CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team closed out play in the Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge Monday, picking up a thrilling 65-62 victory over Coppin State to improve to 3-2 on the season. Cleveland State finished the Cerebro Sports Lake Erie Challenge with a 2-0 record after also earning a win against Canisius last Saturday.
Game Stats
· Torrey Patton led the Viking offense with 21 points on the game, while Tre Gomillion added 11 and D'Moi Hodge posted 10.
· The Vikings combined for 40 total rebounds on the night, including 10 from Deante Johnson and Torrey Patton.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 13 assists, including four from Deante Johnson and three from Deshon Parker.
·D'Moi Hodge notched a team-best two steals.
Game Notes
· Torrey Patton notched the first double-double of the season for Cleveland State, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
· The Vikings have now won three straight games – with all three coming inside the Wolstein Center.
· Cleveland State is now 2-0 against Coppin State all-time.
· Saturday's game was the fourth game of a seven-game homestand for Cleveland State.
The Game
For the second straight game the Vikings were able to get out to a quick start thanks to a trio of three-pointers, as Torrey Patton and Tre Gomillion gave the Vikings a 9-0 advantage less than four minutes into the contest. Cleveland State then added to its lead over the next few minutes, as a Deante Johnson free throw and D'Moi Hodge layup put the Vikings up 12-0.
Coppin State was finally able to get on the board at the 14:51 mark, but the Vikings responded with another Patton three-pointer on the ensuing possession, putting the score at 15-2 Cleveland State.
The Vikings were then able to hold a lead throughout the remainder of the first half, going into the halftime break with a 28-24 advantage.
Although Coppin State was able to close the gap to just one point over the opening minutes of the second half, a 9-0 run from the Vikings put the lead back to double-digits at the 41-31 mark on an Anderson Mirambeaux layup with 14:30 left on the clock.
The two teams then traded baskets over the next few possessions, until a Deshon Parker three-pointer at the 12:14 mark gave the Vikings a 47-40 lead.
Coppin State slowly worked its way back into the contest over the next four minutes then, until a pair of Eagle free throws at the 7:57 mark tied the score at 47-47, before a Coppin State three-pointer just over one minute later gave the Eagles a 50-47 lead – their first of the game.
The two teams would battle over the next six minutes then, trading leads throughout this stretch, until a Hodge steal and layup with just 21 seconds remaining put the Vikings up by one at 63-62.
The Viking defense would go on to force a turnover on the next Coppin State possession, leading to a Gomillion dunk with just four seconds left on the clock that put Cleveland State up 65-62.
Coppin State was then able to get off one final shot on its last possession of the contest, but the Viking defense held strong to come away with the 65-62 victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will return to action after the Thanksgiving Holiday, hosting Penn State-Behrend on Saturday, November 27.
