Game 20 - Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Cleveland State
Purdue Fort Wayne Game Notes | Cleveland State Game Notes
Wolstein Center
2:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Purdue Fort Wayne: 10-3
Last Meeting: 1/27/23 79-74 W
Tickets: csuvikings.com
Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team returns to the Wolstein Center for a weekend matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne. The Vikings are 4-4 in league play after dropping two in a row in Wisconsin this past week, but are looking to build upon the momentum of returning to Cleveland, where CSU has won 17 consecutive home games. Purdue Fort Wayne also sits at 4-4 in the Horizon League. The Mastodons started 4-0 in league games but have dropped four straight since.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/PURDUE FORT WAYNE SERIES
Sunday's game marks the 14th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Vikings hold a 10-3 advantage and have won the last two games in the series as well as six of the last seven. Cleveland State won both matchups last season, winning twice in the month of January in 2023. The Vikings defeated the Mastodons 72-60 in Fort Wayne on January 16, and then won 79-74 at the Wolstein Center a little over a week later on January 27.
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 MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is 13-6 and 4-4 in the Horizon League coming into Saturday's contest. The Mastodons picked up league victories against Green Bay, Oakland, Detroit Mercy and Northern Kentucky to start the league slate 4-0, but have dropped their last four in a row to slip back to .500 in league play. Purdue Fort Wayne averages 84.7 points per game, good for second in the league. The Mastodons have four players averaging in double figures, led by Rasheed Bello who averages 15.7 points per game. Jon Coffman is in his tenth season as the head coach, he is the all-time winningest coach in school history.
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. This streak currently ranks as the second-longest active home winning streak in the country. Virginia owns the longest active streak, currently at 19 consecutive home wins.
ANATOMY OF THE WIN STREAK
Through the 17-game home winning streak, Cleveland State is averaging 78.6 points per game. The Vikings are outscoring opponents by an average of 10.8 points per game. Cleveland State averages 37.5 rebounds per game in the streak, out-rebounding visiting opponents by an average of 2.5 rebounds per contest. Tristan Enaruna is averaging 18 points per game total in the streak to lead all scorers. Drew Lowder averages 12 points per game and Tae Williams has tallied 11 points per contest. In the nine home wins during the 2023-24 season, Jayson Woodrich joins the original trio as the fourth Viking in double figures, averaging 10.9 points per game in home contests this season. Of the 17 straight wins, two have come in overtme: last year's Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinal game against Robert Morris, and the most recent home win over Northern Kentucky on January 7th.
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 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.
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 is second in the league with 13.6 offensive rebounds 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 contiues a three-game homestand with a Thursday night matchup against Wright State at 7:00 p.m.
