Jan. 19, 2008

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State continued to dominate the Horizon League Saturday night at the Wolstein Center as they topped Valparaiso, 69-63. The Vikings are now 7-0 in league play for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

"The key is that we continue to get better," head coach Gary Waters said, "I told you to judge us in January because the had to learn and grow together as a bunch of players playing together. They're starting to understand that, but we are not close to our potential. They are starting to believe in themselves."

Despite the fact that the game was closely contested throughout there was not a single lead change as the Vikings went from the first basket of the game to the final buzzer leading Valpo in the scoring column. The Vikings also won the rebound battle by a margin of 36-28, which was a point of emphasis for the team in practice.

"Defensively, I thought we played better tonight. Against Butler, I thought we missed some assignments, but today, I don't think we missed assignments," Waters said.

With the win, the first place Vikings move to 14-5 (7-0 HL), while the Crusaders drop to 13-6 (4-2 HL). With the win tonight following the victory by the women over Wright State earlier in the evening, Cleveland State has now swept four consecutive home doubleheaders for the first time in school history.

Also achieving a milestone on the day was junior forward J'Nathan Bullock, who became the 17th player in school history to score over 1,000 points in a career. Bullock's milestone did not come easily as he had difficulty finding the basket in the first half, netting only 1-of-4 shots for two first half points.

The first half was a back and forth affair, and the statistics back this up by virtue of the fact that each team shot 10-for-26 and made two three pointers each. However, Cleveland State was able to get to the line considerably more often than the Crusaders, scoring 8-of-9 free throws in the first period.

First half standouts included Cedric Jackson, with nine points on 2-for-5 shooting including 4-for-4 from the line, as well as Breyohn Watson, who added six points (3-for-3 FG).

With the score at 30-23 at halftime, the Vikings had no reason to keep their foot from the gas pedal in the second half, and as soon at the second half got underway they got right to work to widen their lead. After extending their lead to 36-26 at the 17:24 mark, the team was well on its way to victory and never led by less than four the rest of the way.

A milestone was achieved at the 9:39 mark in the second half, as Bullock sank a jumper to score his 1,001th point. Bullock, focused on the game, didn't realize that he had reached the milestone until the conclusion of the contest.

"My teammates congratulated me in the locker room and that's when I found out," Bullock said, "It's a good feeling."

Bullock finished with 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting including a 5-for-5 effort from the line. Cedric Jackson added 16 points on only 3-for-11 shooting but tied a career high with nine made free throws on 12 attempts.

Also a factor in the game for the Vikings was Chris Moore, who broke out of his recent slump (seven points in three games) with a 12-point game on 6-for-9 shooting.

Leading the Crusaders in their losing effort was Shawn Huff, who scored 14 points (5-for-9 FG, 4-for-7 three pointers).

Up next for the Vikings is a road game against Green Bay on Thursday, Jan. 24 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Green Bay, WI. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. CST.