Fort Wayne, IN-For the second consecutive time in 2024, Cleveland State erased a double-digit deficit to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night. The Vikings prevailed 75-72 after being down 11 points early in the second half. The Vikings trailed by 15 points in the first meeting at the Wolstein Center before coming back to win. Cleveland State is now 8-6 in the Horizon League and 15-10 overall. Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 15-9 and 6-7 in league play.
Tristan Enaruna registered his fifth consecutive game of 23 points or more, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Enaruna finished 7-of-8 from the free throw line and added four rebounds and four assists on the night.
Drew Lowder was key in the comeback effort, tallying 20 points, all of which came in the second half. Lowder connected on seven of nine field goal attempts after halftime and was a perfect three of three at the charity stripe. Lowder added five rebounds and three assists.
Cleveland State got off to a hot start, building a 5-0 lead on the strength of an Enaruna three-pointer on the opening possession and a Tae Williams fast-break dunk. The lead was the largest of the night for the Vikings at the 18:32 mark of the first half.
Purdue Fort Wayne promptly tied it at five and the Mastodons eventually took the lead and held it for the remainder of the first half. Purdue Fort Wayne led by as many as nine points and ended the half up seven at 38-31 headed into the locker room.
The Mastodon lead grew as large as 11 in the second half, as Purdue Fort Wayne carried the double-digit lead as late as the 12:11 mark to go in the game.
Cleveland State slowly chipped away and the Vikings' offense came to life with a little under nine minutes remaining. Cleveland State mounted a 10-0 run that turned a nine-point deficit into a one-point lead with 7:19 left. Lowder accounted for eight of the ten points in the run that put CSU squarely back in the hunt down the stretch.
The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes. The score was tied at 68 with 3:34 remaining. Following empty trips for both sides, Lowder connected on a three-pointer with 1:42 left that proved to be the go-ahead basket.
Purdue Fort Wayne fought back in the final minute, cutting the Viking lead to one on a Quinton Morton-Robertson triple with under 10 seconds remaining. Following a 2-of-2 trip for Enaruna at the free throw line, the Mastodons had one final shot to draw even, but Rasheed Bello's three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed off, and Cleveland State came away with its fourth road win of the 2023-24 season.
The Vikings will be back in action next Wednesday at the Wolstein Center when Milwaukee comes to town. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip off in Cleveland.
