Horizon League Women's Basketball Release #13

Jan. 28, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Cleveland State sophomore guard Kailey Klein was tabbed Horizon League women's basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season after she helped the Vikings claim a 77-64 win over instate rival Youngstown State. Against the Penguins, Klein scored a game-high 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Horizon League Player of the Week
Kailey Klein, Cleveland State
So. * G * Cherry, Ill.
Kailey Klein receives her second Player of the Week award this season after she helped the Vikings to a 77-64 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon. In the Vikings' lone contest of the week, the CSU sophomore scored a game-high 30 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds, including four offensive, for her first career double-double. Klein's 30-point effort was the third of her third career. She also chipped in four assists. Klein scored 21 of her points in the second half and connected on 11-of-18 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 (.600) from beyond the arc. Klein continues to lead the team in scoring (17.9 points per game).

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 27
Lade Akande, Butler
Jr. * C * Robinson, Ill.
Akande averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 boards per contest in two games this past week. Against Detroit on Thursday, Akande netted a career-high 12 field goals to finish with a season-high 27 points, just one shy of tying her career best single game total. She also totaled a team-best nine rebounds against the Titans. Two days later against Wright State, she went 6-for-9 from the field (66.7 percent) for 12 points. She also added four rebounds against the Raiders.

Erin Templin, Green Bay
Jr. * F * Richland Center, Wis.
Templin had a pair of team-leading performances for Green Bay this past week. On Wednesday against Loyola, Templin set a career-high in scoring with her team-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. She also added seven rebounds in 28 minutes of work. Against UIC on Saturday, Templin registered her first double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while adding three assists.

Keisha Collins, Loyola
So. * G * Chicago, Ill.
Collins averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game this past week. Against Green Bay the LU guard was the lone Rambler to score in double figures as she finished with a team-high 16 points. She the totaled 10 points, five boards and a career-high six steals on Saturday at Milwaukee.

Traci Edwards, Milwaukee
Jr. * C * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards posted averages of 19.9 points and 13.5 rebounds per game to help guide UWM to a 1-1 record this past week. The UWM center opened the week as she scored 16 points and pulled down a season-best 18 rebounds against UIC. She then followed that up with 22 points and nine rebounds in a win over Loyola.

Jessie Miller, UIC
So. * G * Apple Valley, Minn.
Miller helped the Flames to 1-1 record this past week as she averaged 20.0 points per game and was 15-of-26 from the field including eight three-pointers (8-for-14). Miller began the week as she guided UIC to its first victory over Milwaukee in a regular season contest at the Klotsche Center on Thursday with a career-high 27 points. Miller was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and added two assists in the win. Miller then totaled 13 points versus Green Bay Saturday. She also added two blocks and one steal against the Phoenix.

Agnieszka Kulaga, Valparaiso
Jr. * G * Tarnow, Poland
In two games this past week, Kulaga averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The Valpo guard began the week on Thursday against Wright State by scoring 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to collect her second double-double of the season. She then finished the week on Saturday with 16 points and six steals at Detroit.

Shey Peddy, Wright State
Fr. * G * Boston, Mass.
Peddy tallied 12 points, including the game-winning jumper with 5.5 seconds left, against Valparaiso on Thursday. She also added five rebounds, five assists and six steals versus the Crusaders. The WSU guard then finished the week with 20 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 tally from the foul line, against Butler on Saturday.

Kelsey Gurganus, Youngstown State
Jr. * G * Indianapolis, Ind.
Gurganus led the Penguins with 14 points against Cleveland State in their only game of the week. Gurganus connected on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line. Gurganus also dished out three assists against the Vikings. During a late first-half stretch, Gurganus scored 11 consecutive points for the Penguins.

News From Around the League
Butler
The Bulldogs (13-5 overall, 3-4 Horizon League) split a pair of League road games this past week. Butler opened the week with a 72-62 win against Detroit on Thursday. BU then fell 70-65 to Wright State on Saturday.

Junior forward Tara Miller continues to lead the Horizon League and all of Division I with a 3.47 assists-to-turnovers ratio (59 assists, 17 turnovers). She has been atop the NCAA list since Jan. 14.

After coming off the bench in the first 15 games of her career, freshman guard Azjah Bass has earned the starting nod in the last three games. After tallying just four points in her first start against Milwaukee on Jan. 19, Bass went 4-for-9 from the field at Detroit for nine points. She also added five rebounds and five assists. Just two days later at Wright State, she erupted for a career-best 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and totaled four boards and three assists. Bass is currently fifth on the team in scoring with an average 5.1 points per game.

Butler has used three different lineups in the past three games, with Bass starting in all three, junior guard Candyce Brown starting twice while senior forwards Candace Bain, Cassie Freeman and freshman forward Chloe Hamilton have each earned one start.

Butler leads the League in scoring defense allowing just 60.8 points per contest. The Bulldogs also lead the circuit with a 0.93 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday as it plays host to Cleveland State and Youngstown State on Saturday.

Cleveland State
In their lone game of the week, the Vikings (11-7 overall, 5-2 Horizon League) defeated Youngstown State at home 77-64.

CSU has posted an 11 wins this season, which surpassed last season's win total (8-22). It is the first time since 1999-2000 that the Vikings have reached double-digit wins.

The Vikings, who are a perfect 5-0 at home in League play, have won six straight games overall at home, their longest streak since winning seven straight during the 1997-98 through 1998-99 seasons.

Sophomore Kailey Klein led the way for the Vikings as she tallied 30 points for the third time in her career. In addition, sophomore guard Jessica Roque came off the bench on Saturday to finish with a season-high 10 points. Senior forward Robyn Hoying also scored in double figures as she tallied 16 points, which was just four shy of her career-high.

The Vikings' five wins in League play equals the number of wins that CSU posted last season. The program record for League wins in a season is nine, set in 2003-04.

CSU hits the road this week as it heads to Butler on Thursday and Valparaiso on Saturday.

Detroit
The Titans (3-15 overall, 0-7 Horizon League) dropped a pair of home League games this past week. UDM opened the week with a 72-62 setback against Butler on Thursday then dropped a 71-50 decision to Valparaiso on Saturday.

Junior guard Zemora Davis recorded several career-highs against the Bulldogs, including a team-high 21 points. She also recorded personal-bests of made field goals (10), assists (4) and minutes (40). Davis also became the only player on the Titans' current roster to have ever played a complete game.

In addition, Detroit shot a season-high 50 percent from the floor against Butler.

Freshman guard Gabi Hungerford led UDM with 15 points against Valpo after going 6-of-15 from the field. Senior guard Keashawn Bond came off the bench to score a team-best 13 points.

The Titans return to the road this weekend as they face Loyola on Thursday and UIC on Saturday.

Green Bay
The Phoenix (15-4 overall, 7-1 Horizon League) kept their perfect League record at home in tact as they downed Loyola 78-52 on Thursday and beat UIC 75-60 on Saturday.

With its victory over UIC, the Phoenix has won 19 straight games at home against Horizon League opponents.

Since joining the Horizon League in the 1994-95 season, the Phoenix is a 109-10 all-time against Horizon League foes in Green Bay for a .916 winning percentage.

In the last 10 seasons, Green Bay is 80-2 at home against League challengers, for a .976 winning percentage.

Green Bay ranks third in the nation in field-goal percentage, hitting a 49.6 percent clip. In addition, four of Green Bay's starters are ranked in the top 15 in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage.

All five of Green Bay's starters are in the top 30 in the Horizon League in scoring, however senior guard Kayla Groh is the only Phoenix player that ranks in the League's top 10. Groh has an average of 13.5 points per game. In Horizon League play alone, all five starters are averaging double figures in scoring.

Entering this season, junior center Lavesa Glover had tallied double-figures in scoring on just four separate occassions. This season, Glover has scored in double figures in 12 of Green Bay's 19 games this season and is third on the team with 11.7 points per game.

Green Bay will play just once this week as it travels to Milwaukee on Saturday.

Loyola
The Ramblers (3-15 overall, 1-6 Horizon League) were defeated in a pair of road League games this past week. LU opened the week with a 78-52 loss to Green Bay on Wednesday and closed out the week with 54-51 setback against Milwaukee.

Freshman forward Taryn Randle, who had not played more than three minutes in any game this season, played 21 minutes on Thursday against Green Bay and 20 more at Milwaukee. In those two games, Randle scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds.

Sophomore center Shannon Finnegan scored a season-high 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench at Milwaukee.

After winning the first four lifetime meetings against Green Bay, the Ramblers have dropped the last 31 to their League foe.

Loyola returns home and will play host to Detroit on Thursday and Wright State on Saturday.

Milwaukee
The Panthers (11-8 overall, 6-2 Horizon League) split a pair of home League games this past week. Milwaukee opened the week with a 62-59 loss to UIC on Wednesday. UWM then rebounded to defeat Loyola 54-51 on Saturday.

Wednesday's loss to UIC ended a five-game winning streak and four-game home winning streak.

UWM trailed by as many as 18 points with just over 10 minutes to go in the second half. UWM went on a 23-8 run to close the UIC lead to three points with 11 seconds to play, but were unable to tie the game.

Junior center Traci Edwards scored in double-figures for her school record 41st-straight game. Edwards tallied 16 points on Thursday and 22 points on Saturday.

Edwards has 75 double-digit scoring games in her career. That figure is second in the school's Division I history. She also moved into second place on UWM's Division I scoring list with 1,482 career points.

Milwaukee has gone 13-straight games without allowing an opponent to score 70 points, its longest such streak since a 15-game stretch to end the 2005-06 campaign.

UWM welcome instate rival Green Bay to the Klotsche Center on Saturday for its lone game of the week.

UIC
The Flames (6-12 overall, 2-5 Horizon League) posted a 1-1 record this past week. UIC opened the week with 62-59 road win over Milwaukee on Thursday. The Flames then fell 75-60 at Green Bay.

Sophomore guard Jessie Miller scored a career-high 27 points against Milwaukee on Thursday. Miller scored 16 straight points to close out the first half.

Sophomore guard Briana Hinkle tabbed a career-high 23 points against Milwaukee on Jan. 23

UIC returns home this week as it welcomes Wright State on Thursday and Detroit on Saturday.

Valparaiso
The Crusaders (9-9 overall, 4-3 Horizon League) split a pair of road games this past week. Valparaiso opened the week with a 51-50 defeat to Wright State on Thursday. Valpo then rebounded with a 71-50 win over Detroit on Saturday.

Against Wright State, junior guard Agnieszka Kulaga lead the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds as she collected her second double-double of the season.

Kulaga is shooting 88.9 percent from the free throw line and has made 17 straight over the past four games.

Against Detroit on Saturday junior forward Aimee Litka had a game-high 25 points, including seven three-pointers in the win over the Titans.

Valpo held Wright State and Detroit to 16.7 and 21.1 percent shooting, respectively from the beyond the arc. This season opponents are shooting just 30.6 percent from three-point range against Valpo, including just 19.4 percent this past weekend.

Valpo begins a four-game homestand on Thursday night as it welcomes Youngstown State. On Saturday, the Crusaders will play host to Cleveland State.

In home games this season, Valpo is 6-1 and is averaging 72.4 points per game.

Wright State
The Raiders (4-3 overall, 7-11 Horizon League) went 2-0 this past week as they edged Valparaiso 51-50 on Thursday and got past Butler 70-65 on Saturday.

For the third time this season, Wright State recorded a one-point victory Thursday night as the Raiders outscored Valparaiso 12-2 the final 7:04. Freshman guard Shey Peddy hit the game-winning jumper with 5.5 seconds remaining to give the Raiders the win.

Senior foward Whitney Lewis (14), Peddy (12), freshaman guard LaShawna Thomas (11) and sophomore forward Erica Richardson (10) all scored in double-figures for the Raiders.

The Raiders are 5-2 at home this season, with three of those victories coming by one point. Peddy, who leads all freshman in scoring, has provided the winning basket all three times. She hit a last-second basket versus Evansville (Dec. 21) and hit a three with just over a minute remaining to put WSU up 57-52 against Milwaukee (Jan.3).

On Saturday, Wright State trailed by four with 3:47 left in the game, but outscored Butler 13-4 the rest of the way to pull out a 70-65 win. Peddy led the Raiders with 20 points, 14 of which came in the second half, while Lewis added 18 points and eight rebounds.

WSU travels to Chicago this week to take on UIC on Thursday and Loyola on Saturday.

Youngstown State
The Penguins (9-9 overall, 4-3 Horizon League) fell 77-64 to Cleveland State on the road in its lone game of the week on Saturday.

The loss to Cleveland State marks the first time the Penguins lost after leading at halftime since falling to Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 8.

The Penguins led Miami, 24-22, at the intermission and edged Cleveland State, 38-37, at the break.

Junior guard Kelsey Gurganus led the Penguins with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Senior forward Jessica Schloemp extended her consecutive games played streak to 91.

Senior guard Lauren Branson continues her climb on the career assists chart with 420 and needs just 28 more to move into fifth place past Colleen Cook (447, 1994-98).

YSU will make its Indiana swing this week as it heads to Valparaiso on Thursday and concludes its week with a match up against Butler on Saturday.