Game 23 - Cleveland State at Detroit Mercy
Cleveland State Game Notes | Detroit Mercy Game Notes
Calihan Hall - Detroit, MI
7:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Detroit Mercy: 30-47
Last Meeting: 12/2/23 69-58 W
Tickets: detroittitans.com
Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Dan Hasty, Earl Cureton
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team begins a two-game swing through the State of Michigan to start the month of February. The first matchup will see Cleveland State take on Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall. The Vikings took two of three in their most recent homestand and sit at 6-5 in Horizon League play. Detroit Mercy has yet to claim a victory on the season and is 0-11 in conference play thus far.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DETROIT MERCY SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 78th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Detroit Mercy. The Vikings trail in the all-time series 47-30, but have won five of the last seven meetings, including the first matchup this season on December 2 in Cleveland. Cleveland State never trailed in the contest, but the score was closer than the 69-58 final margin indicated. Detroit Mercy cut the deficit as low as two with under three minutes remaining before the Vikings surged ahead in the final minutes to secure the victory. Detroit Mercy holds a 31-5 record in games played in Detroit.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS COMEBACK WIN OVER ROBERT MORRIS
Cleveland State defeated Robert Morris on Sunday afternoon at the Wolstein Center to move to 6-5 in league play. The Vikings earned a comeback win after trailing for a majority of the second half before a late charge put Cleveland State ahead and allowed the Vikings to hold off RMU for a two-point win, 66-64. Tristan Enaruna recorded his second consecutive game of 28 points, finishing 11-19 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Jayson Woodrich came off the bench and provided a critical offensive spark, hitting two key three-pointers early in the second half en route to a 12-point performance.
CLEVELAND STATE PICKS UP COMEBACK WIN OVER PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Cleveland State defeated Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon 75-68 to earn an 18th-straight home victory. The Vikings were down as many as 15 points in the second half before storming back to take the lead late. Cleveland State finished with 23 assists on 29 made field goals in the game, with Tristan Enaruna and Tae Williams setting career highs in assists in the win. Drew Lowder finished with 23 points to lead all scorers on 50 percent shooting from three-point range.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy has struggled throughout the 2023-24 campaign. The Titans are 0-22 and 0-11 in league play coming into Thursday night's game. Detroit Mercy played one of the tougher non-conference schedules of anyone in the league, ranking second in the Horizon League and among the top 50 in the country. Detroit Mercy's best chance of breaking the losing skid came recently at Robert Morris two weeks ago, as the Titans took the Colonials to double overtime before falling 102-99. Mike Davis is in his sixth season as the head coach.
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.
HOME SWEET HOME
Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 11-1 at home this season and have a 24-4 overall record in Cleveland in the Daniyal Robinson era. Cleveland State is outscoring opponents by over 10 points per game in home contests this season.
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 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 ranks second in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.1 offensive rebounds per contest in league play.
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 remains in the State of Michigan for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Oakland. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. from the O'Rena. The game will be broadcast on WTAM 1100 AM, with the broadcast beginning right at tip-off.
