Final Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

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MACOMB, Ill. - Bryn Forbes and Charlie Lee scored 16 points each and Cleveland State shot 55-percent from the field in the second half to claim a 60-54 win at Western Illinois in a Ramada BracketBuster contest on Saturday night at Western Hall.

The Vikings improved to 14-16 overall, while WIU fell to 19-7. The Leathernecks came into the game with a 10-1 mark at home this season and were second in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 52.2 points per game.

Forbes hit 6-of-8 from the field, including both of his three-pointers, and added four rebounds. Lee added five assists, his 16th game with at least five assists this season, and three rebounds.

Junior Lomomba had another strong performance off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 from the field for eight points. He added three assists, two steals and two rebounds. Tim Kamczyc also had eight points and three rebounds.

Adam Link led the Leathernecks with 15 points, while Terell Park finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Leathernecks, who are in second place in the Summit League with an 11-3 mark, jumped out quickly to a 15-4 lead seven and a half minutes in. But the Vikings did not let them extend the lead, staying close and pulling back within five (17-12) on a Forbes jumper with eight minutes left. 

The teams continued to trade baskets until a Don McAvoy three-pointer gave WIU an eight-point advantage (27-19) with 3:24 to play. However, Lee answered with back-to-back three-pointers and after a Parks jumper, Forbes found Tim Kamczyc for a layup just before the final buzzer, cutting CSU's deficit to two points (29-27) at the half.

CSU opened the second half on a 14-4 run to take an eight point advantage (41-33) on back-to-back buckets from Lomomba. The Vikings would not relinquish the lead the remainder of the night, answering every time WIU pulled back within two points and knocking down 7-of-9 free throws in the final seconds to ice the win.

The Vikings shot .489 (22-45) for the game and made nine steals.

The Vikings return to action when CSU closes the regular season on Saturday (March 2) with a 3:00 p.m. EST contest at Loyola.