CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team continued its first weekend of Horizon League play Saturday, picking up an 85-75 victory over Wright State. With the win, the Vikings improved to 6-2 overall this season and 2-0 in #HLMBB play.
Game Stats
· Five Vikings finished the game with double-figure points, led by Jayson Woodrich with 17 points. D'Moi Hodge added 14, Tre Gomillion had 13, Broc Finstuen posted 11, and Deshon Parker chipped in 10.
· On the boards, Torrey Patton grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Broc Finstuen had six.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 22 assists on the game, including 10 from Torrey Patton.
· Cleveland State shot 55-percent from the floor on the game, including a .500 clip from behind-the-arc.
· The Vikings notched 10 steals against WSU, including three from Yahel Hill.
· Cleveland State's bench accounted for 37 total points on the game.
Game Notes
· Jayson Woodrich notched a career-high with his 17 points against WSU, which included a career-high five three-pointers.
· Torrey Patton recorded a CSU career-high with his 10 assists on the game, marking the first 10+ assist game of the season for the Vikings.
· After converting just one three-pointer against NKU on Thursday, the Vikings rebounded with a season-high tying nine three-pointers on Saturday.
· This marks the second straight year that the Vikings are 2-0 to begin #HLMBB play.
· For the second straight game – and the third time overall this season – the Vikings eclipsed the 20-assist mark, finishing with 22 against the Raiders.
· The Vikings have now won six straight games – with all six coming inside the Wolstein Center.
· Saturday's game was the final game of a seven-game homestand for Cleveland State.
The Game
After a back-and-forth start to the contest, the Vikings were able to distance themselves midway through the opening frame, as a 9-0 run gave Cleveland State a 26-14 lead on a Yahel Hill jumper at the 8:59 mark. Wright State was able to work its way back into the game over the next few minutes, closing the gap to four points at 30-26, but a D'Moi Hodge three-pointer on the ensuing possession gave Cleveland State a 33-26 lead with 5:30 left on the clock.
The two teams would then trade baskets over the final five minutes of the first half, with Cleveland State taking a 45-33 lead into the halftime break following a pair of baskets from Tre Gomillion and Anderson Mirambeaux to close out the frame.
Over the opening minutes of the second half Wright State was able to close the gap to just five points at the 53-48 mark, but a Jayson Woodrich three-pointer put a stop to the Raider run, and put the Vikings back up by eight a 56-48 with just over 15 minutes left to play.
Cleveland State was able to keep the momentum in their favor over the next few minutes then, as a Deshon Parker layup followed by another Woodrich three-pointer regained a double-digit lead for the Vikings at 61-50, before a Deante Johnson dunk from Gomillion on their next possession put the Vikings up 63-52 with 13:01 left on the clock.
Although Wright State was once again able to close the gap over a 1:04 stretch, a Hill layup and a Parker free throw extended Cleveland State's lead to double-digits once again at the 69-59 mark, with 8:57 left to play.
The Vikings were able to fend off another Wright State run late in the frame with a 7-0 run of their own, giving Cleveland State a sizeable 76-63 lead, before back-to-back baskets from Finstuen and Hodge gave the Vikings an 81-65 lead with just over three minutes left on the clock.
Cleveland State was then able to control play throughout the final few minutes of the contest, pulling away with the 10-point, 85-75 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will now take a week off from competition, returning to play at Oklahoma State on Monday, December 13.