CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team opened the Horizon League slate Thursday evening, picking up a 72-58 victory over Northern Kentucky. With the win, the Vikings are now 5-2 overall this year and 1-0 in league play.

Game Stats
· The Viking offense was led by the trio of Torrey Patton (20 pts), D'Moi Hodge (15 pts) and Deante Johnson (14 pts).
· The trio of Deante Johnson, Torrey Patton and Broc Finstuen led the Vikings with six rebounds each.
· Cleveland State tallied 22 assists on 27 made field goals, including seven from Deshon Parker and four from Deante Johnson.
· The Vikings shot 50-percent from the floor, including a .536 clip during the first half.
· Cleveland State tallied 10 steals on the game, including four from D'Moi Hodge.

Game Notes
· Torrey Patton notched his second 20-point game of the season with his 20 points against NKU.
· With his seven assists on the game, Deshon Parker has now tallied two or more assists in five of the first seven games.
· The Vikings tallied a season-high with their 22 assists against the Norse.
· Cleveland State has now posted 10+ steals in three games this season.
· CSU is now 2-1 in #HLMBB openers under Dennis Gates, and 17-4 in regular season league contests over the last two seasons.
· The Vikings have now won five straight games – with all five coming inside the Wolstein Center.
· Thursday's game was the sixth game of a seven-game homestand for Cleveland State.

The Game
During the opening half, the Vikings were able to gain a double-digit lead late in the frame, as a Broc Finstuen layup at the 5:25 mark put Cleveland State up 28-18. The Vikings were then able to add to their lead just over a minute later, as back-to-back baskets from Torrey Patton and Finstuen put the Vikings up 31-18 with 4:10 left on the clock.

Tre Gomillion then put the Vikings up by 16 at 34-18, before Northern Kentucky was able to break a five-minute scoring drought with just over two minutes left in the frame.

Cleveland State would go on to hold a 39-25 advantage at the halftime break.

The two teams traded baskets over the first part of the second half then, until a 10-0 run from the Vikings gave the momentum back to Cleveland State at the 10:16 mark when they gained a 20-point lead at 58-38 on a Gomillion layup from Deshon Parker.

A pair of Northern Kentucky three-pointers put a stop to the Cleveland State scoring run, and closed the gap to 58-44, before a Patton layup at the 8:20 mark gave the Vikings a 60-44 lead.

On their next trip down the floor, the Vikings were able to maintain their 16-point lead following another Patton layup that came off of a Finstuen offensive rebound, putting the score at 62-46.

Although NKU was able to stay in the game over the next few possessions, a Hodge three-pointer at the 3:28 mark – Cleveland State's first three-pointer of the game – put the Vikings back in control at 68-51.

The Vikings would then go on to control play throughout the remainder of the contest, coming away with the 14-point victory at 72-58.

Up Next
Cleveland State will close out its current seven-game homestand on Saturday, December 4, hosting Wright State at 3:00 p.m.