QUICK HITS:
- As a team, the Vikings went 17-21 (.810) from the free throw line, going 15-18 (.833) from the line in the second half.
- Junior forward Deante Johnson finished Sunday's contest with a team-high tying seven points on 2-4 (.500) shooting from the floor, to go along with a team-high six rebounds (three offensive), a team-high tying, and career-high tying, two steals, one assist and one block in 24 minutes of play.
- Over his two games, Johnson is averaging 8.0 rebounds per contest.
- Sunday's contest marked the sixth time in Johnson's career that he's recorded two steals.
- In D'Moi Hodge's first game for the Vikings, the transfer guard finished with six points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 27 minutes as a starter.
- Freshman Jayson Woodrich contributed a team-high tying seven points and one rebound in 20 minutes as a reserve.
- Woodrich has led the Vikings in bench scoring in both games this season, averaging 9.0 points coming off of the bench.
- Chris Greene swiped a team-high tying two steals, to go along with four points and one rebound in eight minutes.
- Greene went a perfect 4-4 (1.000) from the charity stripe against Ohio.
- Freshman Mabor Majak registered three points, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 17 minutes of action, while guard Demetrius Terry dished out a team-high two assists in nine minutes.
QUOTE TO NOTE:
"I thought Ohio was well-prepared. They won the first five possessions and we never really recovered as a team emotionally. I thought our guys fought. They had great intentions, but when you have a veteran team that you're playing against, you have to respond because they will go on a run at some point and time. I thought in the second half, we were able to get some free throws and that was a bright spot – 18 free throw attempts in the second half." – Head Coach Dennis Gates.
RECAP:
ATHENS, Ohio – The Vikings (0-2), fell to the Ohio Bobcats (3-1) 101-46 Sunday afternoon inside the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
The Bobcats opened up a double-digit, 11-point, 20-9, lead with 12:48 left on the clock in the first half and never looked back. At the intermission of Sunday's matinee match, Ohio held a 51-25 advantage. At the half, Torrey Patton led the Vikings in scoring with six points on 3-6 (.500) shooting from the floor, while Deante Johnson continued his dominance on the glass, grabbing a team-high four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Ohio began the second half on a 35-0 run, building its lead, 86-25, with 8:54 left to play in regulation. The Bobcats' lead was too large for the Vikings to overcome, as Cleveland State eventually fell 101-46.
The Vikings knocked down 15 free throws in the second half, shooting 15-18 (.833) from the line. D'Moi Hodge recorded all six of his points in the second half, going a perfect 4-4 (1.000) from the charity stripe, while Chris Greene swiped both of his team-high tying steals in the final 20 minutes of action.
UP NEXT:
Cleveland State will open up Horizon League play on the road against the newest members of the league, Robert Morris, on December 19 at 6 p.m. and December 20 at 5 p.m.