QUICK HITS
- Rashad Williams scored a game-high 20 points and was 7-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the three-point line
- Cleveland State limited Youngstown State to just 30.6 percent shooting from the floor
- Jaalam Hill finished with 16 points and six rebounds
- Tyree Appleby had 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals
- Cleveland State shot 45.6 percent from the floor for the game
GAME STORY
Freshman Rashad Williams scored a game-high 20 points and Cleveland State limited Youngstown State to just 30.6 percent shooting from the floor as the Vikings earned their first Horizon League victory of the season with a 72-62 win over the Penguins on Saturday in the Wolstein Center.
The Vikings rode the hot shooting of Williams and a stingy defense to their first Horizon League victory of the season as CSU improved to 6-16 overall and 1-8 in league play.
Jaalam Hill finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while Tyree Appleby added 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
While the Vikings held Youngstown State to just 30.6 percent shooting from the field, CSU shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from the three-point line.
Hill and Williams keyed a first half that saw the Vikings race out to a 37-20 lead at the intermission. Hill scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor and Williams was 3-of-5 from the three-point line in the first half to finish with 11 points.
After spotting the Penguins an early 5-0 lead, the Vikings roared back to take the lead.
A three-pointer by Appleby with 15:46 to play in the opening period gave the Vikings the lead for good at 8-7. His three-pointer ignited a 13-2 run that pushed the CSU lead to 18-9 with 11:43 remaining in the opening period.
After Youngstown State cut the CSU lead to 25-18 at the 4:29 mark of the first half, the Vikings responded with a 12-2 run to close out the opening period. Stefan Kenic had four points during the run and Hill hit back-to-back baskets to end the period giving the Vikings a 37-20 lead at the break.
Cleveland State opened the second half on a 7-0 run, which included a layup by Hill and a three-pointer and a layup by Seth Millner, to take its largest lead of the game at 44-20.
Youngstown State, which dropped to 6-16 overall and 2-7 in conference play, would not go away as the Penguins used a 14-0 run to climb to within 44-34 with 13:00 to play in the second period.
But the Vikings had an answer for every Youngstown State charge. CSU upped the lead to 52-36 following the YSU run on three-pointers from Appleby and Dibaji Walker and two free throws by Kasheem Thomas.
The Penguins closed to within eight points on a three-pointer by Devin Morgan with 1:34 to play, but Appleby converted a driving layup and tacked on two free throws on the next CSU possession to help seal the victory for the Vikings.
The Vikings return to action on Thursday (Jan. 31) when they visit Detroit Mercy for a Horizon League game at 7 p.m.
