CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team closed out its current four-game homestand Saturday, falling in the final seconds to UIC, 64-62. With the loss, the Vikings now stand at 9-15 overall this year, and 5-6 in Horizon League play.

BOXSCORE (PDF)

QUICK HITS
· Three Vikings finished the game with double-digit points, as Craig Beaudion finished with 12, and Algevon Eichelberger and Franklyn Penn Jr. both finished with 10 points.
· Algevon Eichelberger grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Torrey Patton posted six boards.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 12 assists on 18 made field goals, including six from Craig Beaudion and four from Franklyn Penn Jr.
· Cleveland State notched 10 steals on the game, including four from Torrey Patton.
·The Viking defense forced UIC into 20 turnovers, and converted these miscues into 23 points.
·The Vikings shot 40-percent from the floor on the game, including a .550 clip during the second half.
· Saturday's game was the final game of a four-game homestand for the Vikings, as they finished this stretch with a 2-2 record.

GAME RECAP
After going into the halftime break trailing by four points at 30-26, the Vikings slowly worked their way back into the contest, and closed the gap to just one point following a Craig Beaudion layup at the 15:46 mark. Beaudion's layup put the score at 37-36, UIC, and brought CSU within one point for the first time since late in the first period.

The Flames responded with an 8-2 run that extended their lead to 45-38 at the 12:34 mark, and then held this advantage over the next eight minutes until the Vikings were able to once again work their way back into the contest.

After posting six straight points over a span of 59-seconds, Cleveland State regained a one-point lead at the 55-54 mark, following another Beaudion layup that came off of a Franklyn Penn Jr. steal.

The teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a Deante Johnson layup with less than two minutes left on the clock put the Vikings up by one once again at 60-59.

The Vikings then gained a three-point lead on their next possession, as another Johnson layup put the score at 62-59 with 48 seconds left to play.

This four-point swing forced UIC to call a timeout, and then the Flames converted a three-pointer out of the timeout to tie the game for the second time over the final minutes of the second half at 62-62.

With 11 seconds remaining on the clock, Cleveland State's Tre Gomillion drew a foul, but wasn't able to convert on his free throw attempt, and a UIC defensive rebound put the ball back with the Flames as time was running down.

The Vikings were then called for a foul on a last second putback by the Flames, and UIC converted both free throw attempts to clinch the 64-62 victory.

Up Next
Cleveland State will begin a three-game roadswing next week, traveling to Youngstown State for a 6:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, February 8.