CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team opened its 2021-22 home slate Saturday evening, dropping a 67-56 decision against Ohio. Saturday's game marked the first of 16 total home games for the Vikings this year, while it also kicked off a seven-game homestand.
Game Stats
· Broc Finstuen led the Viking offense with 14 points, while Yahel Hill added 11 points.
· Broc Finstuen grabbed a team-high five rebounds, while Torrey Patton, Yahel Hill and Jayson Woodrich all recorded four boards.
· Torrey Patton posted a team-best four assists, while Yahel Hill added three.
· As a team, the Vikings combined for eight steals, including three from Torrey Patton and two from Broc Finstuen.
· The Vikings notched 24 fast break points on the game, while allowing zero for Ohio.
· The Cleveland State defense forced Ohio into 12 turnovers, turning these miscues into 20 points.
Game Notes
· This marked the second straight double-digit scoring game from Broc Finstuen, with the 14 points marking a CSU high for the senior.
· Yahel Hill tied his career-high with 11 points – which included a trio of three-pointers.
The Game
After trading baskets throughout the first part of the contest, Ohio was able to gain a nine-point lead midway through the first half following back-to-back three-pointers that put the score at 18-9 with 10:07 left on the clock. Ohio was able to extend its lead to 31-15 late in the frame, but a 7-0 run from the Vikings closed the gap back to single-digits at 31-22. The two teams would then trade baskets over the closing minutes of the half, with Ohio taking a 35-25 lead into the halftime break.
The Vikings were able to quickly get on the board out of the halftime break with a Patton layup, but a 7-1 run from Ohio put the Bobcats up 42-28 less than four minutes into the frame.
A Deante Johnson dunk at the 16:04 mark stopped the Ohio run, while a Hill three-pointer just 18 seconds later brought the Vikings back to within nine points at 42-33.
The two teams then traded baskets over the next few minutes, until another Ohio run extended the Bobcat lead to 57-39 with 9:26 left to play.
Ohio was then able to hold this advantage throughout the remainder of the contest, coming away with the 67-56 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will continue its homestand on Tuesday, November 16, hosting Edinboro at 7:00 p.m.