Dec. 28, 2011
Contact: Greg Murphy
CSU Athletics on TWITTER | CSU Sports Information on TWITTER | CSU Athletics on YouTube
Purchase Basketball Tickets | Season Long Promotions
Video has no source Url in width="269" height="217">
TOLEDO, Ohio - Cleveland State used a 23-4 run to open the second half, erasing an eight point halftime deficit and defeated Toledo, 72-64, on Wednesday night in Savage Arena. The Vikings scored 42 second half points.
The win improved the Vikings to 12-2 this year, while Toledo slipped to 7-5.
Trey Harmon led four CSU players in double figures with 14 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. D'Aundray Brown scored 13 points with nine rebounds and four steals, while Tim Kamczyc and Jeremy Montgomery scored 11 points each.
Trailing 36-30 at the half, the Vikings outscored Toledo, 42-28, in the final 20 minutes, shooting .552 (16-29) from the floor in the second half.
CSU stormed out of the gates quickly to start the contest, using an Ike Nwamu three-pointer to take a 15-9 lead seven minutes into the game. The Vikings hit four of their first five three-pointers to open the game.
However, the Rockets answered with eight straight points to take a 17-15 lead at the 10:29 mark. A Sebastian Douglas layup stopped the Toledo run and tied things at 17-17, but the Rockets used a quick 8-2 spurt over the next three plus minutes to assume a 25-19 advantage with 6:48 on the clock.
Harmon answered with a three-pointer and Charlie Lee hit a long jumper to pull the Vikings back within one point (25-24). The Rocket lead was still one (29-28) with 3:23 left in the half, but Toledo scored seven straight points to take its largest lead of the half, 36-28, with just under a minute to play.
A Brown steal and breakaway dunk cut the CSU deficit to six points (36-30) at the half.
Toledo scored the first bucket of the second half to extend the lead back to eight, but back-to-back three-pointers from Montgomery started a 23-2 Viking run that gave CSU a 53-40 with 12:03 left.
The Vikings had tied the game at 40-40 at the under-16 minute media timeout and after a defensive stop, Montgomery hit his third three-pointer of the half and Brown stole the inbounds pass and laid it in off a feed from Montgomery, forcing a Toledo timeout.
But it didn't help.
The Vikings ran off 13 straight points after the timeout, holding the Rockets without a field goal for more than five minutes during the run and turning the Rockets over six times.
However, the Rockets came right back, using a 9-2 run to pull back within six points (55-49) with just over eight minutes to play. A layup in transition by Tim Kamczyc stopped the run and put the Vikings back up by eight.
Toledo would get no closer than six points the rest of the game as the Vikings had an answer every time, including down the stretch when CSU hit 5-of-6 free throws to seal the win.
CSU forced 18 Rocket turnovers, leading to 26 points, including 16 fast break points.
CSU is back in action on Saturday (Dec. 31) when the Vikings resume Horizon League play with a 2:00 p.m. contest against Youngstown State in the Wolstein Center.
