CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball team remained perfect in Horizon League play Sunday afternoon, picking up an 86-80 overtime victory at Youngstown State. With the win, the Vikings are now 10-3 overall this season and 6-0 in #HLMBB play.
Game Stats
· D'Moi Hodge led the Viking offense with 31 points on the game, while Deante Johnson and Deshon Parker both added 14 points.
· Deante Johnson grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds, while Tre Gomillion and Yahel Hill both grabbed six boards.
· As a team, the Vikings finished with 17 assists, including eight from Deshon Parker.
· The Vikings shot 43-percent from the floor, including a .563 clip during the second half.
· Cleveland State grabbed 22 offensive rebounds as a team, leading to 24 second chance points.
Game Notes
· D'Moi Hodge notched his second 30-point game of the season after finishing with 31 against the Penguins – including 27 points during the second half and overtime.
· After finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds against YSU, Deante Johnson recorded his first double-double of the season.
· Deshon Parker marked a CSU career-high with his 14 points and eight assists at YSU.
· The Vikings are currently on a four-game winstreak, and own a perfect 3-0 mark during the month of January.
· Sunday's game marked the second overtime contest of the season for the Vikings, with CSU now standing at 1-1 when going to overtime.
· With Sunday's victory, the Vikings are 6-0 to start #HLMBB play for the second straight season.
The Game
For the second straight game, the Vikings had to come from behind during the second half, as Youngstown State held a 35-27 lead heading into the halftime break.
The Vikings were able to work their way back into the contest over the first part of the second frame, and finally gained their first advantage of the second half on a D'Moi Hodge layup at the 7:38 mark that put the score at 62-61 CSU.
Although YSU was able to regain the lead on its next possession, a strong defensive effort from the Vikings forced a Penguin turnover that led to a pair of Deante Johnson free throws, which put the advantage back in the Vikings' favor at 64-63.
Once again, the two teams traded leads over the next few plays, until back-to-back baskets from Deshon Parker and Hodge gave the Vikings a one-point lead at 72-71 with 1:30 left in regulation.
The Penguins responded with four straight points then, putting the score at 75-72 with just 27 seconds left on the clock.
After bringing the ball up the floor, on what would be their final possession of regulation, Hodge had his first look at a three-pointer to tie the game, but couldn't convert, leading to a Johnson offensive board.
Johnson then passed the ball back to Hodge in the corner, with Hodge's second three-point attempt going down to tie the game at 75-75 with 14 seconds remaining. The Viking defense once again held the Penguins off the board during their final possession of regulation, with a Yahel Hill defensive rebound giving the ball back to CSU and forcing overtime.
The Vikings were then able to get on the board first during the overtime period, as a Parker free throw gave the Vikings a 76-75 lead less than 30 seconds into the frame. Cleveland State then used a six-point run over a span of 53 seconds to extend its lead to 82-76 on a Hodge free throw.
Although the Penguins were able to close the gap to just two points over the next few possessions, a pair of Hodge free throws followed by a Hodge layup put the game away for the Vikings, as Cleveland State pulled out the 86-80 overtime victory.
Up Next
Cleveland State will return to the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center to begin a four-game homestand when they host Oakland at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 13.
