Game 18 - Cleveland State at Milwaukee
Cleveland State Game Notes | Milwaukee Game Notes
UWM Panther Arena
3:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Milwaukee: 39-43
Last Meeting: 3/6/23 93-80 W
Tickets: mkepanthers.com
Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Wayne Larrivee, Joah Tucker
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team hits the road for a two-game trip to Wisconsin, starting first with a Friday night matchup at Milwaukee. The Vikings are winners of five of their last six coming in, including a dramatic overtime win over Northern Kentucky this past Sunday to move to 4-2 in Horizon League action. Milwaukee is 3-2 in league play and has won four of its last five games coming in. The Panthers were picked second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. Friday's game has been moved up to 3:00 p.m. EST due to weather in the Milwaukee area.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES
Friday night's game will be the 83rd all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Milwaukee. The Panthers hold a slight 43-39 edge in the series, including a 20-9 edge in games played in Milwaukee. Milwaukee won two of the three matchups last season. The Panthers won both regular season meetings before the Vikings got revenge in the Horizon League Tournament Semifinals, defeating Milwaukee 93-80 in Indianapolis to advance to the league championship game. Milwaukee won 68-64 in overtime at the Wolstein Center on January 5, and then won 81-72 in Milwaukee to close the regular season. Tristan Enaruna, Tae Williams and Ramar Pryor were three of the five Vikings who scored in double figures in helping Cleveland State to victory in the league tournament.
CLEVELAND STATE DOWNS NORTHERN KENTUCKY IN OT THRILLER
Cleveland State defeated Northern Kentucky at the Wolstein Center on Sunday, 88-85 in overtime to improve to 4-2 in league play. This is the fourth consecutive matchup between the two teams that has been decided by three points or less, including last year's Horizon League Tournament Championship Game. The Vikings finished with five players in double figures. Tristan Enaruna and Tae Williams each registered a double-double and Jayson Woodrich finished with 18 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with the clock winding down in overtime.
CLEVELAND STATE WINS FOURTH IN A ROW AT IUPUI
Cleveland State picked up its fourth win in a row and its second consecutive league victory in downing IUPUI on Sunday afternoon, 86-77 in Indianapolis. The Vikings had four players in double figures led by Jayson Woodrich who struck for a career-high 23 points. Cleveland State built a double-digit lead early in the second half before IUPUI charged back to tie it with seven minutes remaining. The Vikings responded with a late run to close the game and secure the victory. The win is the ninth straight for the Vikings over the Jaguars in the series.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee is 8-8 and 3-2 in the Horizon League headed into Friday night's matchup. The Panthers have won four of their last five coming in, including league victories over Detroit Mercy, Wright State and Robert Morris. Milwaukee is led by Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection BJ Freeman. Freeman averages 18.9 points per game and has scored in double figures in every game but one that he has played in this season. Bart Lundy is in his second season as the head coach. He led Milwaukee to a 12-win improvement in his first season, as the Panthers finished 22-12 a year ago.
CLEVELAND STATE PICKS UP #HLMBB VICTORY OVER OAKLAND
Cleveland State defeated Oakland 75-67 Thursday night at the Wolstein Center to move to 2-1 in league play. The Vikings led the entire way, building a lead as large as 23 points in the first half. Oakland punched back in the second half but the Vikings held firm and secured the victory. Cleveland State showed its depth with four Vikings finishing in double figures. The Vikings built the first half lead despite Tristan Enaruna picking up two fouls and heading to the bench for the majority of the first half. The win marked the 16th consecutive home victory for the Vikings dating back to January 7.
CLEVELAND STATE CLOSES NON-CONFERENCE SLATE WITH WIN OVER WESTERN MICHIGAN
Cleveland State defeated Western Michigan on Thursday night to close the non-conference portion of its scchedule with a 90-77 victory. The Vikings finish the non-conference season with a 7-4 overall record and winning all six home games against non-conference foes. Tristan Enaruna and Jayson Woodrich each had career nights in the win, with Enaruna finishing with 32 points and Woodrich finishing with 21. Enaruna recorded a double-double finishing with 10 rebounds in the contest. Woodrich added six rebounds to go with his 21 points and finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS FIRST ROAD WIN OF THE SEASON AT BRADLEY
Cleveland State defeated Bradley on Friday night by a final score of 76-69 to earn the first road victory of the 2023-24 season. Drew Lowder and Tristan Enaruna combined for 49 points in leading the Vikings to a come-from-behind win over the Braves. Cleveland State trailed by five with under four minutes remaining before catching fire, posting a 12-0 run in the game's final minutes to seize control and earn the victory. Enaruna and Lowder combined for all 12 points in the scoring run, with each tallying a key three-pointer in the outburst. The game was close throughout with neither team holding more than a seven-point advantage.
HOME SWEET HOME
Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings have won 17 consecutive games in Cleveland, a streak that dates back a full calendar year to January 7, 2023. The Vikings are a perfect 9-0 at home this season and have a 22-3 overall record in Cleveland in the Daniyal Robinson era.
GOING TO THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Through the early going of the Horizon League season, the Vikings have been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference. Cleveland State ranks atop the league with 14.4 offensive rebounds per contest. Friday's matchup pits the top two offensive rebounding teams in the conference, with Milwaukee ranked second at 14.2 offensive boards per contest.
DANIYAL ROBINSON ACHIEVES RECORD-SETTING FIRST SEASON
Cleveland State head coach Daniyal Robinson set a new school record in his first season in charge of the program. Robinson and the Vikings recorded 21 wins in 2022-23, which is the most wins of any first-year head coach in school history. Cleveland State finished as the runner-up in the Horizon League Tournament and made the program's third-straight postseason appearance, earning a trip to the CBI. Should the Vikings reach the postseason this year, it would be the first time in school history that CSU has reached the postseason four consecutive years.
VIKINGS PICKED FOURTH IN #HLMBB PRESEASON POLL
Cleveland State was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll following a vote amongst league head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors from the league's 11 participating schools. Cleveland State received one first-place vote and finished with 362 points. In addition, senior forward Tristan Enaruna was named to the all-league first team after averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
ENARUNA EARNS SECOND #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Following a career-high 32 points against Western Michigan, Tristan Enaruna picked up his second Horizon League Player of the Week award, the league office announced Tuesday. Enaruna makes it back-to-back weekly awards for the Vikings after Drew Lowder earned the honor last week. Enaruna tied a career mark with 12 made field goals in the game and also finished with 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He finished 7-of-9 from the charity stripe and added four assists and four steals, each of which led the team.
DREW LOWDER NAMED #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a 26-point night against Bradley on Friday, senior guard Drew Lowder was named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Lowder finished one point shy of his career high, set in the season opener at Duquesne, and tied his career best with six three-pointers in nine attempts. He also registered a career-high four steals. Lowder helped ignite the Vikings down the stretch, as he scored five points as part of the closing 12-0 run that secured the victory. Lowder hit the game-tying three-pointer with 3:23 remaining and the Vikings led for good after that point. This is Lowder's first league player of the week award.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State continues its trip through the State of Wisconsin with a Sunday afternoon matchup against Green Bay. Game time has been adjusted to 1:00 p.m. EST.
