VIDEO: Postgame Press Conference | Highlights
DETROIT, Mich. – Kenny Carpenter scored 22 points and eighth-seeded Cleveland State knocked off ninth-seeded Youngstown State, 72-71, in the opening round of the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Championship on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The Vikings advance to the quarterfinals and will play top-seeded Northern Kentucky on Saturday night at 8:00 pm.
It was the third game this year between the two teams that came down to the wire with the Vikings winning two of the three match-ups. The three meetings were decided by a total of nine points this year.
It was also CSU's 11th one possession game of the year with CSU posting a 6-5 mark in those games.
"This team has been accustomed to this all season," head coach Dennis Felton said. "We've played in so many one possession games and have had some experience grinding these out. Youngstow State played hard all night and dit some good things that made it difficult for us at times. But our guys executed on both ends of the floor at key moments and we were fortunate to find a way to grind out a win."
Carpenter, who posted his fourth 20-point game of the season, went 7-of-14 from the field and hit 4-of-6 from three-point. He added six rebounds and four assists.
Tyree Appleby scored 14 points with four assists, while Jamarcus Hairston added 12 points and four rebounds and Stefan Kenic finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Anthony Wright added nine points and four steals.
Hairston broke a 67-67 tie with two free throws with 2:31 to play and neither scored again until Wright followed up a miss with a thunderous dunk to give the Vikings a 71-67 lead with 1:34 to play. After a YSU free throw, Carpenter split a pair and Morse pulled the Penguins within one point (72-71) with 11 seconds to play as he banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key.
Appleby missed a pair of free throws on the other end and the Penguins had to chances to win the game, but could not convert, sending the Vikings into the second round.
YSU took an early 5-4 lead, but the Vikings scored 11 straight points to take a 15-5 lead on a Carpenter three-pointer at the 14 minute mark. That followed a no-look, behind-the-back pass from Carpenter to Hairston for a lay-up.
The Penguins came right back, using a 15-5 spurt to knot the contest at 20-20 at the 9:03 mark, but a Carpenter three-pointer capped a CSU run that allowed the Vikings to open up a 10-point lead (36-26) with 3:26 left in the half.
The Vikings led at the break, 38-33.
