The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team lost a hard fought battle to Kent State, 67-58, in front of 2,120 at the Wolstein Center.
The Vikings(6-5) fell behind early, but rallied in the second half. Kent State(7-3) was able to hold off the Viking surge and come away with a road victory. The Golden Flashes came into the game ranked fourth in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
Cleveland State had two players in double figures for the game, led by Deante Johsnon with a career-high 20 points. Johnson finished six of eight from the floor, and tied his career high with eight made free throws. He also added nine rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
Tristan Enaruna also finished in double figures, with 12 points on three of eight from the floor. Enaruna finished six for seven from the free throw line, and also had seven rebounds.
For Kent State, Malique Jacobs led the way with 18 points, followed closely behind by Sincere Carry with 16.
The Golden Flashes started fast, opening up an 11-1 lead in the opening minutes, forcing a Cleveland State timeout. The Vikings steadied the ship coming out of the timeout, as back-to-back buckets by Cole Middleton and Deshon Parker cut the deficit to five going into the under-12 media timeout.
The Kent State lead expanded to double digits once again, but the Vikings were again able to respond. At the half, Kent State led 32-27.
The Golden Flashes once again started fast, opening the second half on a 7-1 run that pushed the lead up to 11, 39-28 at the 16:48 mark.
Cleveland State quickly responded. Enaruna converted a three-point play, followed by two Johnson free throws. On the next possession Enaruna finished a putback layup which cut the Kent State lead to one, 41-40 with 11 minutes to go.
The Golden Flashes responded with buckets on two of the next three possessions, and Cleveland State could not draw closer the rest of the way.
The Vikings shot 37-percent from the floor for the game, and finished just three for 15 from beyond the three-point arc.
Cleveland State will have a week off for final exams, before heading on the road to take on Loyola Marymount. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip off on Sunday, December 18th.
