Horizon League Women's Basketball Release #6
Dec. 10, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Valparaiso junior guard Agnieszka Kulaga was selected as the Horizon League Women's Basketball Player of the Week following a 26-point performance in a 73-61 win over North Texas on Saturday.
Horizon League Player of the Week
Agnieszka Kulaga, Valparaiso
Jr. * G * Tarnow, Poland
Valparaiso's Agnieszka Kulaga became the first Crusader to be named Horizon League Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Kulaga received the weekly honor after she helped Valpo to a 73-61 win at home over North Texas on Saturday. The Crusaders' game against the Mean Green was their only contest of the week. Against North Texas, the Poland native scored a game and career-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. In addition, Kulaga pulled down a team-and career-best eight rebounds. She also added five assists and two steals to guide Valpo to its third straight win and eighth in a row at home.
Other Top Performances for the Week Ending December 9
Lade Akande, Butler
Jr. * C * Robinson IllinoisAkanke led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 mark with a 77-46 win over Oakland City on Monday and a 81-75 triumph against Evansville on Thursday. Against Oakland City, the junior paced the squad with 19 points. She then finished the week with 18 points versus Evansville as she tallied her 1,000th career point.
Kailey Klein, Cleveland State
So. * G * Cherry, Ill.
In the Vikings' lone game of the week against IUPUI on Tuesday, Klein finished with 18 points, seven rebounds five assists, two blocks and four steals to lead CSU to a 60-49 win. The sophomore connected on 5-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc as she played 29 minutes.
India Bruster, Detroit
Sr. * C/F * Cleveland, Ohio
Bruster was held scoreless in her first game of the week during a 69-43 loss to Toledo on Wednesday. The Detroit senior then responded by matching a career-high with 18 rebounds to lead the Titans to their first win of the season as they defeated Albany 51-49 on Saturday. Bruster also scored 11 points in the win over the Great Danes as she collected her first double-double of the year.
Kayla Groh, Green Bay
Sr. * G * Elkhart, Wis.
Groh guided the Phoenix to their fourth win of the season as Green Bay got past Kansas State 68-56 on Wednesday. Against KSU, she led all scorers by pouring in 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting in Green Bay's lone game of the week.
Brittany Boeke, Loyola
Fr. * F * Cherry Valley, Ill.
Boeke opened the week with her second double-double of the season as she racked up a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 80-56 loss to Bradley on Wednesday. Boeke then wrapped up the week by scoring 13 points in just 22 minutes in a 93-51 loss to No. 17/21 DePaul on Saturday.
Traci Edwards, Milwaukee
Jr. * C * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards helped the Panthers to a 1-1 record last week by averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The junior center opened the week against Wisconsin on Tuesday as she scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a 79-59 loss. She then wrapped up the week versus Central Michigan by going 9-of-9 from the field to post a game-high 22 points in a 79-64 win.
Jessie Miller, UIC
So. * G * Burnsville, Minn.
In UIC's lone game of the week, Miller picked up a team-best nine points in a 51-39 loss against Western Michigan on Saturday. The sophomore guard also totaled five rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Shey Peddy, Wright State
So. * G * Burnsville, Minn.
Peddy scored 12 points and pulled down four rebounds in Wright State's 64-46 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday. The Raiders' game against the Demon Deacons was their only game of the week.
Lauren Branson, Youngstown State
Sr. * G * Cincinnati, Ohio
Branson led the Penguins to a 1-1 week as YSU posted its first four-game winning streak since the 1999-2000 season. In two games this past week, Branson averaged 10.5 points and 5.0 assists per game and shot 50 percent from the field. In the Penguins' 66-58 win over Central Michigan, the senior scored a career-high 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
News From Around the League
Butler
The Bulldogs (7-1) went 2-0 this past week with victories over Oakland City (77-46) on Monday and Evansville (81-75) on Thursday.
Butler's 7-1 start to the season is the programs' best eight-game record since the 1994-95 team began the year at 7-1. A win over Tennessee State on Dec. 16 would give the team the best start since the 1990-91 squad opened with a 10-1 record. Meanwhile, the school record for most wins in a season with only one loss occurred during the 1978-79 campaign, when the Bulldogs reeled off 23-straight before falling for the only time in the postseason.
Sophomore forward Susan Lester not only put together one of the finest games of her career against Evansville on Dec. 6 but tallied one of the most dominant halves in Horizon League history. Lester finished the game with a career-best 28 points versus the Purple Aces, including 24 in the second period alone to finish just four shy of the single-half record of 28, set by Joanne McCarthy of UIC in 1995.
Butler will have next week off for finals before welcoming Tennessee State to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday (Dec. 16) beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Cleveland State
The Vikings improved to 3-4 on the year after they downed IUPUI 60-49 on the road.
Sophomore forward Stephaine Crosley notched her first career double-double and the first by a CSU player this season with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at IUPUI.
Cleveland State tallied assists on 19 of its 20 baskets against the Jaguars. In addition, the Vikings held IUPUI to 32.8 percent shooting for the game, including a 5-for-24 effort in the second half when CSU held IUPUI without a field goal for a 10 minute stretch.
CSU continues its season-long five-game roadtrip with games at Buffalo and Niagara next week. The Vikings came into the season with just four wins away from the Wolstein Center over the last three years, but has already won two games away from Cleveland this season.
Detroit
Detroit (1-7) claimed its first win of the season this past week as the Titans edged visiting Albany, 51-49, on Saturday. Detroit began the week with 69-43 setback against Toledo on Wednesday.Senior center India Bruster collected her first double-double of the season with a team-high 11 points and matched her personal-best of 18 rebounds against the Great Danes.
Senior forward Joyce Massey made the game-winning shot with two seconds remaining to help lead the Titans to the victory against Albany. Massey also added 10 points against Toledo.
Junior guard Sandi Brown poured in a team-high 11 points, which included a 5-of-6 showing at the line. Brown also matched a team-best eight boards at Toledo.
The Titans return to the court on Dec. 18 when they play host to Toledo.
Green Bay
Green Bay (4-2) ended a four-game slide to Kansas State and halted a two-game losing streak to members of the Big 12 with its 68-56 win over the Wildcats on Wednesday.
Green Bay continues to struggle at the free throw line at home. The Phoenix started the season 74 percent in a trio of road games, but has fired just 60 percent at the stripe in three home contests.
Junior guard Lavesa Glover tied a career-high with eight rebounds against a taller Kansas State linuep, making up for a slow night offensively for the 6-3 center.
Freshman reserve guard Celeste Hoewsich aided the Phoenix in its hot start against Kansas State as she tallied a career-high eight points, all in the first half.. She also remains perfect from three-point range, as she is 4-4 from beyond the arc.
The Phoenix heads to Wisconsin Tuesday for a battle of instate foes. Green Bay defeated the Badgers last season in Green Bay and is 2-1 in its last three trips to the Kohl Center. Seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams have been decided by 10 points or less.
Loyola
The Ramblers fell to 1-8 on the year as they dropped a 80-56 decision to Bradley on Wednesday and lost 93-51 to No. 17/21 DePaul on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Maggie McCloskey matched her season high with five three-pointers against Bradley.
Sophomore guard Jessica Hylton, pulled down a career-best 10 boards against Bradley and averaged 9.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in LU's two games.
Loyola has shot under 40 percent in four of its last five games and hit just 40 of 114 (.351) from the floor in its two games last week.The Ramblers return to action on Dec. 20 as they face off against Memphis in the Florida Gulf Coast Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.
Milwaukee
The Panthers (3-4) dropped a 79-59 decision to Wisconsin on Tuesday, but rebounded to take down Central Michigan 79-64 on Saturday.
Milwaukee shot 50 percent at CMU, its first time the Panthers have posted 50 percent or better this season.
Junior center Traci Edwards picked up her 63rd career double-digit scoring game and 30th-straight.
Milwaukee returns to action Thursday against Drake in its lone game of the week.
UIC
The Flames (3-5) fell 51-39 on the road to Western Michigan on Saturday.
Freshman forward Shanice Sadler recorded an impressive performance against Western Michigan on with a season-high eight points and five rebounds. Sadler was 4-for-7 from the field in 13 minutes of play.
UIC will look to snap a three-game losing streak when the Flames head to Cancun, Mexico to battle in the 2007 Caribbean Challenge on Dec. 18-19.
The Flames will face nationally-ranked LSU and Southern Mississippi in the two-day event.
Valparaiso
The Crusaders (3-5) dropped North Texas 73-61 on Saturday in their lone game of the week.
Valpo has won three straight overall and eight straight home games in a row at the ARC dating back to last season
Valpo shot 55.6 percent from three-point range, including 7-of-10 in the first half against North Texas.
Valparaiso travels to Notre Dame on Wednesday. The game is the fourth Valpo has played against a team ranked or receiving votes this season.
Wright State
The Raiders (2-6) fell on the road to Wake Forest 64-46 on Wednesday.
Wright State trailed by just two at the half, but managed only four field goals in the second half as Wake Forest pulled away for the win.Freshman forward Tatianna Hall connected on a baseline jumper with just under a minute remaining in the first half, but that turned out to be the last field goal for the Raiders until LaShawna Thomas had a layup with 9:43 left to play.
Freshman guard Shey Peddy led Wright State with 12 points while sophomore guard Kanisha Ward added 11 points.
After shooting 44 percent from the field in scoring 163 points over two games at the Cal Poly Holiday Beach Classic, WSU has struggled in the two games since, shooting 28 percent in scoring 103 points.
Wright State concludes a three-game road swing this week against two local rivals as the Raiders take on Cincinnati on Tuesday followed by crosstown rival Dayton on Sunday.
Youngstown State
The Penguins (4-4) went 1-1 this past week as they defeated Central Michigan (66-58) on Wednesday, but fell to Miami (Ohio) (64-45) on Saturday.
Youngstown State's win over Central Michigan on Wednesday was its fourth consecutive win. YSU won it fourth straight game for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
Senior forward Jessica Schloemp extended her consecutive games played streak to 81.
Senior Lauren Branson dished out six assists this past week and now has 362 career assists. She needs just 15 more to move into sixth place on the YSU's all-time list and 38 more to become the sixth player in school history to tally 400 assists in a career.
The Penguins return to action on Saturday as they take on Cincinnati on the road.
