All-Time vs. IUPUI: 7-4
Last Meeting: 2/12/22 83-45 W
Tickets: csuvikings.com
Radio: 1350 AM The Gambler
TV: ESPN+
SETTING THE SCENE
Following a week-long break, the Cleveland State Men's Basketball team hits the road for a matchup with IUPUI. The game is the first of four consecutive road games for the Vikings in a span of seven days. Cleveland State is 4-2 in the Horizon League and sits in a tie for second place, after splitting games last weekend at home. IUPUI is in the midst of four straight league games at home. The Jaguars have yet to win a Horizon League contest, sitting at 0-7 coming into Saturday's game.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/IUPUI SERIES
Saturday's game is the 12th all time meeting between Cleveland State and IUPUI in a series that dates to 2001. The Vikings lead the series 7-4, and have won the last six dating back to February, 2019. Cleveland State dominated the lone matchup between the two teams last season, winning 83-45 at the Wolstein Center. Deante Johnson and Yahel Hill tallied eight points each in the victory.
CLEVELAND STATE DEFEATS GREEN BAY AT HOME
The Vikings defeated Green Bay Saturday to cap a 1-1 weekend at the Wolstein Center and move to 4-2 in the Horizon League. Cleveland State used a balanced attack and got key stops late in holding off the Phoenix 82-77. Drew Lowder set a new season high with 21 points and Tristan Enaruna tied his season high with 20. Enaruna scored 18 points after halftime, including a run of 11 straight points to key a late second half surge that pushed the Vikings to victory. Deante Johnson and Deshon Parker also finished with 10 points each in the win.
VIKINGS DEFEAT ROBERT MORRIS TO MOVE TO 3-1 IN #HLMBB PLAY
Cleveland State defeated Robert Morris on Saturday to move to 3-1 in conference play. The Vikings got contributions from the entire rotation in the 63-54 win. Tristan Enaruna led the way with 18 points, followed by Deshon Parker with 14. The Vikings held RMU to just 18-percent from three-point range. CSU trailed just once, 2-0 at the start of the game, and held the Colonials at bay the rest of the way.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI is 3-15, and 0-7 in the Horizon League entering Saturday's game. The Jaguars are playing their second of four consecutive home games. IUPUI is led by Jlynn Counter, who averages 12.9 points per game and leads the team with 49 total assists on the year. Chris Osten leads the way in rebounding, averaging 6.4 per contest, to go along with 9.8 points per game. Matt Crenshaw is in his second year as the head coach. Crenshaw played at IUPUI, and was a key contributor on the 2003 team that secured the program's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
VIKINGS DOWN DETROIT MERCY TO CAP 2-0 WEEKEND
Cleveland State defeated Detroit Mercy 92-77 to move to 2-0 in Horizon League play. 92 points is the highest scoring output of the season for Cleveland State, and the Vikes shot 50-percent from the floor and 45-percent from three in the win. Tae Williams had a monster game, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Both numbers are season highs for the Junior from Chicago, Illinois.
VIKINGS FALL TO MILWAUKEE IN OVERTIME
Cleveland State dropped a heartbreaker to Milwaukee on Thursday, 68-64 in overtime. The Vikings had a lead as high as nine points in the second half, but Milwaukee fought back to take a one point lead late. CSU responded and held a three point lead with under 30 seconds to play, until a last second three-pointer by Milwaukee's BJ Freeman tied the game and forced the extra session. The Panthers scored the last eight points of overtime to hang on for the road victory. Tristan Enaruna led the way for the Vikes with 16 points, and Tae Williams registered his second double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
GETTING IT DONE ON DEFENSE
Throughout the early going of the season, Cleveland State has found success defensively. The Vikings are holding opponents to an average of 65.9 points per game, which is third in the Horizon League. CSU ranks second in opponent field goal percentage, at .415, and ranks third in opponent three-point percentage, holding opposing teams to just 31-percent from long range.
COACH ROBINSON ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson has assembled an experienced coaching staff in his first season at Cleveland State. Jermaine Henderson returns to CSU after previously serving as an assistant coach during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons under Gary Waters. Henderson most recently served as an assistant coach at Kansas State for the past five seasons. Travis Lewis is in his second season on staff at Cleveland State, after serving as Director of Video Operations under former head coach Dennis Gates last season. Jay Shunnar enters his first season as an assistant coach, after working in several capacities under John Belein at the University of Michigan and with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
VIKINGS DEFEAT CANISIUS, EARN FIRST WIN UNDER COACH ROBINSON
Cleveland State picked up its first win of the 2022-23 season with a hard fought, 58-57 overtime win against Canisius last Wednesday. Cleveland State started fast, jumping out to a double digit lead in the first half, but had to withstand a surge by Canisius in the second half. The Golden Griffins battled back, and eventually tied the game at 53, sending it to overtime. Cleveland State scored first in the extra session and held on for the victory. Four of the five starters in the contest for the Vikings finished in double figures, led by Tristan Enaruna who finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The win marked the first for Head Coach Daniyal Robinson in his career.
ENARUNA IMPRESSIVE TO START 2022-23
Transfer forward Tristan Enaruna has gotten off to a good start in a Viking uniform. Enaruna had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the opener against Notre Dame College, and followed that up with another double figure scoring performance with 15 against Cincinnati. He recorded another double-dou- ble against Canisius, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and fell a point shy of another against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Enaruna has scored in double figures four straight times, including tying his season high with 20 points last time out against Green Bay.
PARKER DROPPING DIMES
Deshon Parker has been a great facilitator for Cleveland State through the early going of the regular season. So far, Parker has totaled 78 assists. He had a career-high 11 in the opener against Notre Dame College. His average of 4.6 assists per game is tied for third in the Horizon League, and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4 also ranks second in the league.
SHARING THE ROCK
Through six games, Cleveland State sits second the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.43. The Vikings also sit in second place with a +3.83 Turnover Margin.
WILLIAMS RISES TO THE OCCASION
Tae Williams has been a key to the Vikings' success in the early going of the regular season. Williams registered a season-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Detroit Mercy. Williams is averaging 10 points per game and has scored in double figures nine times so far this season, including four of the last five games. He registered his second double-double with 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds last Thursday against Milwaukee.
LOWDER LIGHTS IT UP
Drew Lowder has been a spark plug off the bench for the Vikings of late. Lowder had a stretch of three of five games where he scored in double figures, including a season-high 16 points in the win over Oakland. He has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, including a season-high 21 last time out against Green Bay.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State continues its road trip in the state of Indiana, taking on Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday night. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
