Game 24 - Cleveland State at Oakland
Cleveland State Game Notes | Oakland Game Notes
O'Rena - Rochester, MI
1:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Oakland: 13-14
Last Meeting: 12/28/23 75-67 W
Tickets: goldengrizzlies.com
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM(1:00 p.m. broadcast time)
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Neal Ruhl
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team continues its trip through the State of Michigan with a Saturday afternoon matchup against Oakland. The Vikings have won three of their last four including a 77-65 win at Detroit Mercy to begin the road trip on Thursday night. Oakland has also won three of its last four coming in and sits at 9-3 in the Horizon League, one half game back of first place in the league standings. This matchup pits two of the top-five teams in the conference race. Saturday's game will be broadcast on WTAM 1100 AM with the Voice of the Vikings, Al Pawlowski, on the call. Due to previously scheduled programming, there will be limited pre-game coverage with the broadcast set to begin at 1:00 p.m.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/OAKLAND SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 28th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Oakland. Oakland holds a slim 14-13 edge in the overall series, but Cleveland State has won five of the last eight meetings, including the first matchup between the two teams this season. The Vikings won 75-67 at the Wolstein Center on December 28. Drew Lowder, Jayson Woodrich, Tae Williams and Tevin Smith all scored in double figures for the Vikings in the win. Oakland holds an 8-5 all-time record in games played in Rochester.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS ROAD VICTORY AT DETROIT MERCY
Cleveland State defeated Detroit Mercy on Thursday night for just the sixth time in series history at Calihan Hall, and the first time since 2020. The Vikings prevailed 77-65 and moved to 7-5 in Horizon League competition. Cleveland State got 27 points from Tristan Enaruna, who recorded his third-straight game with 27-or more points, and 10 points off the bench from Jayson Woodrich. The Vikings built a double-digit lead at halftime and held off the pesky Titans in the second half to come away with their third road victory of the 2023-24 season.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS COMEBACK WIN OVER ROBERT MORRIS
Cleveland State defeated Robert Morris on Sunday afternoon at the Wolstein Center to move to 6-5 in league play. The Vikings earned a comeback win after trailing for a majority of the second half before a late charge put Cleveland State ahead and allowed the Vikings to hold off RMU for a two-point win, 66-64. Tristan Enaruna recorded his second consecutive game of 28 points, finishing 11-19 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Jayson Woodrich came off the bench and provided a critical offensive spark, hitting two key three-pointers early in the second half en route to a 12-point performance.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Oakland is 14-9 and 9-3 in Horizon League play coming into Saturday afternoon's matchup. The Vikings defeated the Golden Grizzlies in the first meeting between the two teams in late December at the Wolstein Center. Oakland is led by junior forward Trey Townsend, who is one of four Golden Grizzlies to average in double figures in scoring. Townsend averages 16.6 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. Greg Kampe is in his 40th season in charge of the program, he is the longest tenured head coach in the country. Kampe is closing in on 700 victories in his coaching career.
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.
HOME SWEET HOME
Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 11-1 at home this season and have a 24-4 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.
GOING TO THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Through the Horizon League season, the Vikings have been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference. Cleveland State ranks second in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 13 offensive rebounds per contest in league play.
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 remains on the road as the Vikings travel to Purdue Fort Wayne for a matchup against the Mastodons on Wednesday, February 7. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. from Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.
