ROCHESTER, Michigan – Torrey Patton notched his second straight double-double, but it wouldn't be enough as the Vikings fell to Oakland on Tuesday night (March 3) in the first round of the Horizon League men's basketball tournament, 80-59.
QUICK HITS
- Torrey Patton had another stellar performance, notching his second consecutive double-double (third in four games) pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds, to go along with 11 points and three assists in 35.4 minutes of play.
- Over his last four contests, the junior from Dayton, Ohio, is averaging 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds.
- Algevon Eichelberger finished with a team-high 17 points on 8-13 (.615) shooting from the floor, four rebounds and one assist in 25.4 minutes.
- Eichelberger, who was named to the All-League Third Team, finished the season with 20-straight 10-plus point games. He's scored in double figures in 25 of his 29 games played.
- Deante Johnson finished with 10 points on 5-7 (.714) shooting from the floor, six rebounds (four offensive) and one block in 22.3 minutes.
- Tuesday night's match marked Johnson's fifth game this season of contributing 10-or-more points.
- The Vikings attempted 16 free throws against the Golden Grizzlies, finishing the season with 10-plus attempts from the charity stripe in every game during the 2019-20 season.
- Cleveland State's bench outscored Oakland's bench by 12 points (16-4).
- The Vikings also won the second chance battle, 13-6.
GAME RECAP:
Deante Johnson threw down a two-handed dunk at the 12:34 mark of the first half, putting the Vikings up 14-12. That two-point lead would be the last lead the Vikings would see the rest of the contest.
The Golden Grizzlies opened up a 10-point, 28-18, lead with just over seven minutes left in the half and extended their advantage heading into halftime, 41-26.
Oakland began the second half on a 19-9 run, to build its lead up to 25 points, 60-35, with 13:04 on the clock.
The Vikings were able to bring the deficit down to less than 20 points on three occasions in the second half, the last time coming with 7:19 left to play in regulation, when Al Eichelberger recorded a layup.
Oakland's lead was too steep for Cleveland State to overcome, as the Vikings' season would come to an end Tuesday night with an 80-59 loss.
UP NEXT:
Tuesday night's contest concludes the Vikings' 2019-20 campaign, a season where Cleveland State won seven Horizon League contests, the most since the 2014-15 season. First-year head coach Dennis Gates was awarded the Horizon League Co-Coach of the year, while junior forward Algevon Eichelberger was named to the All-League Third Team.