VIDEO: Press Conference

DETROIT, Mich. – The Cleveland State University men's basketball team's magical run through the 2018 Horizon League Tournament came to an unfortunate end Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena as second-seeded Wright State claimed a 74-57 win over the Vikings in the Championship contest.

Senior Kenny Carpenter and freshman Tyree Appleby both were named to the All-Tournament Team after helping the Vikings become the first eight seed to reach the Championship contest.

Carpenter posted a game-high 18 points in his final collegiate contest and added six rebounds and two assists.

Appleby notched 15 points, becoming the fifth Viking rookie to hit 400 points in a season, while adding five assists and two steals.

Both teams were on top of their defensive game in the early going, as the squads combined to shoot 4-of-15 in the opening five minutes with each team committing two turnovers. The Vikings then scored six straight points, courtesy of three different players, to turn an 8-7 deficit into a 13-8 lead.

Cleveland Still led by five, 19-14, just after the midpoint of the opening half.

Wright State responded by going on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes to take a 27-21 edge. The Raiders hit a three in the final seconds of the opening half to extend their halftime lead to 34-26.

An Appleby three and a contested layup by Carpenter accounted for the first five points of the second half, cutting the Raider lead to three.

However, Wright State answered with a 10-2 spurt to take a double-digit lead at 44-33 with under 15 minutes to play.

A three by senior Bobby Word with about 13 minutes remaining cut the Raider lead to 46-39, but the Raiders scored the next nine points of the game and led by double digits for the rest of the contest. 

Cleveland State had advanced to the championship contest with a win over ninth-seeded Youngstown State (72-71) this past Friday, a victory over top-seeded Northern Kentucky (89-80) on Saturday and a win over fourth-seeded Oakland (44-43) Monday evening. 

GAME NOTES

• The teams had similar shooting numbers with Wright State shooting 43% from the field and the Vikings at 40%. CSU was 8-of-25 from distance while WSU was 9-of-26. However, the Raiders attempted 12 more field goals than the Vikings.
• Kenny Carpenter posted a team-high 18 points in his final collegiate game, finishing the season with a team-high 452 points.
• Carpenter shot 7-of-8 from inside the arc in the game and added six rebounds and two assists.
• Carpenter hit double figures in points for the 27th time this season and the 12th consecutive game. Those 12 games include all three contests CSU played against Wright State.
• Carpenter averaged 17.8 points per game in the HL Tournament along with 4.8 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game.
• Tyree Appleby hit double digits in points for the 19th time this season, including all four games in the Horizon League Tournament.
• Appleby became the fifth freshman in program history to reach 400 points in his rookie season, finishing right on the number.
• Appleby added 135 assists and 44 steals in 2017-18, both of which are among the top four marks by a freshman at CSU.
• Appleby finished the season 106-of-148 at the free throw line, with both numbers being the most by a freshman in CSU history.
• Appleby averaged 15.3 points per game in his first postseason tournament along with 4.3 rebounds per game and 5.0 assists per game.
• Stefan Kenic posted eight points Tuesday while Bobby Word had six points and six boards.
• The teams combined for just 18 free throw attempts, as the Vikings were 7-for-7 while Wright State was 9-of-11.
• Each team had just two fast break points.
• Wright State had 18 second-chance points compared to just three for the Vikings.
• CSU made a three pointer for its 632nd straight game, extending its school record.
• Seven of the eight Vikings that played in the first half scored.
• CSU outshot WSU in the first half, but the Raiders were 6-of-16 from distance and the Vikings were only 2-for-12.
• Cleveland State played in the Horizon League Championship contest for the third time in program history and the first time since 2009.
• The Vikings were the first-ever No. 8 seed to play in a Horizon League Championship game.