GAME #4 {Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge}
Cleveland State vs. Canisius
Saturday, November 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
Live Stats | Live Video | CSU Game Notes
CLEVELAND STATE ROSTER | CANISIUS ROSTER
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State men's basketball team will continue the 2021-22 season with the Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge this weekend, beginning with a 2:00 p.m. contest against Canisius on Saturday, November 20. Entering Saturday's game, the Vikings stand at 1-2 on the young season.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings back-to-back wins…Improve Cleveland State to 4-1 against Canisius all-time…Put Cleveland State at 32-31 during Dennis Gates' tenure…Give the Vikings a 3-1 record in in-season tournaments over the last three years.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/CANISIUS SERIES
Saturday's game will mark just the fifth meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 3-1 edge in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was during the 2016-17 campaign, when Cleveland State earned a 67-64 victory. Prior to this, the two teams hadn't met since the 1986-87 season, when the Vikings picked up a pair of wins over the Griffins.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Canisius enters Saturday's game searching for its first win of the 2021-22 campaign after dropping contests against Miami, East Carolina and nationally ranked St. Bonaventure to begin the season…Saturday's game will mark the fourth straight road contest for the Griffins this season…Earlier this year, Canisius was picked to finish 11th in the MAAC, while senior Malek Green was named to the Preseason Third Team…The Griffins are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon and return four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 7-6 overall during the shortened campaign.
CEREBRO SPORTS LAKE ERIE CHALLENGE
Cleveland State's next two games will be part of the Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge - a round robin tournament featuring Canisius, Coppin State and the Vikings. The Vikings will host Canisius on Saturday, before welcoming Coppin State on Monday, November 22, while Canisius will host Coppin State on Wednesday, November 24 to round out the tournament.
…CLEVELAND STATE IN IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
This will mark just the second in-season tournament for the Vikings during head coach Dennis Gates' tenure, with Cleveland State owning a 2-1 record in in-season tournaments entering Saturday's game during this span. During the 2019-20 campaign Cleveland State participated in the Battle for the Capital, picking up wins against UNCW and Eastern Kentucky.
LAST TIME OUT…
Cleveland State picked up its first win of the 2021-22 campaign, earning a 75-61 victory over Edinboro. Playing with an adjusted starting lineup, the Vikings had four players finish with double-digit points as the team shot 45-percent from the floor. Cleveland State recorded 17 assists on 27 made field goals, including five from Broc Finstuen. As a team, the Vikings posted 10 steals, and forced Edinboro into 14 turnovers.
HOME-SWEET-HOME
Saturday's game against Canisius will be the third game of a current seven-game homestand for the Vikings, and the third of 16 total home games for Cleveland State this season. Under head coach Dennis Gates, the Vikings are 16-11 when playing at home, including a 9-2 record last season.
FINSTUEN LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
Through the first three games of the season, Broc Finstuen has tallied three double-digit scoring performances, including an 11-point night against Edinboro last time out. For the season, Finstuen leads the team averaging 12.0 points per game, while he is shooting 60-percent from the floor (14-for-23). In addition, Finstuen also has a team-high eight steals and six assists.
HILL BETTERS CAREER SCORING MARK
After setting a career-high against Ohio in the home opener, Yahel Hill bettered his scoring mark against Edinboro last time out, finishing with 13 points on a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the field. Hill also converted two three-pointers on the night, and scored all 13 of his points during the first half. Despite sitting out for an injury during the start of the second half, Hill played just under 15 minutes off the bench for the Vikings.
PARKER EARNS SPOT IN STARTING LINEUP
Senior transfer Deshon Parker earned a spot in Cleveland State's starting lineup last time out, as the Vikings had to adjust their starting five due to injuries. Parker, who played a team-high 31 minutes against the Fighting Scots, finished with three points, three assists and one rebound on the game.
VIKINGS FORCING THE TURNOVER
Entering the weekend, Cleveland State ranks third among Horizon League teams with a 4.00 turnover margin after forcing its opponents into 40 combined turnovers over the first three games. Last time out, the Vikings forced Edinboro into 14 turnovers, and turned these miscues into 24 points. As a team, Cleveland State has combined for a league-high 24 steals so far this season, with eight Vikings notching at least one takeaway.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns 14 letterwinners from last season's #HLMBB Championship squad, including the starting rotation of Craig Beaudion, Tre Gomillion, D'Moi Hodge, Deante Johnson, and Torrey Patton. This returning core will be joined by four transfers and one freshman for the upcoming season, giving head coach Dennis Gates a well-rounded roster for the 2021-22 campaign.
…HEAD COACH DENNIS GATES
The Vikings will be under the direction of third-year head coach and reigning back-to-back #HLMBB Coach of the Year Dennis Gates. Through his first two seasons, Gates has led the Vikings to a 31-31 overall reecord, including a 19-8 mark last season when the Vikings captured the Horizon League Tournament title and earned the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament.
CLEVELAND STATE TABBED #HLMBB PRESEASON FAVORITES
Last month the Vikings were selected as the favorites in the Horizon League Preseason Poll - picking up 502 points along with 30 first place votes. Last season, the Vikings finished regular season play with a 16-4 record to clinch the top seed in the #HLMBB Tournament where they picked up a trio of wins against Purdue Fort Wayne, Milwaukee and Oakland to claim the 2020-21 Horizon League Championship. In addition to the Vikings, Wright State (9), Northern Kentucky (1), Milwaukee (2), and Detroit Mercy (2) also picked up first place votes in this year's poll.
PATTON NAMED #HLMBB PRESEASON FIRST TEAM
Senior Torrey Patton earned a spot on the #HLMBB Preseason All-League First Team, which was announced in conjunction with the preseason poll last month. Patton returns after a 2020-21 season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and earned All-League First Team accolades.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State will finish out the Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge on Monday, November 22, hosting Coppin State at 7:00 p.m.
