Feb. 15, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Contact: Greg Murphy

SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (14-9, 8-4) continues its three-game roadtrip when the Vikings travel to Detroit (3-19, 0-11) for a 2:00 p.m. contest in Calihan Hall on Saturday, Feb. 16. The Vikings trail the all-time series against Detroit, 29-7, but have won the last two contests and three of the last five meetings. Despite Thursday's loss, the Vikings remained in second place in the Horizon League, one-half-game ahead of Wright State and one-game ahead of Milwaukee, which fell at home to Butler on Thursday night. CSU trails first-place Green Bay by three games.

PREVIEWING CLEVELAND STATE: Cleveland State has made huge strides from last season's 8-22 team, having already surpassed that win total (14-9) and standing six games over .500 after 22 games for the first time since 1983-84. With the return of four starters, the Vikings have experience at every position and a solid bench to rely on. Horizon League Player of the Year candidate Kailey Klein (18.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.2 apg) leads the league in scoring. She is joined in the backcourt by senior Brittany Korth (9.3, 4.7 rpg, 3.9 apg) and sophomore Angel Roque (6.1, 2.3 apg), who has set the defensive tone for the Vikings this season with her ball pressure out front. Junior Dominique Butler (10.0, 5.9) and senior Robyn Hoying (5.8, 3.2) have started all 23 games in the frontcourt. CSU has received tremendous production from its bench, led by sophomore forward Stephaine Crosley (5.5, 4.5), freshman guard Shawnita Garland (4.1, 2.1) and sophomore guard Jessica Roque (4.2, 1.7). Junior Natalie Miller (2.8, 1.6) provides depth at the wing-forward spot.

THE HEAD COACH: Kate Peterson Abiad is in her fifth year as the head coach at CSU. She claims an overall record of 42-96 and ranks third all-time in coaching victories at Cleveland State. Prior to arriving at CSU, Peterson Abiad spent six years as an assistant at Wisconsin, serving as the recruiting coordinator starting in 1998. While in Madison, she helped lead the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament three times and to the 2000 WNIT championship. She also worked at Eastern Illinois (1993-97) and Indiana (1991-93). A 1991 graduate of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, she earned Kodak All-America honors as a senior after setting the NCAA Division III record for three-point field goals per game (3.85).

TOUGH PLACE TO PLAY: Cleveland State has not had much success in Calihan Hall where the Vikings will play Detroit on Saturday. CSU is just 2-15 all-time in Detroit with one of the wins coming last season (Feb. 8, 2007). The only other time that the Vikings won in Detroit was March 1, 2003.

SUPER SOPH: Sophomore Kailey Klein is attempting to join an elite group of company in CSU history. After leading the team in scoring as a freshman (11.0), Klein is on track to lead the team in scoring for the second straight season as she is averaging 18.3 points per game this season. She would be just the third player in school history to lead the team in scoring in her first two seasons, joining Sue Hlavacek (1974-75, 1975-76) and Deb Taylor (1987-88, 1988-89).

ROAD SWEET ROAD: The Vikings entered the season with a 4-42 record away from the Wolstein Center over the last three seasons. But it appears that CSU has figured out how to win on the road as the Vikings have posted a respectable 6-6 mark away from Cleveland this season, including a victory at Butler on Jan. 31. That win allowed the Vikings to snap a five-game losing streak at Hinkle Fieldhouse. In fact, it was almost six years to the date of CSU's last victory at Butler, a 79-71 win on Feb. 2, 2002.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Vikings are 8-3 at home this season, including 6-1 in league play. The eight wins are tied for the third most home wins in school-history with the record of 11 shared by the 1982-83 and 1998-99 squads.

SAME `OLE ROUTINE: Head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has had the luxury of using the same starting lineup for all 23 contests this season with Dominique Butler and Robyn Hoying in the frontcourt and Angel Roque, Brittany Korth and Kailey Klein in the backcourt. That has allowed Peterson Abiad to define the roles of her five bench players and establish a consistent roatation with nine players averaging double digit minutes. That is a far cry from last season when injuries forced Peterson Abiad to use six starting lineups through 23 games.

WHERE IS THE LOVE?: CSU's loss at Wright State on Thursday dropped the Vikings to 3-5 all-time in games played on Valentine's Day.

ALL ABOUT KLEIN: With more than two-thirds of the season complete, Horizon League Player of the Year candidateKailey Klein has put together one of the best seasons in school history. Here are some highlights.
• Second the league and is 18th in the country in scoring (18.3) by tallying double figures in 20 of the 23 games.
• Has nine 20-point games and three 30-point efforts.
• Three-time Horizon League Player of the Week (12/31 & 1/28 & 2/4).
• Third in the league in free throw percentage (.855), seventh in steals (1.74) and offensive rebounds (2.09), 10th in assists (3.17), 11th in rebounding (5.5), 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.366), 13th in field goal percentage (.447) and 15th in assist-to-turnover-ratio (0.91).
• Named to Preseason All-Horizon League first team and Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament team.
• Has had two separate streaks of 18 consecutive made free throws. Her current streak is 15.
• Tied school-record with 15 free throws made against Ohio (11/26).
• Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week (11/27) and January Scholar-Athlete of the Month.
• Went 11-for-11 at the free throw line at Colgate (12/20), the second best performance at the charity stripe in school history for a single game.
• Tied her career-high with 33 points at Alaska Anchorage (11/20) and at Valparaiso (2/2).
• Hit jumper at the buzzer to lift CSU over American, 65-63 (12/29).
• Recorded first career double-double versus Youngstown State (1/26) with 30 points and career-high 11 rebounds.
• Has made 134 free throws, the most in a single season at CSU. Her 157 attempts are seventh most in a season at CSU.

AFTER 23: The Vikings carry a 14-9 record into Saturday's game at Detroit, the first time CSU has won 14 of its first 23 games since the 1983-84 team started the year with a 16-7 mark. It is only the fourth time in school history that CSU opened the season with a 14-9 record or better.

VIKINGS GO BACK-TO-BACK: The Vikings finished the month of January with a 6-2 (.750) record, their best mark in a month since going 9-3 (.750) in December of 1983. It was also CSU's second consecutive winning month after posting a 4-2 mark in December. It is the first time that the Vikings have recorded back-to-back winning months since November (3-1) and December (5-2) of 1999. CSU has not put together three consecutive winning months since December of 1983 through February of 1984.

AND ARE EVEN IN FEBRUARY: CSU is off to a good start in its attempt to earn its third straight winning month as the Vikings are currently 2-2 in the month. CSU will play seven games in February and needs two wins in its final three games to secure a winning month.

PERFECTION: For just the second time in school history, the Vikings did not miss a free throw in a game as CSU was 14-for-14 at the charity stripe on Feb. 2 at Valparaiso. It was the second best performance in a single game, topped only by a 15-for-15 effort at Milwaukee on Feb. 4, 1995. The streak was extended to 22 straight makes before Stephaine Crosley missed a free throw late against Milwaukee (Feb. 7). However, over the last three contests, the Vikings have combined to hit 36-of-40 (.900) free throws.

THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Cleveland State enters the week with a 14-9 overall record, including an 8-4 mark in league play, giving CSU six more overall and three more league wins than all of last season. The Vikings went 8-22 overall and 5-11 in league play last season. The 14 wins are the most for a CSU team since the 2000-01 team went 14-14.

FIRST HALF WOES: Cleveland State is going to have to find a way to start quicker, as the Vikings have had two bad first halves in their last two games, trailing by double figures in both. CSU fell behind 31-16 against Green Bay on Feb. 9 and trailed at Wright State on Thursday, 35-18, after the first 20 minutes. The Vikings have shot a combined 14-of-52 (.269) from the field in the first half over the last two contests. CSU is averaging 32.1 points per game in the first half this season.

BUT HAVE FARED BETTER IN THE SECOND HALF: Despite its recent struggles in the first half over the last two games, CSU has shown bright spots in the second half, outscoring its two foes, 70-54, including a 45-point outburst against Green Bay (1/9). CSU has also upped its field goal percentage in the final stanza, hitting 25-of-51 (.490).

ON THE HORIZON: At 8-4 in Horizon League play with six games to play, the Vikings are on the verge of setting a program record for league wins in a season. The record is currently held by the 2003-04 squad which went 9-7 in league play in Kate Peterson Abiad's first season at the helm.

KORTH KEEPS PLAYING: Brittany Korth has played in 110 career games and needs to play in seven more to equal Juli Grant's school record of 117 career games played. Barring unforseen circumstances or injury, Korth will at least tie the record as CSU has six more regular season games and will play at least one game in the league tournament.

HOYING HITS CENTURY MARK: When Robyn Hoying started at Butler on Jan. 31, it marked the 100th career game for the senior. She became the second CSU player to reach that milestone this season, joining Brittany Korth who played in her 100th career gameon Jan. 5 against UIC.

SPEAKING OF KORTH: When Brittany Korth drew a starting assignment on Thursday at Wright State, she inched closer to fifth place on the all-time list at CSU for most career starts.Korth, who has started 89 career games, needs three more starts to take over fifth place from Terri Miller, who started 91 contests between 1984-88.

HOMETOWN COOKIN': Milwaukee native Dominique Butler apparently likes to save her best for when the Vikings play her hometown Panthers as Butler averaged 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting .560 in two games against UWM this season. In six career games against the Panthers, Butler is averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

FOR THE RECORD: Kailey Klein didn't set any school-records with her 14-for-18 performance at the free throw line at Butler (Jan. 31), but she came awfully close. Her 14 makes were one shy of the school-record held by Deb Taylor (1/11/90; at Valparaiso) and Klein (11/26/07; vs. Ohio), while her 18 attempts are tied for the second most in a game with Sue Hlavecek (3/3/78; vs. Miami (OH)). Taylor holds the CSU record with 21 free throw attempts vs. St. Bonaventure on Jan. 4, 1992.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Kailey Klein added another first to her career on Jan. 26 when she recorded her first career double-double in a 77-64 win over Youngstown State. Klein finished with a game-high 30 points, just three shy of her career-high, and added a career-best 11 rebounds. Klein is the third CSU player to tally a double-double this season, joining Stephaine Crosley, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds at IUPUI (12/5), and Robyn Hoying, who totaled 20 points and 10 boards at Green Bay (1/10).

THE BUTLER DID IT: Dominique Butler recorded two more steals on Thursday to raise her team leading total to 59. Butler, who led the league in steals in each of her first two seasons and is ranked second this season, has swiped 187 career steals and is in 10th place on the career list at CSU, eight shy of ninth place.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: CSU is the best free throw shooting team in the league, hitting 331-of-417 attempts for a .794 percentage, a far cry from last season's .684 (425-621) percentage from the line. In fact, the Vikings, who are also ranked fourth in the nation in free throw percentage, are shooting better from the free throw line than all but two NBA teams. CSU is on pace to shatter the school-record for free throw percentage in a season, currently held by the 2000-01 squad which shot .728 (480-659). The league record for free throw percentage in a season is .801 set by Green Bay last season.

.700 CLUB: The Vikings have had just three seasons (out of 34) in which they have finished with a free throw percentage better than .700. The last time it happened was the 2003-04 season when CSU hit .709 (406-573). The other two seasons were 2000-01 (480-659; .728) and 2001-02 (442-617; .716).

FREE THROWS ARE A TEAM EFFORT: The Vikings have made it a true team effort to lead the league in free throw percentage as seven players are shooting better than .700 from the line. However, only Kailey Klein ranks among the league leaders in free throw percentage, ranking third at .855 (136-159). No other player has made the minimum of 2.0 free throws per game to be ranked among the leaders. Dominique Butler is second on the team with 39 made free throws.

DEFENSIVE MINDED: CSU continues to be one of the top defensive teams in the league, ranking first in opponent field goal percentage (.387), second in steals (9.95) and third in scoring defense (61.7). The Vikings have allowed only five teams to shoot better than .400 from the field and have held four teams under 50 points. Last season, CSU allowed teams to shoot better than .400 on 19 occasions and better than .500 five times, while holding just three teams under 50 points.

MOVING ON UP: Brittany Korth continues to move up the all-time list for career three-pointers made and attempted. Korth ranks fourth in school-history with 149 career makes and third with 533 attempts. She is three makes shy of third place and 10 attempts short of second place. Korth is also seventh on the all-time assist list with 312, needing seven assists to take over sixth.

THREE BIG REASONS: When looking at the statistics, it is easy to see there are three big factors in determining when the Vikings win and when they lose. Those factors are rebounding, scoring defense and field goal defense. In 14 wins, the Vikings own a +1.9 rebounding advantage, while holding opponents to 54.6 points and .358 shooting from the field. On the other hand, CSU has a -5.9 deficit in rebounding and gives up 72.7 points on .429 shooting in eight losses this season.

NOT PLAYING NICELY: The Vikings rank second in the league with 229 steals. In addition, CSU boasts three of the top eight individuals as Dominique Butler (2.57) ranks second, while Kailey Klein and Brittany Korth (1.74) are tied for ninth. The Vikings have swiped double-digit steals in 13 contests this season, including a season-best 19 vs. Akron (Nov. 17), which were the most steals by a Viking squad since CSU recorded 19 steals against IPFW on Feb. 26, 2003.

FROM THE FIELD: The Vikings have shot well from the field this season, hitting .424 (518-1,223) to rank third in the Horizon League. That total would be the third best in school-history, trailing the 1992-93 (.442) and 1983-84 (.438) squads. CSU has not shot better than .400 from the field since 2003-04 when they hit .405.

FROM THREE: CSU is also shooting .338 (132-390) from three-point this season, which would be the best percentage for a single season in program history. The current record is .328 (117-357) held by the 1992-93 team. CSU shot just .272 (123-453) from three-point last season.

VIKINGS SHOOT LIGHTS OUT: Cleveland State recorded the second best shooting performance in school history in a Feb. 2 win over Valparaiso as the Vikings shot .571 (32-56) from the field. The only time a Viking team shot better from the field was Jan. 21, 1980 at Niagara when CSU shot .627 (32-51).

NO SUSPENSE: Sixteen of CSU's 23 games have been decided by 10 points or more with the 14 wins coming by an average of 13.8 points. CSU's eight losses have been by an average of 12.8 points. The only games not decided by double figures are an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 20), a 63-60 loss at Buffalo (Dec. 15) a Dec. 29 win over American (65-63), a Jan. 5 win over UIC (66-58) and a 65-61 win at Butler (Jan. 31).

AND WE TEND TO KNOW BY HALFTIME ...: Whether CSU will win or not. After all, the Vikings are 12-2 this season when holding a lead after the first 20 minutes of action. CSU's two losses when leading at the half this season were an 80-72 overtime loss at Alaska Anchorage when the Vikings led 24-20 at halftime and a Jan. 12 loss at Milwaukee (63-52) when the Vikings held an eight-point (30-22) lead at intermission. The Vikings are just 2-7 when trailing or tied at the half.

BEYOND THE ARC: The Vikings 9-for-14 (.643) effort from three-point range against Detroit on Jan. 17 equaled the school-record for the best percentage by a CSU team. CSU also went 9-for-14 against Green Bay on Jan. 2, 2003.

WHO NEEDS BATMAN...: When you have Robyn, as in Viking senior Robyn Hoying. The Minster, Ohio native has picked up her game during league play, averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She had the best game of her career at Green Bay (1/10) when she produced career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (10) for her first career double-double. Hoying, who has hit 15 of her 17 free throw attempts in league play, also scored 16 points in a Jan. 26 win over Youngstown State (1/26).

UP NEXT: CSU concludes a three-game roadtrip on Saturday, Feb. 23 with a 2:00 p.m. game at Youngstown State.