Game 22 - Robert Morris vs. Cleveland State
Robert Morris Game Notes | Cleveland State Game Notes
Wolstein Center - Cleveland, OH
1:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Robert Morris: 14-7
Last Meeting: 3/2/23 75-70 W(OT)
Tickets: csuvikings.com
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM
Play-By-Play: Ed Daugherty
TV: ESPN+/Bally Sports Great Lakes
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team concludes a three-game homestand with a visit from Robert Morris on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings are looking to return to their winning ways at the Wolstein Center after dropping a hard fought game to Wright State in overtime on Thursday night. RMU has won three in a row coming into the contest, with two of those wins coming in overtime.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/ROBERT MORRIS SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 22nd all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Robert Morris. This is the first of two regular season meetings. Cleveland State holds a 14-7 edge in the all-time series, including a 10-3 mark in games played in Cleveland. The Vikings have won the last seven in a row dating back to 2013. CSU took all three matcchups last season, however all three games came down to the wire. Cleveland State pulled out a 63-54 win in Pittsburgh on New Year's Eve 2022, and narrowly defeated the Colonials 57-55 at the Wolstein Center on February 10, 2023. The third meeting came a month later in the Quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament, where Cleveland State prevailed 75-70 in overtime. RMU led by as many as 12 in the second half before the Vikings mounted a furious comeback to tie the score and force the extra session.
CLEVELAND STATE PICKS UP COMEBACK WIN OVER PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Cleveland State defeated Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon 75-68 to earn an 18th-straight home victory. The Vikings were down as many as 15 points in the second half before storming back to take the lead late. Cleveland State finished with 23 assists on 29 made field goals in the game, with Tristan Enaruna and Tae Williams setting career highs in assists in the win. Drew Lowder finished with 23 points to lead all scorers on 50 percent shooting from three-point range.
CLEVELAND STATE WINS FOURTH IN A ROW AT IUPUI
Cleveland State picked up its fourth win in a row and its second consecutive league victory in downing IUPUI on Sunday afternoon, 86-77 in Indianapolis. The Vikings had four players in double figures led by Jayson Woodrich who struck for a career-high 23 points. Cleveland State built a double-digit lead early in the second half before IUPUI charged back to tie it with seven minutes remaining. The Vikings responded with a late run to close the game and secure the victory. The win is the ninth straight for the Vikings over the Jaguars in the series.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris is 8-12 and 4-5 in the Horizon League coming into Sunday's matchup. The Colonials got off to a rough start in league play, dropping five of their first six contests, and have rebounded to win three straight coming into Sunday. RMU features a balanced offensive attack with five players in double figures. Andrew Toole is in his 14th season as the head coach, and has amassed over 200 victories in his time at RMU.
HOME SWEET HOME
Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 10-1 at home this season and have a 23-4 overall record in Cleveland in the Daniyal Robinson era. Cleveland State is outscoring opponents by over 10 points per game in home contests this season.
CLEVELAND STATE DOWNS NORTHERN KENTUCKY IN OT THRILLER
Cleveland State defeated Northern Kentucky at the Wolstein Center on Sunday, 88-85 in overtime to improve to 4-2 in league play. This is the fourth consecutive matchup between the two teams that has been decided by three points or less, including last year's Horizon League Tournament Championship Game. The Vikings finished with five players in double figures. Tristan Enaruna and Tae Williams each registered a double-double and Jayson Woodrich finished with 18 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with the clock winding down in overtime.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS FIRST ROAD WIN OF THE SEASON AT BRADLEY
Cleveland State defeated Bradley on Friday night by a final score of 76-69 to earn the first road victory of the 2023-24 season. Drew Lowder and Tristan Enaruna combined for 49 points in leading the Vikings to a come-from-behind win over the Braves. Cleveland State trailed by five with under four minutes remaining before catching fire, posting a 12-0 run in the game's final minutes to seize control and earn the victory. Enaruna and Lowder combined for all 12 points in the scoring run, with each tallying a key three-pointer in the outburst. The game was close throughout with neither team holding more than a seven-point advantage.
GOING TO THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Through the early going of the Horizon League season, the Vikings have been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference. Cleveland State leads the Horizon League in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.7 rebounds per contest in league play. RMU is right behind, sitting in second place at 13.6 per game.
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.
ENARUNA EARNS SECOND #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Following a career-high 32 points against Western Michigan, Tristan Enaruna picked up his second Horizon League Player of the Week award, the league office announced Tuesday. Enaruna makes it back-to-back weekly awards for the Vikings after Drew Lowder earned the honor last week. Enaruna tied a career mark with 12 made field goals in the game and also finished with 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He finished 7-of-9 from the charity stripe and added four assists and four steals, each of which led the team.
DREW LOWDER NAMED #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a 26-point night against Bradley on Friday, senior guard Drew Lowder was named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Lowder finished one point shy of his career high, set in the season opener at Duquesne, and tied his career best with six three-pointers in nine attempts. He also registered a career-high four steals. Lowder helped ignite the Vikings down the stretch, as he scored five points as part of the closing 12-0 run that secured the victory. Lowder hit the game-tying three-pointer with 3:23 remaining and the Vikings led for good after that point. This is Lowder's first league player of the week award.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State heads back on the road for a matchup with Detroit Mercy on Thursday, February 1. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip at Calihan Hall in Detroit.
