Daytona Beach, FL-The Cleveland State men's basketball team saw its season come to a close with a 91-75 overtime loss to Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. The Vikings close the 2022-23 season with a 21-14 overall record, and the program's third straight appearance in postseason play. 

Cleveland State controlled play for the majority of the game and held a double-digit lead with ten minutes to play before EKU rallied to draw even with under a minute to go. The two teams traded late baskets and ended regulation tied at 74. The Vikings struggled offensively in the extra session, as EKU pulled away late to secure the victory. 

Five Vikings finished in double figures, led by Tae Williams who finished with 15 points. Williams was 7-14 from the floor and also added five rebounds in the contest. Jayson Woodrich finished with 14 points, three shy of his season high, and was a key spark early in the game. Woodrich had two of the four three point makes in the game for the Vikings. 

Tristan Enaruna and Yahel Hill each had 12 points. Enaruna shot 50 percent from the floor and added three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Hill, one of three seniors playing for the final time in a Cleveland State uniform, finished 4-9 from the field and a perfect three for three from the charity stripe. Drew Lowder finished with 10 points, including five of six from the free throw line. 

Cleveland State got off to a slow start, as EKU scored the game's first eight points. A Lowder three with the shot clock running down put the Vikings on the scoreboard and narrowed it to 8-3. 

As the first half played on, the Vikings slowly chipped away and eventually took the lead with a little over four minutes to play before halftime on a Deshon Parker layup which made it 27-26 CSU. 

The lead grew as high as five before EKU closed with a basket on the last possession which cut the lead to two, Cleveland State led 34-32 at the break. 

Cleveland State came out of the locker room and extended the lead. The Vikings led by as many as 13 on a Woodrich jump shot with 10:39 to play. It was 56-43 Vikings at that point. 

EKU slowly climbed back into the game, eventually tying the score with 31 seconds to play. The Colonels' Isaiah Cozart made the front end of a one-and-one to tie the score at 72, and then missed the second free throw. However EKU's Michael Moreno was able to tip the ball back in off the miss, giving EKU a three-point trip which turned a one point deficit into a two point lead with under 30 seconds to play. 

Williams responded with a lay-in at the other end to tie the score at 74, and the Vikings were able to get a stop defensively on EKU's final possession which forced an extra five minutes. 

Cleveland State scored just one point in the overtime period, as EKU scored 15 unanswered points to close the game and secure the victory.