Game 30 - Green Bay at Cleveland State
Green Bay Game Notes | Cleveland State Game Notes
Wolstein Center - Cleveland, OH
7:00 p.m.
All-Time vs. Green Bay: 36-52
Last Meeting: 1/14/24 79-71 L
Tickets: csuvikings.com
Radio: Real 106.1 FM
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team kicks off the final week of Horizon League regular season play with a Wednesday night matchup against Green Bay. The Vikings are 4-3 in the month of February and looking to close the month strong and improve positioning in the league standings. Cleveland State is tied for sixth in the league standings headed into the final two regular season games. Green Bay has dropped its last three in a row coming into Wednesday's contest and sits in a tie for third place in the standings.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/GREEN BAY SERIES
Wednesday's game marks the 89th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Green Bay in a series that dates back to 1982. The Phoenix hold a 52-36 edge in the all-time series. Cleveland State had won the last six in a row before Green Bay won the most recent meeting to snap the Viking winning streak. Green Bay defeated CSU 79-71 on January 14 in Green Bay. Tristan Enaruna registered 22 points and Jayson Woodrich added 20 for the Vikings in the first meeting.
CLEVELAND STATE DOWNS ROBERT MORRIS FOR TENTH #HLMBB WIN
Cleveland State defeated Robert Morris on the road on Sunday afternoon to claim its tenth league victory and improve to 10-8 in Horizon League competiton. The Vikings held a double-digit lead at the half before a furious RMU comeback eventually evened the score in the final minutes. Drew Lowder made a driving layup with one second remaining to secure the 73-71 road victory. Tristan Enaruna tallied 24 points and Tae Williams finished with 15. Lowder added 10 including the game-winner.
CLEVELAND STATE PICKS UP COMEBACK WIN OVER YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Cleveland State defeated Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 81-73 thanks to a monster game from Tristan Enaruna and several key second half surges. The Vikings trailed by four at the break and by as many as eight early in the second half before a late surge propelled them to victory. Enaruna finished one shy of a career high with 31 points, and Tae Williams added 18 with 10 coming in the second half.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay is 17-12 overall and 12-6 in the Horizon League coming into Wednesday's contest. The Phoenix have been the surprise team in the league all season long after being picked last in the preseason. Green Bay has dropped its last three games coming in to fall into a tie for third place in the league standings. Sundance Wicks is in his first year as the head coach, and brought with him standout transfer guard Noah Reynolds who leads the way averaging 19.7 points per game. Reynolds recently suffered an ankle injury and has not played since February 14.
CLEVELAND STATE EARNS ROAD VICTORY AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Cleveland State defeated Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night 75-72 to earn its fourth road victory and second in three games. The Vikings came from 11 points down in the second half to earn a come-from-behind win. Tristan Enaruna struck for 24 points, his fifth consecutive game with 23 or more, to lead the way for the Vikings. Drew Lowder was critical to the second half comeback, scoring all 20 of his points after halftime including connecting on seven of nine field goal attempts in the second half.
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.
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.
HOME SWEET HOME
Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 12-2 at home this season and have a 25-5 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.
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 fourth in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 12.6 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 LEADING THE WAY
Tristan Enaruna has been on a tear of late, registering nine straight games and 12 of his last 13 above 20 points in scoring. Enaruna currently ranks fourth in the Horizon League averaging 20.2 points per game in conference play. The fifth-year senior also ranks among the top-15 in the league in rebounds, assists and steals. Over the last five games, Enaruna is averaging just under 25 points and eight rebounds per contest while shooting at a 48 percent clip from the field and an 81 percent mark from the free throw line.
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 battles IUPUI on Saturday, March 2 in the final regular season game of the 2023-24 season. The game marks senior day as six student-athletes will be honored prior to tip-off. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team, with the women's game scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. tip followed by the men's game at 6:00 p.m.
