YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Despite a 21-point outing from Al Eichelberger, the Cleveland State University Vikings started their three-game road trip with a 67-55 loss at Youngstown State Saturday night. The Vikings now fall to 9-16 on the season, with a 5-7 clip in league play.
QUICK HITS
- Three Vikings notched double-digit points tonight: Eichelberger (21), Patton (13) and Ferreira (10)
- Tonight's contest marked the fourth straight game where three Vikings poured in 10-or-more points
- Cleveland State outscored Youngstown State in points in the paint (32-30) and second chance points (8-7)
- CSU forced 13 YSU turnovers and turned those misfortunes into 10 points
- The Vikings held a +2 advantage in steals over the Penguins (6-4)
- Cleveland State recorded 55 points on 22-49 (.449) shooting from the field
GAME RECAP
The first 20 minutes of action were evenly matched, as there were seven lead changes in the opening half. Cleveland State took its biggest lead of the contest with 0:02 left on the clock, off of a Hugo Ferreira made free throw.
Heading into the intermission of tonight's tilt, the Vikings held a six-point, 32-26, lead.
Youngstown State began the second half on an 18-4 run to hold a 44-36 advantage with 12:09 left to play in regulation. At the 7:46 mark of the half, the Vikings found themselves in an eight-point, 49-41, hole.
Cleveland State cut into its deficit to get within one point of Youngstown State, 54-53, with 3:19 left to play, off of an Algevon Eichelberger layup. Youngstown State would finish the game on a 13-2 run to seal the match for the Penguins.
In addition to Eichelberger's team-high 21 points on 10-15 (.667) shooting from the floor, he also notched a team-high tying five rebounds (three offensive), two steals and one assist in 31.3 minutes of action. Tonight's contest marked the 13th consecutive game where the forward from Saginaw, Mich. finished with 10-plus points and the fourth time this season he's poured in 20-or-more in a single outing.
Hugo Ferreira pulled down a career-high, and team-high tying, five rebounds, to go along with his 10 points, game-high three steals and three assists in a career-high 35.2 minutes.
Up Next: Cleveland State's road trip continues this upcoming week, as the Vikings will take on Oakland (Feb. 13, 7 p.m.) and Detroit Mercy (Feb. 15, 1 p.m.).
