CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team improved to 5-0 in Horizon League play Friday evening, earning a 78-77 victory at Robert Morris to move to the top of the league standings. With the win, the Vikings are now 9-3 overall.
Game Stats
· Four Vikings finished the game in double-figures, led by Torrey Patton with 18 and Tre Gomillion with 14 points. Yahel Hill added 12 points off the bench, while D'Moi Hodge posted 11.
· As a team, the Vikings recorded 14 assists on the night, including five from Deshon Parker and three from Tre Gomillion and Torrey Patton.
· Cleveland State shot 46-percent from the floor on the night, and shot 83-percent from the free throw line.
· The Vikings finished the game with seven blocked shots, including three from Deante Johnson.
Game Notes
· Deante Johnson appeared in his 100th career game as a Viking Friday evening.
· With his 14 points, Tre Gomillion has now tallied double-digit points in three straight games.
· The Vikings went 26-for-31 from the free throw line on the game, with the 26 free throws marking a season-high for CSU.
· This marked the sixth time out of the last seven games that the Vikings shot 45-percent or better from the field.
· With Friday's victory, the Vikings are 5-0 to start #HLMBB play for the second straight season.
· Friday's victory at RMU marked the first road win for the Vikings this season.
· Friday's game against Robert Morris marked the first meeting between the two teams as Horizon League opponents.
The Game
After going into the halftime break trailing by two points at the 37-35 mark, the Vikings kept the contest close throughout the first part of the second half, until finally gaining their first lead of the frame with a Yahel Hill three-pointer at the 7:16 mark that put the score at 57-56 CSU.
The two teams then traded leads over the next few plays, until a Jayson Woodrich three-pointer gave the Vikings a 63-60 advantage with just over five minutes left in regulation. The Vikings then added to their lead with a pair of free throws from D'Moi Hodge and an offensive rebound and put-back from Hodge, gaining a 67-63 lead with 3:37 left to play.
Over the next few minutes, RMU was able to work their way back into the contest, tying the game at 70-70, before two free throws from Torrey Patton gave the Vikings a lead that they would go on to hold for the remainder of the contest.
Over the final 1:05, RMU was forced to foul, with the Vikings going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe during this span, with Hill, Patton and Deshon Parker all converting a pair of free throws to seal the 78-77 win for the Vikings.
Up Next
Cleveland State will close out the weekend on Sunday, January 9, traveling to Youngstown State for a 2:00 p.m. contest.
