VIDEO: Highlights

ROCHESTER, Mich. – Rob Edwards scored a career-high 32 points and Cleveland State never trailed in a 76-65 victory at Oakland on Monday night at The Blacktop at The O'rena.

CSU improved to 6-13 overall and 2-5 in the Horizon League, while Oakland fell to 14-5 overall (4-2 HL).

STAT LEADERS

• Edwards hit 10-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point, and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. He became the first CSU player to reach 30 points since Demonte Flannigan scored 30 at Youngtown State last year.
• Edwards also had seven rebounds and two assists.
• Kasheem Thomas tied his career-high with 16 points and added four assists and three rebounds.
• Flannigan scored 11 points, while Kenny Carpenter added eight points and four rebounds.
• Evan Clayborne tallied four points and five rebounds and Jibri Blount grabbed five boards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Vikings never trailed in the first half, taking an early 11-5 lead on a pair of free throws from Edwards.
• A 13-7 run by Oakland tied the contest (18-18) at the 7:36 mark, but CSU responded with its own run, opening up its largest advantage of the half (31-22) on an Edwards jumper with 3:41 on the clock.
• Oakland closed the half on an 8-2 spurt to slice the CSU lead to 33-30 at the break.
• The second half was back and forth until the Vikings broke a 36-36 tie by scoring seven of the next nine points to open up a 43-38 lead on a Clayborne layup at the 14:10 mark.
• The Golden Grizzlies pulled back within three points (45-42), but Edwards drained back-to-back three pointers and Thomas hit a mid-range jumper, giving CSU a 53-44 lead midway through the second half and forcing an Oakland timeout.
• The lead reached 10 points (56-46) on an Edwards three-point play with just over eight minutes to play, but Oakland responded with two straight baskets to pull within six (56-50).
• CSU answered with a quick 5-1 run to extend the lead back to 10 points (61-51) and Oakland would not threaten the rest of the night.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Vikings were playing their third game in five days.
• The victory was the first road win of the season for CSU.
• CSU hit six three-pointers, while Oakland was just 2-of-18.
• The Vikings were 20-of-28 at the free throw line, hitting several key ones down the stretch. Oakland went 17-of-22.
• CSU held a 36-32 advantage on the boards.
• The Vikings scored 13 second chance points off eight offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT

• The Vikings head to Wisconsin for an 8:00 pm ET game against Milwaukee on Friday (Jan. 20).
• CSU will also play at Green Bay on the trip, facing the Phoenix on Monday (Jan. 23) at 7:00 pm ET.