Cleveland, OH-It was a game with an atmosphere that felt like it was played much later than the close of the first week of the season. The Cleveland State men's basketball team thrived in that atmosphere, earning a key non-conference victory over Ohio University 82-78 at the Wolstein Center Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 2,400.
The fans in attendance were treated to a slice of program history. The win marked the first for the Vikings over the Bobcats since 1998, and just the third win all-time in the series. Ohio had won the previous five meetings, including three in a row the past three seasons.
The 2023 matchup was a different story. The game featured 13 lead changes and 13 ties and was back and forth the entire way. Cleveland State used a 25-14 edge at the free throw line and a 27-13 advantage in bench scoring to outlast the Bobcats.
The Vikings shot just 41 percent from the floor, 38 percent from three-point land, and were even in the rebounding margin. However, the success at the free throw line helped to overcome the struggles from the field. Cleveland State shot 25-31(.808) from the charity stripe, the best performance at the free throw line this season. It proved to be critical down the stretch allowing the Vikings to stay in control and emerge with the victory.
Tristan Enaruna had another huge night, finishing with a season-high 22 points. Enaruna finished 6-13 from the field including multiple critical baskets in the second half. He was a significant contributor to the success at the free throw line, finishing 9-12 for the game from the line. Enaruna also registered a career high with six assists in the game.
Jayson Woodrich came off the bench for his second consecutive double-figure scoring performance in the opening three games, finishing with 14 points. Woodrich finished 4-5 from three-point range and sent the Wolstein Center crowd into a frenzy in the second half, with multiple momentum-shifting three-point makes.
Tae Williams finished with 13 points on 4-9 shooting from the floor. He was also rock solid from the free throw line, connecting on 5-6 from the charity stripe. Williams added five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Ohio got off to a fast start in the game's opening minutes. An 8-0 run broke an early 6-6 tie and gave Ohio a 14-6 advantage less than five minutes in.
Cleveland State responded with a run of its own. The Vikings went on a 9-0 surge in less than three minutes that gave CSU the lead. Drew Lowder made the first Viking three-pointer of the night to cap the run and put Cleveland State in front 19-18 at the 11:31 mark of the first half.
From there the two teams played relatively even the rest of the first half. Ohio carried a slim two-point advantage into the locker room. It was 40-38 Bobcats at the break.
The second half featured more of the same, with the two teams trading baskets and neither creating much separation. It was 54-54 with 12:44 remaining.
Shortly after, Woodrich turned the tide in the Vikings' favor with the first of his clutch three-point shots. He connected on back-to-back three-point attempts with under 10 minutes remaining, which turned a three-point deficit into a three-point Viking lead, 60-57, and forced an Ohio timeout.
Cleveland State held that lead briefly before Ohio fought back to tie it at 65 with seven minutes to play. Cleveland State responded with a 7-0 spurt which would give the Vikings the lead for good. Williams scored off a put-back layup on the ensuing possession and then Woodrich hit another clutch three-pointer which led to a Bobcat timeout. Following a technical foul issued to the Ohio bench, Woodrich capped the run with two free throws to put CSU ahead 72-65 with 5:55 left.
The Viking lead grew to its largest at eight points with 4:45 to go. Ohio mounted a comeback effort in the game's final minutes and did claw back to within two with just over a minute remaining, but a Lowder three-pointer from the top of the key with 50 seconds remaining gave the Vikings a cushion to seal the victory.
Cleveland State improves to 2-1 overall with the win. Ohio falls to 1-1. The Vikings will be back in action for the third and final game of the three-game early season homestand at the Wolstein Center on Wednesday as Canisius comes to town for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Tickets can be purchased for that game by visiting this link.
