Klein’s 31 smashes CSU record

Cleveland State Univer-sity’s Kailey Klein toes the line for one of 14 free throw shots in Saturday’s game vs. Loyola. She scored 31 points to smash the CSU career scoring record. (Photo for the BCR/Jennah Lear)

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kailey Klein needed just six points to become Cleveland State University’s all-time leading scorer. She got that and then some in Saturday’s game with Loyola.

Klein, a senior guard from Cherry and Hall High School, recorded her record-breaking basket nine minutes into the game and went on to finish with a game-high 31 points. That outing wasn’t quite enough for the Vikings, however, who fell 74-64 to the visiting Ramblers.

The Cherry Comet raised her career scoring total to 1,877 points, surpassing the 1,851 that former CSU star Dianne Foster has held for 26 years.

“I am honored to have the scoring record here at Cleveland State, but it hurts because we weren’t able to pull out the win,” Klein said. “Once I got the record, I was just focused on the game and helping the team try to win any way I could. We made some errors down the stretch, but hopefully, we can learn from this and move forward.”

To have senior classmate Angel Roque make the assist to Klein on her record basket made it more special, she said.

“We came in together and we’ve been together and shared in moving the program forward,” she said.

According to Klein’s sister, Brigitte, a junior on the Hall High School team, Klein’s family made the trip to Cleveland to take in the special occasion. Brigitte, however, stayed behind for the Lady Devils’ practice.

Klein’s 31 points were just two shy of matching her career high of 33, a figure she has hit on six occasions. She also had a career high-high 14 rebounds to record her 13th career double-double. She had a near double-double by halftime with 17 points and nine rebounds heading into intermission.

For her efforts, Klein has been named the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the period of Feb. 1-7, CSU told the BCR Monday. The selection marks Klein’s third weekly honor from the league office this season and the eighth of her career, tying her for the third most career awards in Horizon League history.

Nothing about Klein surprises CSU coach Kate Peterson Abiad anymore.

“Kailey’s accomplishment is very special,” head coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. “She had a tremendous all-around game, scoring, rebounding and playing defense. It’s to bad that we had to associate a loss with this special accomplishment.

“What Kailey has done during her career is remarkable, and I am proud of the player that she has became. I feel that her teammates have become better players for playing with her, and I am honored to have coached such a tremendous person for the last four years.”

A YouTube clip of Klein’s performance is posted on the school’s Website at csu.vikings. com.

The Vikings return to action Thursday at Valparaiso.