein became just the eighth player in league history to earn first team all-league honors in three different seasons.

GARLAND ALSO PICKS UP LEAGUE HONORS: Shawnita Garland earned a spot on the postseason All-Horizon League second team for the second straight season, as well as garnering a spot on the league's all-defensive team for the second consecutive year. Garland ranks ninth in the league in scoring (12.9) and 10th in assists (3.3), while leading the league in steals with 94 (3.0 spg).

LUCKY NO. 4?: Perhaps the Vikings have luck on their side heading into the Horizon League Championship as the No. 4 seed. After all, the last time CSU was seeded fourth in 2008, the Vikings went on to capture their only league title in program history. CSU defeated Butler in the quarterfinals (79-68), won at Green Bay in the semifinals (90-66) and topped Wright State (70-56) in the championship game. The Vikings have been seeded fourth four times in school history and claim an all-time record of 6-3 at the tournament's No. 4 seed.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Vikings improved to 3-0 in overtime games this season with Friday's 83-75 win at Green Bay. CSU, which also won at home against both Indiana and Detroit in overtime this season, is 16-15 all-time in games that go to overtime. The three overtime games are tied for the most in a single season along with the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. CSU was also 3-0 in 1996-97.

HOT, HOT, HOT: CSU shot a season-best .596 (31-52) from the field in Friday's win over Green Bay, marking the second best shooting performance by a Viking team in school history. The record is .627 (32-51) at Niagara on Jan. 21, 1980. CSU was near flawless after the first half, hitting 15-of-20 (.75) in the second half against Green Bay and then making five of their six attempts (.833) in overtime.

... ESPECIALLY FROM THREE: The Vikings hit a season-high 10 three-pointers on Friday against Green Bay, connecting on 56-percent from behind the arc (10-18). CSU hit just 1-of-7 in the first half, but went on to nail 7-of-8 three's in the second half and 2-of-3 in the overtime period.

THE ONLY TWO: Cleveland State is one of two teams in the Horizon League to reach the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship in each of the last three seasons, joining Green Bay. CSU won the title in 2008, while UWGB claimed it last season.

CSU IN HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNEY: This year marked the 15th year that Cleveland State has taken part in the Horizon League Championship with the Vikings owning an 11-14 record after wins over UIC and Green Bay.

IN ALL TOURNAMENT PLAY: CSU has posted a 12-20 all-time record in 21 years of conference tournament play. CSU has won one postseason tournament title (2008) and has played in the title game twice, a 79-72 loss to Green Bay in 2000, and a 70-55 win over Wright State in 2008. This will be CSU's third appearance in the title game.

THE KRESS IN MARCH: CSU's semifinal win over Green Bay on Friday snapped the Phoenix 27 game home win streak, which went all the way back to the last time the Vikings won at the Kress Events Center, a 90-66 win in the 2008 Horizon League semifinals. In three seasons at the Kress Events Center, Green Bay is 46-5 with two of the losses coming to CSU. The Vikings are the only visiting team who has won more than once in the Kress Events Center.

AN ANGEL AMONG US: Angel Roque had quite a game on Friday against Green Bay, playing all 45 minutes and finishing with 12 points, six assists and five rebounds. She hit 4-of-7 from three-point, including a trey that gave the Vikings a six point lead (79-73) with 29 seconds left in overtime, all but sealing the game. Friday's game was the six straight game that Roque has started with the Vikings going 5-1 in those contests.

QUITE A SENIOR CLASS: The senior class of Stephaine Crosley, Kailey Klein, Angel Roque and Jessica Roque were honored prior to the Wright State game on Feb. 27 prior to playing their final regular season home game. The quartet, who committed to CSU after the Vikings won just four games in 2005-06, have helped turn the program around, leading CSU to 64 wins over the last four seasons, including the 2008 Horizon League Championship and CSU's first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. The 64 victories are the second most by a senior class in school history, trailing the 65 wins by the seniors on the 1982-83 squad.

NCAA STATS: The most recent NCAA statistics were released on Monday (March 8) and the Vikings rank 35th in assists (15.3), 57th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.88), 80th steals (9.5), 90th in rebound margin (2.8) and 101st in turnover margin (1.48). Individually, Kailey Klein is ranked 46th in the country in scoring (17.8) and 168th in rebounding (7.4), while Shawnita Garland checks in at 17th in steals (3.0).

TOURNEY TIME: Kailey Klein always seems to up her game when the lights are the brightest and this Horizon League tournament has been no different. She scored 28 points in the quarterfinal win over UIC and added 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in Friday's semifinal win at Green Bay, earning U.S. Army Player of the Game honors both times. In eight career league tournament games, Klein is averaging 20.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, helping CSU go 5-3 in those contests. She was the MVP of the 2008 Horizon League Championship when she averaged 22.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists to lead CSU to the title.

2K FOR K2: Kailey Klein moved into second place on the all-time scoring list in Horizon League history last weekend and enters the league championship game with 2,086 career points. Former Milwaukee standout Traci Edwards (2005-09) is the all-time leading scorer in league history with 2,340 points, while former Butler great Julie VonDielingen (1989-93) is the only other player in league history to reach the mark (2,018).

KLEIN ADDS TO CAREER SCORING MARK: Kailey Klein's 28 points against Green Bay allowed the Cherry, Ill., native to extend the all-time scoring mark in CSU history. Klein, who now has 2,086 points in her career, broke Dianne Foster's (1979-81; 82-84) 26-year old record of 1,851 points against Loyola on Feb. 6. The record setting basket was a left-handed layup in the paint off a pass from senior Angel Roque with 11:08 to play in the first half.

SHE'S A STEAL: Shawnita Garland has made a Horizon League most 94 steals this season, tied for the fifth most in a single season at CSU. Garland, who ranks 17th in the nation in steals per game (3.0), made a league single-game high nine thefts at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 29), tying her for the fourth most steals in a game in school history. She has picked up her defense of late, making 43 steals over the last 10 games (4.3 spg) and has multiple steals in 25 of the 31 games this season.

KLEIN & ROQUE TO EXTEND SCHOOL RECORD: Seniors Kailey Klein and Jessica Roque will extend their school record for career games played on Sunday when they take the court vs. Butler for their 125th career game.

... AND KLEIN TO TIE START RECORD: When Kailey Klein is announced as a starter for Sunday's game against Butler, she will move into a tie for first place on the all-time games started list at Cleveland State with Juli Grant.

500 ... 500 ... 500: Kailey Klein became the first player in school history to score 500 points in three different seasons last weekend. Klein scored 654 points as a sophomore, the highest single season total in school history, added 542 points last season, the sevent highest total in CSU history, and has scored 572 points this season, the third most in a single season.

KLEIN AT THE LINE: Kailey Klein holds the CSU career record for free throws made (598) and attempted (754), while her .793 percentage ranks third all-time. So it was a bit of a surprise when she was shooting just 60-percent (30-50) at the line at the conclusion of non-league games. However, since the Vikings began Horizon League play, Klein has been near automatic, hitting 115-of-135 (.852) from the charity stripe, allowing her to improve to 78-percent (145-185) this season.

11 IN THE LEAGUE: Cleveland State's win at Milwaukee on March 4 allowed the Vikings to win their 11th league game, the second most in a season in school history. CSU has now won at least 10 league games in three straight seasons, a school record. The streak began with 10 wins in 2007-08 (the third highest total in school history) and continued last year when CSU won a school-record 12 league games.

ON THE GLASS: CSU is tops in the league in rebounding margin at +2.2, putting the Vikings on pace to finish with a positive rebounding margin for just the seventh time in program history, including the second straight season. The only other time CSU had a positive rebounding margin in back-to-back seasons came in 1978-79 and 1979-80.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: CSU has excelled at offensive rebounding this season, as the Vikings lead the league with 13.6 per game. CSU has grabbed at least 10 offensive boards in 24 of 31 games, including 22 at Eastern Michigan and 21 against Ohio and Kent State. Individually, Stephaine Crosley ranks fifth in the Horizon League in offensive rebounds (2.5), while Kailey Klein is 10th (2.3) in the league statistics.

ANOTHER WINNING SEASON: CSU's win at Milwaukee on March 4 allowed the Vikings to clinch their third consecutive winning season, a first in school history. The streak started with the Vikings going 19-14 in 2007-08 and continued with CSU's 19-13 record last season.

CROSLEY ON THE MARK: Stephaine Crosley is fifth in the league in field goal percentage at .544 (93-171), and is attempting to become the 11th player in school history to shoot better than 50-percent from the field in a season. Should she do it, it would mark the third straight season that a CSU player has shot 50-percent of better, joining Dominique Butler (.500; 140-280) in 2007-08 and Shawnita Garland (.527; 150-290) last season.

ANOTHER GRAND: Kailey Klein continues to lead the Horizon League in minutes played (36.5) and went past the 1,000 minute mark last week in Wisconsin. Klein, who has logged 1,131 minutes this season (2nd all-time at CSU), is the only player in school history to play 1,000 minutes in three separate season and is 31 minutes away from breaking Brittany Korth's CSU single season record for minutes played (1,161 in 2007-08). Klein has played a school-record 4,019 minutes in her career.

... AND GARLAND GETS 1,000 TOO: After playing all 40 minutes against UIC on Wednesday (March 10), Shawnita Garland joined Kailey Klein as the only players in school history with multiple 1,000 minute seasons. Garland, who has played 1,054 minutes this year, logged 1,002 minutes as a sophomore.

HOME SWEET HOME: CSU's win over UIC on Wednesday allowed the Vikings to finish their home slate at 11-3, tying the school record for most home wins in a season. The 2008-09, 1988-89 and 1980-81 teams also won 11 home games. In addition, the 22 home wins over the last two seasons represent the best two-year stretch in school history.

KLEIN HITS 30: Kailey Klein's 32 point effort versus Detroit on Feb. 25 extended her school-record of career 30-point games to eight. Klein, who has two 30-point games this season, hit 8-of-17 from the field and 15-of-16 at the free throw line. Her 32 point outburst against Detroit is the highest point total by a Horizon League player this season, while her 31 point effort against Loyola (Feb. 6) is the second highest.

LOTS OF POINTS: The 83 point outburst against Green Bay in the semifinals on Friday night represented a season-high for the Vikings, bettering the old mark of 82 set in a win at Valparaiso (Feb. 11). The Vikings have won nine straight contests in which they have reached the 80-point mark. The last time CSU lost a game when scoring 80 points was a 93-80 seback at UIC (3/6/08).

KLEIN TOPS LEAGUE: Kailey Klein leads the Horizon League in scoring at 18.5 points per game, holding a 3.2 ppg edge over Butler's Melanie Thornton (15.3). Klein, who has finished as the runner-up for the league scoring title in each of the last two seasons, is attempting to become the third scoring champion in school history and the first since 2001-02 when Erika Roudebush averaged 18.2 per game.

... KLEIN NEARS A TRIPLE DOUBLE: Kailey Klein flirted with a triple-double before finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high tying eight assists against Butler (Jan. 14). Earlier this season, Klein had 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a win at Niagara (Dec. 15). There have been five triple-doubles in program history with Ashley Schrock recording the last one with 13 points, 13 boards and 10 assists vs. Wright State (2/15/03).

VIKINGS BUST BCS: CSU's win over Indiana (Dec. 19) was its first over a Bowl Championship Series Conference opponent since Dec. 30, 1996, when the Vikings knocked off Syracuse, 79-77. CSU defeated Louisville, 79-68, on Dec. 18, 2003, but the Cardinals were then a member of Conference USA. Prior to the win over Indiana, CSU had lost 18 straight to BCS schools, or those with major college football.

DOUBLING UP: Shalonda Winton put together one of her best all-around efforts to date in the Jan. 22 win over Youngstown State, notching her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, adding a career-high tying three steals. Her 13 rebounds were one shy of her career-high of 14 vs. Indiana (Dec. 19).

UNDER 40: When CSU held Youngstown State to 38 points on Feb. 20, it marked the second time this season that CSU held an opponent under 40 points. CSU defeated Ohio in the season opener, 56-34. It is the first time since 1978-79 that the Vikings held two opponents under 40 points in the same season. The 34 points vs. Ohio were the fewest given up by CSU since a 62-24 win over Ashland on Feb. 8, 1983.

NICE COMEBACK: CSU trailed Valpo at the half, 44-36, when the two teams met at the Wolstein Center on Jan. 16, but rallied for a 71-68 victory. It marked just the second time this season that the Vikings won a game when trailing at the half and the largest halftime deficit overcome this year. The only other games CSU has won when trailing at the half was against Indiana (Dec. 19) when the Vikings went into the locker room down 34-33 and won 77-75 in overtime, Wednesday's 78-72 win over UIC when the Vikings were down at halftime, 37-31, and Friday's semifinal win at Green Bay when CSU trailed at the half, 30-28.

VIKINGS LIKE THE A.R.C.: CSU continued its torrid shooting at Valparaiso's Athletics & Recreation Center on Feb. 11, shooting a season-best .537 (29-54) from the field. Over the last three seasons, the Vikings have combined to shoot .562 (86-153) from the field in three wins on the Crusaders home court. Last year, CSU shot. 581 (25-43) from the field, the third best percentage in a single game in school history.

KLEIN NAMED CSU ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY: Kailey Klein earned the Female Athlete of the Month Award at CSU in February after averaging 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, helping the Vikings go 5-2. Klein had four double-doubles in, including a 32 point, 10 rebound effort in a win over then first place Detroit on Feb. 25. In addition, she became the all-time leading scorer in CSU history against Loyola (Feb. 6) and was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Week selection in February.

... AND JANURAY: Kailey Klein was named the CSU Female Athlete of the Month for January after averaging16.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine games, helping CSU to a 5-4 mark. She had double-doubles at Loyola and at UIC, including 28 points with 11 rebounds against the Ramblers. Her performances in Chicago helped Klein earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors. In addition, Klein added a double-double of 19 points and 12 boards in win over Butler.

... AND GARLAND GETS IT IN DECEMBER: Shawnita Garland picked up CSU's Female Athlete of the Month honor in December after averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals in five December games. She recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at Niagara and then played a career-high 44 minutes, scoring 15 points in a win over Indiana. Garland also flirted with a rare quadruple-double at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 29, finishing with 14 points, nine steals, seven assists and six boards.

NINE IS FINE: Kailey Klein's selection as the Horizon League Player of the Week on March 1 extended her school record to nine career selections and moved her into a tie for second place for the most awards in league history with Nicole Soulis of Green Bay. Milwaukee's Traci Edwards holds the record with 10 career awards.

A HELPING HAND: Despite having her streak of scoring in double figures snapped at nine at UIC (Jan. 9), Shawnita Garland had a huge effect on the game, dishing out a career-high eight assists. More impressive was that she did not have a turnover.

UP NEXT: The winner of Sunday's championship game will earn the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The announcement will be made on Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.