Indianapolis, IN-The Cleveland State men's basketball team dropped a hard fought 74-71 decision to top seed Oakland to end its run in the Barbasol Horizon League Tournament in the Semifinals. The Vikings made their fourth consecutive appearance in the Semifinal Round and secured a third consecutive 20-win season with a record of 20-14 overall.
The game featured seven lead changes and seven ties with momentum changing hands throughout the contest. Both teams finished with three players in double figures and finished dead even at the free throw line with 16 free throws made.
Tae Williams led the way for CSU with 21 points, with 16 coming in the first half. Williams recorded a double-double with 14 rebounds, with five coming on the offensive glass. Williams finished 9-of-17 from the field and tallied two assists and a steal.
Tristan Enaruna added 14 points and seven rebounds, finishing a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Drew Lowder finished with 11 points despite finishing 3-of-10 from the field. Lowder was a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Cleveland State got off to a great start scoring the game's first seven points to take a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest. The lead would be the largest of the game for the Vikings.
Cleveland State held the lead until Oakland worked back to a tie at 19-19 with 8:11 to go in the first half. The two teams traded baskets with neither holding more than a three-point advantage the rest of the first half. The score remained tied going into the halftime break at 38 apiece.
Oakland came out of the gates in the second half strong as the Golden Grizzlies mounted a 9-0 run to take a double-digit lead, 52-42 with 14:39 remaining.
Shortly after the Vikings responded with a run of their own. Cleveland State mounted a 10-0 run capped off by an Enaruna layup to cut the Oakland lead to one with 8:16 remaining.
Oakland pushed its lead to seven shortly thereafter with back-to-back threes from Jack Gohlke and Blake Lampman. The Golden Grizzlies led 67-60 with 4:58 left to play.
The Vikings responded with yet another surge, this time a 9-2 run that tied the score at 69 with 2:36 remaining. Lowder put an exclamation point on the run with a deep three-pointer that tied the score and ignited the Cleveland State bench.
With the score tied down the stretch, Oakland made the final surge. The Golden Grizzlies registered four consecutive defensive stops and paired that with 5-of-6 shooting at the free throw line to emerge with the three-point victory.
Cleveland State will look to secure its fourth consecutive trip to a postseason tournament as the Vikings await their postseason fate. Stay tuned to csuvikings.com for further updates.
