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GAME 6
VCU (2-3) at Cleveland State (1-4)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Wolstein Center
Series: First Meeting
SETTING THE SCENE
Cleveland State will return home for the first time in over two weeks on Wednesday (Nov. 28), hosting the VCU Rams in a 7:00 p.m. contest in the Wolstein Center. Last weekend the Vikings closed out a four-game roadswing, which included two games in Nevada at the John Ascuaga's Nuggest Classic. CSU fell to the University of Nevada (79-86) in the first game of the tournament, and then dropped a hard fought contest to Santa Clara (71-82) in the consolation matchup.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
After dropping the first two games of the season, VCU has bounced back to enter Wednesday's contest on a two-game win streak - defeating UMKC (79-55) and Maine (74-58). Junior Robyn Parks, who leads the Rams in scoring and rebounding, was recently named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, after averaging a double-double with 23.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in VCU's two victories last week. Parks, along with Jessica Pellechio, are averaging double-digit points this season for the Rams, while Parks (9.4 rpg) and Shekinah Henry (6.8 rpg) lead VCU in rebounding.
FOUR STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR WINTON
Shalonda Winton tallied her fourth straight double-double last Friday (Nov. 23), posting 31 points and 17 rebounds against Nevada. Winton, who ended her streak of double-doubles against Santa Clara (Nov. 24), is one of only two league players to post four double-doubles through the early part of the season.
GREEN SETS CAREER-HIGH AGAINST WOLFPACK
Kiersten Green recorded a personal-best at Nevada last Friday (Nov. 23), posting 13 points, including a 2-for-3 performance from three-point. Green was 5-for-9 (.556) from the field against the Wolfpack, and posted three assists and three steals.
...GREEN CONTINUES SCORING STREAK
Kiersten Green, who struggled offensively through the first three games of the season, continued her scoring streak against Santa Clara, posting her third straight double-digit game with 10 points. Green was 4-for-9 (.444) from the field and set career-highs with five assists and 40 minutes played.
SCHMITT NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH AGAINST WOLFPACK
Haley Schmitt was the second of three Vikings to notch a career-high against Nevada, posting nine points on a 4-for-6 (.667) performance from the field. Schmitt also recorded a career-best 25 minutes played, along with three rebounds and two assists.
WINTON BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADER IN OFFENSIVE BOARDS
With six offensive rebounds against Nevada, Shalonda Winton became the all-time leader in the category at Cleveland State, ending the weekend with 285. Winton, who now has 822 total rebounds on her career, passed Lanette Taylor (1989-92) who tallied 283 offensive rebounds during her career.
VIKINGS STRONG OFFENSIVELY AGAINST SANTA CLARA
As a team, Cleveland State tallied a .450 field goal percentage (27-for-60) against Santa Clara last Saturday - their best mark of the season. The last time CSU recorded at least a .450 field goal percentage was against Green Bay (1/21/12) last year when the Vikings went 23-for-50 (.460) from the field.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING GAMES
For the last three contests Cleveland State has had three players score in double-digits, including Shalonda Winton and Kiersten Green who have tallied 10 or more points in all three contests. In all three games, the top three point-scorers for CSU have combined for over 60-percent of the Vikings' points.
VIKINGS WITH THE STEAL
Cleveland State ranks second in the league averaging 10.6 steals per game, while three players rank in the top-10 in the individual category. The Vikings have notched double-digit steals in three contests this season, including a season-high 15 against Nevada. The individuals who rank in the top-10 are; Kiersten Green (5th-2.2), Imani Gordon (5th-2.2) and Cori Coleman (7th-2.0).
WINTON IN THE NATIONAL STATS
After the first five games of the season, Shalonda Winton ranks in the top-60 nationally in four categories. Winton, who leads the league in scoring, ranks fifth nationally averaging 24.8 points per game, while she ranks 14th nationally with 11.8 rebounds per game. As one of just 15 players nationwide to have at least four double-doubles on the year, Winton ranks fourth, while also ranking 60th with 3.0 steals per contest.
CSU CRASHING THE BOARDS
For the third time this season CSU outrebounded their opponent, holding a 43-41 advantage against Nevada last Friday. The Vikings also held the advantage against Illinois (50-37) and Ohio (38-35), while the 50 boards against Illinois marked the first 50-rebound game since the 2009-10 season when CSU notched 53 against Indiana.
WINTON REACHES 800-REBOUND MILESTONE
With her 12 boards at Illinois earlier this season, Shalonda Winton became the sixth Viking all-time to reach the 800-rebound milestone. Winton currently ranks sixth all-time at CSU with 822 rebounds, needing 33 more boards to move into fifth place which is held by Lanette Taylor (854 rebounds).
WINTON EXTENDS 20-POINT GAME STREAK
For the fifth straight contest Shalonda Winton recorded at least 20-points, notching 31 at Nevada and 23 against Santa Clara. Winton is the only player in the league to have five 20-point games this season and has now recorded 19 on her career.
...WINTON TIES CAREER-HIGH WITH 31 POINTS AGAINST NEVADA
Shalonda Winton's 31 points against the Wolfpack tied a career-high for the senior, and marked the third 30-point game of her career. Winton is one of two league players to post 30-point games this season (Shareta Brown, Detroit) and has a league-high 124 points through five games.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will hit the road once again, traveling to Bloomington, Ind. for a 2:00 p.m. contest on Sunday (Dec. 2) against the Indiana Hoosiers. Sunday will mark the fifth contest between the two teams, with Indiana holding a 3-1 advantage in the overall series.