GREEN BAY, Wis. – Cleveland State had four players in double figures, but Green Bay used a strong second half and large advantage at the free throw line to claim a 78-61 victory over the Vikings in CSU's final road game of the season.
Vinny Zollo led the Vikings with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Andre Yates, Rob Edwards and Kenny Carpenter scored 10 points each. Carpenter added seven rebounds.
Jonathan Janssen scored seven points off the bench, while Nelson Maxwell had six points and three assists.
Charles Cooper had 15 points for the Phoenix, while Jordan Fouse tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Green Bay raced out to a 16-6 lead five minutes into the game, forcing a quick CSU timeout. The Vikings responded with a 15-4 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 21-20 lead on a Yates layup. Jordan Fouse followed with a free throw on the other end to knot the contest at 21-21, but Zollo answered with a three-pointer on the other end to give the Vikings a 24-21 lead.
It was a lead CSU would not give up the rest of the half as the Vikings led, 38-36, at the break. CSU shot 15-of-28 (.536) from the field in the first 20 minutes, including 5-of-7 (.714) from three-point.
The Phoenix opened the second half with a 19-4 run to take a 55-42 lead with 11:58 left to play. The Vikings pulled within nine points (57-48) on a pair of free throws by Yates, but Carrington Love hit a three-pointer with just over six minutes left to push the Phoenix lead back to 14 points (64-50).
CSU shot .386 (22-57) from the floor and hit 11-of-13 (.846) at the free throw line. The Phoenix was 29-of-57 (.509) from the field and 16-of-29 (.552) at the charity stripe. Green Bay had a 37-31 advantage on the boards and made 12 steals.
The Vikings return to action on Thursday (Feb. 25) when CSU hosts Northern Kentucky at 7:30 pm in the Wolstein Center. It will be a doubleheader with the CSU women hosting UIC at 5:30 pm.