CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team picked up its fourth straight win Saturday, earning an 89-47 victory over Penn State Behrend to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, led by Jayson Woodrich with 14. Yahel Hill added 13 points, while Deante Johnson and D'Moi Hodge both added 11.
· As a team, Cleveland State outrebounded PSB 41-25, with Jayson Woodrich grabbing a team-high eight boards. Deante Johnson and Broc Finstuen both grabbed six rebounds on the game, while D'Moi Hodge and Yahel Hill recorded four boards each.
· The Vikings combined for 17 assists on the day, including three from Broc Finstuen and Jayson Woodrich.
· Cleveland State tallied 14 steals, with three coming from Broc Finstuen and D'Moi Hodge.
· The Vikings shot 55-percent from the floor, including a .645 clip during the second half.
· The Cleveland State defense forced PSB into 19 turnovers, turning these miscues into 22 points.
Game Notes
· Jayson Woodrich recorded a career-high with his 14 points, while Yahel Hill tied his career-high with 13 points on the game.
· Aria Eskandari appeared in the lineup for the first time this season, playing two minutes against PSB.
· The .550 clip from the floor marked the second time this season that the Vikings have shot 50-percent or better from the field.
· The Vikings have now won four straight games – with all three coming inside the Wolstein Center.
· Saturday's game marked the first meeting between the two teams.
· Saturday's game was the fifth game of a seven-game homestand for Cleveland State.
The Game
Cleveland State was able to gain control of the contest from the start, as a 10-0 run for the Vikings over the first 5:36 gave Cleveland State a double-digit lead that it would go on to hold for a majority of the game. Late in the first half, the Vikings were able to extend their lead to 18 points at the 32-14 mark, following a pair of Deante Johnson free throws.
Johnson would then go on to give the Vikings a 17-point lead at the halftime break after converting one of two from the free throw line, putting the score at 35-18 Cleveland State after the first 20 minutes of action.
The Vikings then opened the second half with a D'Moi Hodge three-pointer on their first possession of the frame, and followed that up with a Johnson dunk just a few plays later to put the score at 40-18 with 18:15 left on the clock.
Midway through the second half, Cleveland State went on a 9-0 run which was kick-started by a Nathanael Jack three-pointer, gaining a 60-31 advantage with just under 10 minutes left to play. Although a Penn State Behrend three-pointer stopped the CSU scoring run, the Vikings would go on to score 13 out of the next 16 points – including another Jack three-pointer and a Mabor Majak dunk – to put the score at 73-37 with 6:05 left on the clock.
The Vikings would then go on to control play throughout the remainder of the contest, holding a 40-point lead late in the frame thanks to a Ben Sternberg layup at the 1:49 mark, coming away with the 89-47 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will begin #HLMBB play next week, hosting Northern Kentucky on Thursday, November 2 and Wright State on Saturday, December 4.