CLEVELAND, Ohio – A cold spell in the opening half proved to be too much to overcome as the Cleveland State Vikings suffered their second home loss of the season, falling 89-83 to Detroit Mercy on Friday's inaugural Coach John McLendon Day.
Despite the defeat, Torrey Patton netted a career-high 33 points on 13-19 shooting, including 3-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-4 clip from the free throw line. Patton scored 20 points in the second half and played a key role in the Vikings' 22-point comeback to tie the game with under 10 minutes to play.
QUICK HITS
- The Vikings poured in 83 points on Friday night, marking the third consecutive game of dropping 80-or-more and the seventh time doing so this season.
- Cleveland State dished out 17 assists against the Titans, marking the third consecutive contest of recording at least 15 assists.
- The Green and White held a +22 advantage in points in the paint (42-20), while also holding the edge in bench points (23-8).
- Torrey Patton notched a career-high 33 points on a career-best 13-19 (.684) shooting from the field, including a 3-6 (.500) clip from three-point territory, in addition to six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 37 minutes of action.
- Friday's game marked the first time in Patton's career that he's scored at least 30 points, with his previous career-high being 25 (Jan. 4, 2020-vs. YSU).
- Patton has now recorded 10-or-more points in all but five games this season.
- D'Moi Hodge swiped a game-high tying three steals, to go along with 11 points, three rebounds and one block in 27 minutes.
- Hodge, who was coming off of a 20-point outing at Oakland (Feb. 6), is averaging 15.5 points over the last two games.
- Jayson Woodrich chipped in nine points on a 3-6 (.500) mark from the floor, while Craig Beaudion and Tre Gomillion each tallied eight points.
- Deante Johnson grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, to go along with one block.
THE GAME
The Vikings struggled from the field in the opening half, shooting just 11-30 (.367) while turning the ball over nine times.
Cleveland State regrouped in the locker room and returned to the floor on a mission, immediately putting together a 13-2 run. At one point midway through the half, the Vikings prevented a Titans basket for nearly eight full minutes.
Cleveland State managed to tie it at 65-all when Patton found a cutting D'Moi Hodge on the backdoor for an open layup with a hair over five minutes to play. Patton notched his career-high 26th point on a clutch bucket with under four minutes left to bring the Vikings within two points of the Titans 69-67.
Cleveland State was unable to string together defensive stops late in the contest as the Titans' Noah Waterman hit three triples over the final three minutes of play.
The Vikings fought through adversity throughout the night and refused to go quietly, hitting consecutive three-pointers within the final minute to cut it back to a one-possession game at 82-79 with 49 seconds to play before Detroit Mercy hit a game-clinching three, capping off a 13-26 performance from long range.
In the second frame, the Vikings bested Detroit Mercy 53-43, matching their most points in a single half this season.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
UP NEXT
The Vikings will look for revenge Saturday night against the Titans to finish out the home portion of their schedule. Tipoff for Saturday's contest is set for 7 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN3, as well as on 1420-WHK radio, 102.5 FM and www.whkradio.com.