All-Time vs. NKU: 7-8
Last Meeting: 1/20/22 78-72 L
Tickets: nkunorse.com
Radio: 1100 AM WTAM
TV: ESPN+
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team continues its four game Horizon League road trip with a matchup at Northern Kentucky. The Vikings are winners of three in a row, including the last two on the road at IUPUI on Saturday and at Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday night, to push CSU's league record to 6-2. Thursday's game features a matchup of two of the four teams currently tied for first in the Horizon League. NKU is also 6-2 in the league and coming off of a 74-53 win at Green Bay on Saturday afternoon.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/NKU SERIES
Saturday's game is the 16th all time meeting between Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky. The Vikings trail the all time series 8-7. Cleveland State has won three of the last four meetings, however NKU won the most recent meeting in January of last year. The two teams split the two regular season meetings last year, with both teams winning on their respective home courts. NKU won 78-72 in Kentucky, and Cleveland State won handily, 72-58 at the Wolstein Center in December.
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.
CLEVELAND STATE DOWNS PURDUE FORT WAYNE FOR KEY ROAD WIN
Cleveland State defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 72-60 on Monday night to move into a tie for first place at 6-2 in the Horizon League. The Vikings out-rebounded PFW 39-32 and finished with a decided edge in points in the paint, 44-24. Cleveland State also held the Mastodons, a normally potent team from three-point range, to just 6-23 from long range. Tristan Enaruna scored 24 points, 20 of which came in the second half, to set a new season high in the victory.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky is 11-8 overall and 6-2 in the Horizon League coming into Thursday's game. The Norse are one of four teams currently tied for first in the league standings. NKU split two league games on the road last weekend, falling to Milwaukee but defeating Green Bay to finish the weekend. Marques Warrick leads the way for NKU in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game. That total ranks second in the HL behind Detroit's Antoine Davis. Darrin Horn is in his fourth season as the head coach.
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 DEFEAT IUPUI FOR SECOND STRAIGHT #HLMBB VICTORY
Cleveland State defeated IUPUI on Saturday to move to 5-2 in Horizon League play. The Vikings shot 55-percent from the floor, a season best, and finished a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line in the 89-54 win. All but two of the 13 Vikings that played in the game scored. Tristan Enaruna led the way with 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Cleveland State started the game on a 10-0 run and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire to secure the road win.
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 65.2 points per game, which is third in the Horizon League. CSU ranks second in opponent field goal percentage, at .414, and ranks third in opponent three-point percentage, holding opposing teams to just 30-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-double 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 six straight times, including setting a new season high with 24 points against Purdue Fort Wayne.
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 84 assists. He had a career-high 11 in the opener against Notre Dame College. His average of 4.4 assists per game is fourth 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 leads the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.43. The Vikings also sit in second place with a +4.5 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 11 times so far this season, including two of the last three games. He registered his second double-double with 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds 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 six of the last eight games, including a season-high 21 against Green Bay.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State wraps up its four game Horizon League road swing with a Saturday evening matchup at Wright State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
