Game 11 - Cleveland State at Kent State
Cleveland State Game Notes | Kent State Game Notes
MAC Center - Kent, OH
2:00 p.m. Tip-Off
All-Time vs. Kent State: 20-33
Last Meeting: 12/10/22 67-58 L
Tickets: kentstatesports.com
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Dane Richardson, Jana Ashley
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team prepares for the second leg of a three-game road swing as the Vikings travel down the road to Kent, OH for an in-state matchup against Kent State. Cleveland State is searching for its first road victory of the season after falling at Saint Mary's on Tuesday. Kent State enters the contest at 6-3 overall. The Golden Flashes are winners of two in a row headed into Saturday afternoon's contest.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/KENT STATE SERIES
This will be the 54th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Kent State. The two in-state foes meet for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in the last six years. Kent State has won the last six matchups, with the last Viking victory coming in 2013, when Cleveland State picked up a road victory 78-70 on December 28. Kent State won last year's matchup 67-58 at the Wolstein Center. Tristan Enaruna had 12 points and seven rebounds in last year's contest.
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 GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State is 6-3 on the season and have won two straight coming into Saturday's contest. The Golden Flashes return ten players from last year's team that finished 28-7 and won the MAC Tournament championship. Kent State appeared in the NCAA Tournament where the Golden Flashes fell in the first round to Indiana. Jalen Sullinger leads the way averaging 15.4 points per game, and Chris Payton Jr. leads the team in rebounding at 7.8 boards per game, while also averaging double figures in scoring. Rob Senderoff is in his 12th season as the head coach. Senderoff is the all-time wins leader at Kent State with over 250 wins in his career.
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.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
Through ten games, Cleveland State has proven to be one of the best shot-blocking teams in the country. The Vikings average 5.3 blocked shots per game. This number ranks first in the Horizon League and 30th in the nation.
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 finishes its three-game road trip with a game at Bradley on Friday, December 15. The Vikings will have next week off from competition for final exams. The game against the Braves will be an 8:00 p.m. tip-off.
