Feb. 4, 2012
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Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cold shooting and costly turnovers hurt the Cleveland State women's basketball team Saturday afternoon, as they fell to Valparaiso, 66-48. The Vikings fall to 8-14 on the season and 3-8 in the Horizon League, while the Crusaders are now 6-16 (2-9).
Shalonda Winton recorded her fifth 20-point game of the season Saturday afternoon, as she was three shy of her career-high with 28 points. Kiersten Green added seven rebounds and four assists for the Vikings, while Takima Keane added eight points.
After shooting just 22-percent from the field during the opening 20 minutes, CSU went into halftime trailing the Crusaders, 27-13. Valparaiso then opened the second half on a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 36-13, before Winton was finally able to knock down a three-pointer at the 16:39 mark.
The Vikings were able to string together baskets multiple times throughout the rest of the second half, including a 6-0 run that began at the 9:41 mark. The run, which brought the score to 47-31 Valparaiso, included four points from Keane and two from Haley Schmitt.
Valparaiso responded with runs of their own though, including a 7-1 run over a span of one-minute and 27-seconds that gave them their largest lead of 23 with 6:59 left to play.
Over the final seven minutes, Cleveland State forced the Crusaders into six turnovers as they tried to battle their way back into the contest. The Vikings were able to come within 16 points (55-39) at the 5:21 mark after posting seven straight points including four from Winton.
That would be as close as the Vikings would get though, as Valparaiso outscored CSU 11-9 over the final five minutes of the contest for the 66-48 victory.
For the contest, CSU shot just 28-percent from the floor (16-56), while the Crusaders were 20-for-53 (.377). For the ninth time this season, CSU forced its opponent into 20 or more turnovers, as the Crusaders committed 20. Off of those 20 turnovers, the Vikings recorded 18 points.
The Crusaders were led by Ashley Varner, who notched a career-high 26 points along with 13 rebounds. Tabitha Gerardot and Ieva Jansone also scored in double-figures for Valparaiso, each notching 12 points.
The Vikings will hit the road for a pair of league contests next week, beginning with an 8:00 p.m. contest at Loyola on Thursday (Feb. 9).
