CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State Vikings came up on the wrong end of an overtime thriller on Saturday night, falling 81-80 to visiting Milwaukee at the Wolstein Center.
QUICK HITS:
- Cleveland State held advantages in points in the paint (36-22), second chance points (14-10) and bench points (16-15).
- The Vikings pulled down 42 rebounds (11 offensive) to the Panthers' 37.
- Cleveland State knocked down eight three-pointers Saturday night, marking the third time this season the Vikes have connected on at least eight from three-point territory.
- Saturday's game marked the first time this season five Vikings scored 10-or-more points: Torrey Patton (18), D'Moi Hodge (14), Tre Gomillion (13), Chris Greene (13) and Craig Beaudion (10).
- Patton notched his team-leading second double-double of the season, finishing with a team-high 18 points, a game-high tying 10 rebounds, a game-high tying five assists and one steal in 41 minutes of play.
- Patton has now scored 10-plus points in 11 of his last 12 outings and has pulled down 10-plus rebounds in three of his last five games.
- D'Moi Hodge tallied 14 points on a 4-8 (.500) clip from three-point territory, eight rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes of play.
- Chris Greene poured in a career-high tying 13 points on a 5-6 (.833) mark from the floor, including a 3-4 (.750) clip from deep, to go along with three rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes.
- Tre Gomillion finished with 13 points on a 5-10 (.500) clip from the floor, to go along with five rebounds, one assist and one block in 40 minutes.
- Craig Beaudion contributed 10 points, while Deante Johnson chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.
THE GAME
The Vikings led 80-79 in the final seconds of overtime before a layup by DeAndre Gholston pushed the visitors ahead. Craig Beuadion had only seconds to launch a desperate half-court heave at the buzzer as Cleveland State had no timeouts remaining.
The heartbreaking defeat marked only the second Horizon League loss of the season for the Vikings (10-2) while the Panthers (5-4) moved above .500 in league play.
Cleveland State came out of the gate looking to control the game from the inside out, outscoring Milwaukee 18-4 in the paint in the first half while capitalizing on three-point opportunities at a 4-for-8 clip. Defensively, the Vikings brought the same intensity as the previous night, holding the visitors to 27.3 percent shooting, including 2-11 from long range.
Late in the half, a quick 11-3 spurt put the Vikings up 34-21, including a pair of threes from Chris Greene, who posted 11 first-half points.
Cleveland State controlled the majority of the second frame, leading by as many as 16 points. Hodge drained a trio of three-pointers early in the half while Beaudion scored all of his 10 points following halftime.
The Vikings were up 68-57 with only 1:17 left in regulation but were unable to counter the Panthers' aggressive press. Milwaukee tied the game with only 10 ticks on the clock thanks to three consecutive makes from the charity stripe by Donovan Newby, who was fouled on a shot from beyond the arc.
Cleveland State collected all six of its overtime points at the free throw line. Five different Vikings scored in double figures, including 18 from Torrey Patton, who also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, and 14 courtesy of Hodge. Cleveland State edged Milwaukee in rebounding 42-37, including 11 offensive boards.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will remain at home for its next two games, as Green Bay comes to town. The Vikings and Phoenix will face off at 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 with both games airing on an ESPN streaming platform, in addition to 1420-WHK, 102.5 FM and www.whkradio.com.
