Cleveland, OH-As the Horizon League regular season schedule nears its conclusion, each game is critical down the stretch. In a game that was back-and-forth throughout, Cleveland State used a strong second half to overcome a four-point halftime deficit and defeat Youngstown State 81-73 at the Wolstein Center on Saturday afternoon.
The game featured six lead changes and seven ties. The Vikings led for 18:15 and YSU led for 14:46 in a seesaw battle throughout the afternoon. Cleveland State used 46 points in the paint, the majority of which came in the second half, and 27 points off of 18 Youngstown State turnovers to earn the victory.
Tristan Enaruna had another huge afternoon, finishing with 31 points, one shy of his career high. Enaruna finished 12-of-21 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Enaruna recorded eight rebounds and three assists while playing the entire 40 minutes. This marks the seventh consecutive game that Enaruna has registered 20 or more points.
Tae Williams finished with 18 points on an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. Williams was key in the second half comeback as he scored 10 of those points after halftime. He added seven rebounds and three assists in the contest.
Drew Lowder also registered double figures in scoring finishing with 10 points. Lowder was just 2-of-8 from the field but connected on all six of his free throw attempts helping the Vikings shoot 75 percent from the line overall as a team. Lowder added five rebounds and led the team with five assists.
The visiting Penguins got off to a hot start, opening up a 14-9 lead in the opening eight minutes. Cleveland State responded with a 14-0 run to take a nine-point lead with 6:40 to go in the first half. Enaruna threw down a two-handed dunk to cap off the rally that brought the Wolstein Center crowd to their feet and swung the momentum squarely to the Vikings' side.
Youngstown State punched back, as the Penguins slowly chipped away at the Cleveland State lead. YSU fought back to tie it at 33 with 1:37 to go before halftime and scored on its final two possessions of the half to take a 37-33 lead into the halftime locker room.
The YSU lead doubled in the early going of the second half as the Penguins led by eight, 45-37 with 17:39 to go in the game. It would be YSU's largest lead of the day.
Cleveland State quickly erased the deficit with a lightning-quick 8-0 blitz over the next 60 seconds to tie the score at 45.
The two teams stayed within one possession until another Cleveland State run gave the Vikings a lead they would never relinquish. An 8-0 run into the under-8 media timeout gave CSU a 65-60 lead with 7:46 remaining.
The Penguins fought back to within one possession multiple times in the final minutes, but each time the Vikings had an answer to stay ahead. Cleveland State shot 56 percent from the field in the second half. 30 of the Vikings' 48 second half points came in the paint.
Cleveland State hits the road for the final two away games of the regular season this week. The Vikings take on Northern Kentucky on Thursday evening followed by a trip to Robert Morris next Sunday.
