Game 10 - Cleveland State at Saint Mary's
Cleveland State Game Notes | Saint Mary's Game Notes
UCU Pavilion - Moraga, CA
10:00 p.m. EST
All-Time vs. Saint Mary's: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Tickets: smcgaels.com
Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Alex Jensen
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team heads west for a non-conference matchup with Saint Mary's. The Vikings sit at 6-3 headed into their tenth regular season game of the 2023-24 season. Cleveland State is coming off its first week of conference action, finishing 1-1 in two Horizon League contests. Saint Mary's is 3-5 on the season and the Gaels are looking to rebound after dropping two in a row to Utah and Boise State. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the game on Fox Sports 1350 AM. Due to the game, there will be no Coach Robinson Show broadcast on Tuesday night, with the radio show set to return next Tuesday, December 12.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/SAINT MARY'S SERIES
This will be the first-ever meeting between Cleveland State and Saint Mary's. This is the second consecutive year the Vikings have matched up with a team from the West Coast Conference, after falling last season to Loyola Marymount. This is the eighth time in school history that Cleveland State has faced off with a WCC opponent.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS VIKING INVITATIONAL TITLE
Cleveland State posted a 2-0 week inside Woodling Gymnasium in claiming the Viking Invitational tournament championship over Thanksgiving Weekend. The host Vikings tallied wins over East Tennessee State and Alabama A&M in claiming the top spot. The Vikings defeated ETSU in a thriller to kick off the tournament, with Tristan Enaruna tallying the last four points, including the game winning bucket with under four seconds left which lifted the Vikings to a 72-70 win. Cleveland State rolled past Alabama A&M in the final game of the tournament, winning 86-59 to close out the weekend. Four Vikings finished in double figures and all but one of the ten players who saw action in the contest cracked the score sheet.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS 82-78 WIN OVER OHIO
Cleveland State earned the program's third all-time victory in the series against Ohio and the first since 1998 with a strong performance Saturday at the Wolstein Center. The game was back and forth the entire way and featured 13 lead changes and 13 ties. Tristan Enaruna led the way for the Vikings with a season-high 22 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists. Jayson Woodrich also finished in double figures with 14 points on 4-5 shooting from three-point range, including multiple critical makes down the stretch to push the Vikings in front.
SCOUTING THE GAELS
Saint Mary's is 3-5 coming into Tuesday night's game. The Gaels are coming off a 27-win campaign a year ago which resulted in a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Aidan Mahaney is the leading scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game. Mitchell Saxen averages nearly a double-double per game with 9.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. Randy Bennett is in his 23rd season as the head coach. Bennett has amassed over 500 career victories and has led Saint Mary's to 16 consecutive trips to the postseason.
DANIYAL ROBINSON ACHIEVES RECORD-SETTING FIRST SEASON
Cleveland State head coach Daniyal Robinson set a new school record in his first season in charge of the program. Robinson and the Vikings recorded 21 wins in 2022-23, which is the most wins of any first-year head coach in school history. Cleveland State finished as the runner-up in the Horizon League Tournament and made the program's third-straight postseason appearance, earning a trip to the CBI. Should the Vikings reach the postseason this year, it would be the first time in school history that CSU has reached the postseason four consecutive years.
VIKINGS PICKED FOURTH IN #HLMBB PRESEASON POLL
Cleveland State was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll following a vote amongst league head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors from the league's 11 participating schools. Cleveland State received one first-place vote and finished with 362 points. In addition, senior forward Tristan Enaruna was named to the all-league first team after averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
RETURNERS PACK A PUNCH
Cleveland State returns a majority of the scoring and rebounding from last season's 21-win squad. The Vikings return 62 percent of the scoring and 51 percent of the rebounding from 2022-23. Cleveland State returns its top three scorers and two of its top three rebounders. In the scoring department, Tristan Enaruna led the way at 15.6 points per game, followed by Tae Williams who also averaged double figures at 11.1 points per contest. Senior guard Drew Lowder returns after averaging 9.8 points per game last season. Enaruna and Williams will provide a steady presence on the glass, as the two combined to average 12.5 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
CLEVELAND STATE DOWNS DETROIT MERCY FOR FIRST #HLMBB VICTORY
Cleveland State defeated Detroit Mercy to earn its first victory in Horizon League play on Saturday, 69-58 at the Wolstein Center. The Vikings never trailed and closed the game on an 11-2 run to secure the victory. Cleveland State overcame a rough shooting night from the field by using a decisive 24-6 edge at the free throw line and 14 Detroit Mercy turnovers to aid in the win. Tristan Enaruna recorded his second double-double of the season finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Dylan Arnett(11 pts.) and Chase Robinson(10) each recorded career highs in the victory.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AWAITS IN 2023-24
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson has assembled a challenging non-conference schedule in his second season in charge of the program. The season opener at Duquesne was one of four matchups in which the Vikings will face off with a team that won 20 or more games and played in the postseason. Cleveland State will face two teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season, with road matchups scheduled at Saint Mary's (Dec. 5) and at Kent State (Dec. 9). Duquesne (CBI) and Bradley (NIT) also made postseason appearances last year.
VIKINGS DOWN CANISIUS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY
Cleveland State defeated Canisius on Wednesday night to cap a 3-0 run in the opening homestand of the season at the Wolstein Center. The Vikings clamped down defensively in the second half, turning a slim one-point margin at the halftime break into a 10 point victory, 71-61. Cleveland State held Canisius to just 27 points in the second half on 9-30 shooting from the field. Tristan Enaruna posted his first double-double of the season finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Drew Lowder and Tae Williams both recorded double-figure scoring performances for the Vikings.
NEW FACES
Seven newcomers will suit up in the green and white for the first time in 2023-24. The roster includes six transfer student-athletes and one freshman. The group features junior transfer guards Tevin Smith and Jalin Rice, who will see action on the wings, and junior transfer forwards KJ Debrick and Dok Muordar who will add to the depth in the post. Junior Chase Robinson was on the roster last season, but will make his debut after sitting out last year due to transer protocol. Fifth-year senior TJ Moss will provide verteran experience, and local product Danny Young(Shaker Heights), is the lone freshman addition.
JOHNSON JOINS COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson announced the addition of Kwanza Johnson as an assistant coach for the Vikings for the 2023-24 season. Johnson brings over 20 years of college coaching experience to the Cleveland State bench. Johnson and Robinson share a connection that goes back to their time working together at Arkansas-Little Rock, Robinson's alma mater. Johnson joins returning assistants Travis Lewis, Jay Shunnar and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Steve Payne on this season's coaching staff.
ENARUNA EARNS #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Following a stellar week over Thanksgiving at the Viking Invitational, Tristan Enaruna was named as the Horizon League's Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday. Enaruna was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 20 points and seven rebounds over the two-game week. He finished with a career-high 28 points against East Tennessee State in the opening game, including scoring the final four points of the game to push the Vikings to a two-point win. He followed it up with a 12-point, seven rebound performance against Alabama A&M in the second game.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State returns to the State of Ohio for another non-conference matchup, as the Vikings travel to Kent State for a matchup against the Golden Flashes. Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Flashes' MAC Center.
