March 9, 2011
Final Stats
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Shawnita Garland scored 28 points and Cleveland State rallied from a four point halftime deficit to defeat UIC, 61-58, in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on Wednesday night in the Wolstein Center.
It was Garland's sixth straight game with at least 20 points. She is averaging 23.1 points during the stretch.
The win was CSU's eighth straight, tying for the second longest streak in school history, one shy of the record.
The Vikings improved to 20-10 this season, reaching the 20 win mark for just the second time in school history and the first time since the 1983-84 team won 23 times. The win also advances the Vikings to the league semifinals where CSU will play second-seeded Butler on Friday in Green Bay. Butler advanced with a win over Detroit tonight.
"To get to 20 wins is a very special feeling," head coach Kate Peterson Abaid said. "I told them after the game that I was so proud of them because after losing four seniors from last year's team, we were not sure what to expect from this group, but they never gave up hope and knew what they were capable of accomplishing as a group. They really grew up and came together fast."
UIC ends its season with a 14-16 mark. It marked the third straight season that CSU ended UIC's season in the quarterfinals.
"This is a very good UIC team and we knew it was going to be a battle to the end," Peterson Abiad said. "We knew this game would come down to the end and we were able to hit a few key shots down the stretch. I also thought the key was limiting their offensive rebounds down the stretch and limiting them to one shot."
Destinee Blue finished with nine points and five rebounds for the Vikings, while Shalonda Winton had six points and eight boards and Janelle Adams six points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
UIC jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead less than four minutes into the game, but an 8-2 spurt brought the Vikings even at 12-12 on a Garland three pointer. Garland also had a jumper in the run, while Takima Keane knocked down a three pointer.
After the teams traded baskets to make it 14-14 with 11 minutes left in the half, the Flames used a 9-2 run over the next four minutes to assume a 23-16 lead on a Briana Hinkle free throw.
Garland single handedly brought the Vikings back to a 24-24 tie, scoring eight straight CSU points over a 1:41 stretch, capping the run with a pair of three pointers.
However, the Flames scored six straight to regain a 30-24 lead with 1:36 to play and had a chance to extend the lead to eight points, but Jasmine Bailey missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12 seconds left and Honesty King responded on the other end with a floater with five seconds left, sending the Vikings into the locker room down, 30-26.
CSU took its first lead of the game at the 15:11 mark of the second half as a Garland jumper put the Vikings up 36-34. Winton followed with a layup to push the lead to four (38-34), but two straight buckets by the Flames evened things at 38-38 with 13:25 to play, the seventh tie of the game.
The teams continued to trade baskets and with the game tied at 45-45, the 10th tie of the night, Destinee Blue converted back-to-back layups and Honesty King nailed a three pointer from the left corner to cap a 7-0 run and give CSU a 52-45 lead with 5:20 left.
Shameia Green answered with a three pointer on the other end to bring UIC back within four points (52-48), but Garland scored on a driving layup and Blue split a pair of free throws and Garland made another layup to put CSU back up nine (57-48) with 2:38 left.
UIC got its deficit to five points (59-54) with one minute left before a Blue layup with 51 seconds left put the Vikings back up seven (61-54). However, Bailey answered with a layup on the other end and after Adams missed the front end of a one-and-one, Bailey converted a three point play with 22 seconds left to pull UIC within three (61-58).
Forced to foul, UIC sent Adams to the line again where she missed the front end, giving the Flames one final chance, However, the Flames missed a pair of three pointers and the Vikings sealed their fourth straight berth in the league semifinals, one of just two teams to accomplish that.
