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Dec. 14, 2007
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release in PDF Format
Light Athletic Schedule For CSU Leading Up To Holiday Break. . . With final exams behind them, most of Cleveland State University's 300 student-athletes will take a break until the new year as only three teams will compete over the next two weeks. Fortunately, most of the action will be at home as both men's basketball and wrestling will be on campus while women's basketball takes to the road for three contests. The men's basketball team will play its biggest home event of the season when the Vikings host Ohio State in the inaugural game of the John McLendon Scholarship Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 18 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena. CSU then returns to the Wolstein Center on Saturday, Dec. 22 to host Central Michigan at 1:00 p.m. Just about the entire wrestling team will be in action on Saturday (Dec. 15) when the Vikings host the annual CSU Open in Woodling Gym. Competition begins at 9:00 a.m. with over 200 wrestlers from 25 schools expected to compete. The women's basketball team will spend the next two weekends in upstate New York, playing at Buffalo on Saturday, Dec. 15 and at Niagara on Monday, Dec. 17. After a short return to Cleveland, CSU closes its pre-holiday slate on Friday, Dec. 21 in Hamilton, N.Y. with a contest at Colgate. Men's Basketball Hosts Ohio State & Central Michigan. . . The men's basketball team continues its December home schedule with a pair of contests next week. The Vikings host Ohio State for the first-ever contest as part of the John McLendon Scholarship Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 18 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena in a game that will be broadcast throughout Ohio on SportsTime Ohio. CSU then returns to campus to host Central Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 22 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center. The Ohio State game marks the first time since the 1994-95 season that Buckeyes played the Vikings in Cleveland, a game that ended in favor of the Vikings when Malcom Sims connected on a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to give CSU a 75-73 win at Quicken Loans Arena. "This is a big week for us," head coach Gary Waters said. "Because of the fan interest and the venue, it is hard to say that this is just another game, but we will take that approach to it. Still, if we stick to our game plan and play the way that I know that we are capable, then I'll be disapointed if the game isn't competitive." "More importantly, this is a week to remember and honor John McLendon for everything that he did to advance the game of basketball," Waters said. "McLendon was not only an outstanding coach, but the accomplishments in race relations that he made helped the game to grow. Without him, I would not be a head coach today," Waters added. CSU is playing its best basketball of the season. After a 1-2 start, the Vikings have come back to win six of their last seven, including three straight. In its last outing on Dec. 8, CSU dominated Youngstown State from start to finish, handing the Penguins a 77-54 loss in the Horizon League opener for each team. The CSU offense was never better, shooting .646 from the field (31-48), handing out assists on 27 of its 31 field goals. The Vikings had a 32-23 rebounding edge and limited YSU to .358 shooting (19-53). Cedric Jackson, who leads the Horizon League in both steals (31) and assists (54), paced the Vikings with 21 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double. Women's Basketball Heads To New York For Next Three Games. . . Cleveland State (3-4) concludes its five-game road trip by playing its next three games in New York over the course of the next seven days. The trip begins with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Buffalo on Saturday (Dec. 15) before the Vikings head to Niagara for a 7:00 p.m. game on Monday (Dec. 17). After a short return back to Cleveland, the Vikings will conclude their pre-holiday schedule by traveling to Colgate on Friday, Dec. 21 for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. "We have three big road games coming up before the holiday and we need to go out and compete hard," head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "We have gotten a chance to recharge our batteries with a few days off and I think this team is finally learning how to win, especially on the road." The Vikings are coming off a 60-49 victory at IUPUI on Dec. 5 in which Kailey Klein led the squad with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots. Stephaine Crosley notched her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while Brittany Korth added 11 points. Klein enters the week ranked second in the league and 34th in the country in scoring (19.0 ppg), while the Vikings are 15th in the nation in free throw percentage (.771). In addition, CSU has proven to have one of the top defenses in the league this season, ranking third in field goal percentage defense (.374) and first in steals (74). Wrestling Hosts CSU Open. . . After taking a week off from competition to concentrate on final exams, the Cleveland State wrestling team will compete at home for the second time this season on Saturday, Dec. 15, when the Vikings host the CSU Open. The tournament, which is expected to include over 200 wrestlers from 25 schools, is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. in CSU's Woodling Gymnasium. "Right now, with final exams, school is definitely the number one priority for our guys," Effner said. "But at the same time we would like for wrestling to stay a close second, and this is an important event for us in terms of continuing to get mat time, weight management, and continuing to improve as individuals and as a team." In their last competition at Penn State in the Nittany Lion Open, the Vikings were led by Junior Marcus Effner, whose 4-1 day was capped off by a fourth place finish at 165 pounds. Junior JT Miller, with a 5-2 day, fell just short of placing at 174 pounds, but he impressed throughout, scoring two straight pins in his first two bouts as well as a technical fall in one of his four consolation bracket match-ups. In all, 5 of the 11 Viking wrestlers that were along for the trip were able to score at least one victory. The Vikings seem poised for success at the CSU Open, fielding a roster that includes four with experience competing at the NCAA Tournament, including Mike Hurley at 141, Ryan Hurley at 149, Marcus Effner at 165, and Rashard Goff at 285. Meanwhile, the team has five wrestlers that have scored double-digit victories on the season, with junior JT Miller leading the way with a 15-7 record at 174 pounds. Miller also has scored the most falls for the team thus far with six. Redshirt freshman Rob Michaels, competing at 157 pounds, has the best winning percentage (.875) to go along with a 14-2 record. Viking High Fives Stephaine Crosley: The women's basketball sophomore notched her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in CSU's win at IUPUI. Cedric Jackson: The men's basketball junior scored 21 points and handed out 10 assists in the win over Youngstown State, giving him the Horizon League lead in both assists (54) and steals (31). Amy Benz & Mel Snyder: The volleyball duo earned honorable mention all-region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, becoming the third and fourth players in CSU history to earn the honor. JT Miller: The wrestling junior has been dominant this season, leading the team in wins with 15, and is also second on the team with 5 pins. Wally Morton: The men's swimming coach has the team off to another great start, with a 5-3 dual meet record as the team goes into winter training. The Schedule Ahead For The Vikings Dec. 15 (Saturday) Women's Basketball at Buffalo Dec. 17 (Monday) Dec. 18 (Tuesday) Dec. 21 (Friday) Dec. 22 (Saturday)
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