March 6, 2010
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Cleveland State concluded the regular season with a 68-59 setback at Green Bay on Saturday afternoon in the Kress Events Center.
The Vikings fell to 16-13 overall and 11-7 in the Horizon League, while Green Bay moved to 26-3 overall and clinched the regular season league title with a 15-3 mark.
Kailey Klein led the Vikings with 23 points and nine rebounds, moving into second place on the Horizon League all-time scoring list in the process (2,029 points).
Shawnita Garland added 11 points and five steals, while Shalonda Winton contributed nine points and three boards off the bench.
CSU struggled from the field in the first half, hitting just 6-of-21 (.286), but rebounded to shoot .542 (13-24) in the second half, outscoring the Phoenix, 38-34, over the final 20 minutes.
The Phoenix led from start to finish, using a 9-0 run to turn a six point lead (18-12) into a 15 point advantage (27-12) with 6:45 to play on Heather Golden's layup.
However, Kailey Klein hit four straight free throws and a layup, slicing the lead back under 10 points (27-18) with 2:49 left in the half, but Hannah Quilling answered on the other end with a three-pointer, pushing the lead back to 12 points.
The trio of Julie Wojta (14 points), Quilling (10) and Kayla Tetschlag (8) did a majority of the damage for UWGB in the first half, combining for 32 of UWGB's 34 points. Wojta hit 7-of-10 from the floor and Quilling and Tetschlag each went 4-for-5, helping the Phoenix take a 34-21 lead at the half.
UWGB also outscored the Vikings in the paint, 24-6, in the first stanza, while CSU hit 9-of-13 free throws after getting the Phoenix into early foul trouble. The Vikings were in the bonus with just under 10 minutes to play in the half.
The Phoenix maintained a double-digit halftime lead for the first part of the second half, but CSU was able to whittle the lead down to nine points (51-42), but the Phoenix answered with nine straight points to push the lead back to 17 points (59-42) on a Wojta jumper with 7:31 to play.
CSU would battle back once more, using back-to-back UWGB turnovers and breakaway layups by Shawnita Garland to pull back within 10 (60-50) with 5:40 left. The Phoenix used two straight baskets to extend the lead back to 14 points with just over four minutes to play, only to watch the Vikings get within seven (66-59) with 1:13 to play on a three-point play by Klein.
But CSU could get no closer as the Phoenix claimed the win and their 12th consecutive regular season league title.
Wojta led the Phoenix with 22 points and 11 boards.
The Vikings return to action on Wednesday (March 10) when CSU begins play in the Speedway Horizon League Championship with a quarterfinal game at 7:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center. The fourth-seeded Vikings will host the fifth seeded UIC.
