INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The Cleveland State Vikings advanced to their fourth-ever Horizon League championship game with a 71-65 come-from-behind win over Milwaukee on Monday night at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Vikings will play for the league title for the first time since the 2018 season.

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QUICK HITS

• Cleveland State advances to the Horizon League championship game for the first time since 2018 and only the fourth time in program history.
• The Green and White are 1-2 in #HLMBB final contests, wining the 2008-09 title, which then included an NCAA Tournament upset over Wake Forest.
• The Vikings now have 18 wins on the 2020-21 season, the most wins since recording 19 in the 2014-15 season (19-15 overall).
• Cleveland State outscored Milwaukee 47-35 in the second half on a .560 (14-25) clip from the field.
• The Vikes held advantages in assists (18-13), bench points (18-7) and fast break points (11-6).
• Four Vikings scored 10-or-more points in Monday's Horizon League Tournament win: Tre Gomillion (16), Torrey Patton (14), Jayson Woodrich (11) and Craig Beaudion (10).
• Patton notched his team-leading sixth double-double of the season in Monday's victory, finishing with 14 points, a team-high 13 rebounds, a team-high five assists in 31 minutes of action.
• In two games this tournament, the senior forward is averaging 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
• Patton's double-double also marked his third straight game of notching a 10-plus points and 10-plus rebounds.
• Gomillion poured in a team-high 16 points on 5-9 (.556) shooting from the field, including sinking six free throws, three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.
• The junior has now scored 10-or-more points in three straight games, one game shy of tying his longest double-digit-point streak this season (four games).
• Jayson Woodrich contributed 11 points as a reserve, recording a 3-4 (.750) clip from beyond the arc in nine minutes.
• The Beachwood, Ohio, native connected on his first three three-point attempts (all in the second half) aiding in the Vikings' comeback.
• Woodrich's 11 points led all bench scoring in Monday's semifinal contest.

THE GAME
D'Moi Hodge was all over the floor in the opening minutes, draining a triple from the top of the key for the game's first points before recording a steal and converting a fast break layup for a five-point Cleveland State lead.

Hodge and Patton combined for 10 of the Vikings' first 14 points as Cleveland State jumped out to a 14-6 edge with 14:17 remaining in the half. 

From there, the tides turned in Milwaukee's favor during a 19-2 Panthers spell that spanned over 10 minutes. Yahel Hill put a halt to the run with just over three minutes to play before halftime, scoring on a floater in the lane through contact before cashing in at the free throw line for a three-point play to make it 25-19 Milwaukee.

Despite going cold from the floor, the Vikings stayed within two possessions at the intermission at 30-24 thanks to an active defense that held the Panthers to 38 percent shooting, including just 20 percent (2-10) from long range.

Early in the second frame, Patton nailed a deep triple to bring the Vikings' back within a basket at 32-29, but the Panthers had the answer again, reclaiming a 38-31 advantage on a Josh Thomas layup.

Milwaukee matched its largest lead of the night at 48-39 with a corner three by DeAndre Gholston with 11:37 to play.

With the Vikings in need of a spark down 52-41, Jayson Woodrich beat the buzzer from long range before Eichelberger converted a layup to cap off a quick 5-0 spurt. 

A Beaudion three made it a four-point game at 56-52 with just over five minutes left before another Woodrich triple, his third of the game, cut the deficit to a single point at 58-57.

Both sides traded baskets down the stretch, with a 64-63 Milwaukee lead being the end result with 1:31 on the clock.

Gomillion handed the Vikings their first lead since early in the first half with a two-handed slam on a fast break with one minute to play. The junior was fouled on the play and hit from the charity stripe for a 66-64 edge.

Beaudion sealed the win with 16 ticks on the clock, grabbing the rebound on a missed corner three by the Panthers before sprinting all the way down the floor for an open layup without allowing Milwaukee the opportunity to foul. Patton made it a 71-65 final with a pair of makes at the line in the final seconds.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State advances to the #REACHtheHORIZON championship game on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. The Vikings will play the winner of the Oakland/Northern Kentucky semifinal contest. Tipoff for Tuesday's championship match is set for 7 p.m. and will be aired on either ESPN or ESPN2, in addition to 1420-WHK, 102.5 FM and www.whkradio.com.

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