Jan. 2, 2007
Contact: Alan Ashby
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game #16
at UIC (6-8, 0-2 HL)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007
Site: Chicago, Ill.
Arena: UIC Pavilion (8,000)
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. CST
Series: UIC leads, 24-20
Live Stats: www.CSUVikings.com
Watch: www.HorizonLeague.com
Listen: N/A
The Opening Tip
Cleveland State (4-11, 1-1 HL) rings in the New Year on Thursday (Jan. 4) with a 7:00 p.m. CST contest at UIC (6-8, 0-2 HL). Fresh off a split of their opening weekend of Horizon League play, the Vikings venture to Chicago in search of their first win away from the Wolstein Center.
The Series With UIC
UIC has won the the last three meetings to push its advantage in the series to 24-20. The Vikings are just 8-15 all-time against the Flames in Chicago.
Noting The Vikings
CSU leveled its Horizon League record at 1-1 with a 60-47 victory over Wright State on Saturday afternoon in the Wolstein Center. CSU employs a three-guard system, with junior Brittany Korth (7.7 ppg, 2.5 apg), and freshmen Kailey Klein (6.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Jessica Roque (9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg) handling the backcourt duties. The Vikings have been led in the post by senior Nicole Thomas, who is averaging 7.9 points and 7.3 rebounds. With freshman Stephaine Crosley (8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) out indefinitely with a leg injury, sophomore center Stephanie Youdath (6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.5 bpg) has moved into the starting line-up the last six games. Sophomores Dominique Butler (8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 spg) and Natalie Miller (5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and freshman Angel Roque (3.9 ppg, 2.5 apg) give the Vikings solid guard play off of the bench, while senior Chenara Wilson (3.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and junior Robyn Hoying (3.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg) provide depth in the front court.
A League Of Her Own
The start of Horizon League play has been just what the doctor ordered for freshman guard Kailey Klein. She scored 21 points against Butler and added 18 more against Wright State in her first start to pace the Vikings in both games, while averaging 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals for good measure. The Cherry, Ill. native's best performance of the season came on Dec. 7 at Western Michigan, when she erupted for a team season-high 26 points and a career-best eight rebounds. As the owner of a conference record 2,496 points in high school, Klein is no stranger to scoring outbursts.
Vikings Get Defensive
Since surrendering a season-high 100 points in a loss at Virginia on Dec. 16, Cleveland State has clamped down on defense, allowing just 50.0 points a game en route to going 2-1. The Vikings' three opponents have made just 30.2 percent of their field goal attempts (51-169) during that span.
Baby Steps
While four victories might not seem like a lot, Cleveland State has already matched its win total from each of the last two seasons and the Vikings still have at least 15 games left to play. With six different underclassmen playing at least 18 minutes a game -- and freshman Kailey Klein's playing time on the rise (12.6 mpg) -- the improvement is a sign of good things to come down the road.
Youdath Doubles Up
Stephanie Youdath certainly made her first career start a memorable one, posting her first double-double with career-highs of 14 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes of action at Western Michigan on Dec. 7. She then proved the performance wasn't a fluke, tallying a new career-high with 16 points and three more swats against Akron on Dec. 10. Excluding her first (and brief) appearance of the season against the College of Charleston (one rebound in three minutes), the Mentor, Ohio native is averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the nine full games since returning from a disc problem in her back.
...And Shows Off Wingspan
Listed at 6-4 in the media guide, Stephanie Youdath's wingspan is actually closer to seven feet. Since making her Cleveland State debut 10 games ago, she has blocked 25 shots -- nearly equal to the total of the rest of the team (29). Thanks to her career-best seven blocks against Wright State (one shy of the school record), Youdath's 25 blocks and 2.5 pg average would easily outdistance the Horizon League leader (UW-Green Bay's Nicole Soulis: 20 blocks, 1.54 pg) if she had played enough games to qualify. Youdath recorded 12 stuffs in limited action as a freshman two years ago at Marist.
When The Numbers Fall, The Wins Increase
Across the board, Cleveland State's offensive statistical averages are noticeably higher in its 11 losses than in the Vikings' four victories. Perhaps a bit odd -- until you consider the fact that CSU is allowing just a little over 28 fewer points (49.0 - 77.5) while holding its opponents to a significantly lower field goal percentage (.308 - .446) in the quartet of wins. In addition, the Vikings are doing a much better job of taking care of the ball in its victories, committing just 14.3 turnovers compared to 19.2 in the losses.
